Usually a headline like this is the precursor to a story that starts with a twelve-year-old Russian oil billionaire or B-list Hollywood movie producer; followed by the phrase “lost control” or “prostitute tried to get away”; and then we all get mad when we hear that they just paid cash for a new Italian beauty (car, not woman). But this time its just a flame job car wrap.
While we can think of better things to do with Ferrari 360 Spider, at least this is just a big sticker that can be peeled off. Plus it could be worse, this could be a gold-wrapped SLR.
Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
Unfortunately, Charles Lewis Jr, the owner of the TapouT MMA clothing line has died in an automobile accident. Lewis was also known by the nickname "Mask" due to his constant face paint. The $300,000 Ferrari crashed into a light pole, ripping the car in half. Judging from the carbon fiber seats the vehicle looks to be a 360 Challenge Stradale.
The accident took place this morning at 1:00 AM. "Mask" was declared dead at the scene. A female passenger, who was ejected from the vehicle, was taken to a local hospital and remains in critical conditions. It is speculated that the Ferrari was racing another high performance vehicle, a Porsche, at the time of the accident.
A statement made by TapouT confirms Lewis’s death: "It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we must regretfully confirm the passing of our beloved friend, brother and co-founder Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis following a car accident that occurred last night. We are currently in the process of setting up a memorial service in his honor and will release more details as they become available. Many thanks to all for the outpouring of blessings."
Video after the jump.
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This Ferrari 360 Modena was almost sliced in half yesterday, yet the two men inside astonishingly escaped serious injury. The $150,000 car (when new) was reported to be going at about 95 mph in a residential neighborhood when the incident happened. It seems that the Ferrari was too much for the driver to handle. A witness in the southern Austrailian town of Walkerville describe the the moments before the accident as, "It’s like they turned the streets into a racetrack."
Being able to transform a Toyota MR2 into a Ferrari look-alike was supposed to be a good thing (well, yes it is a crime against style!), but when you sale this fake Ferrari into a country like Italy where selling a Ferrari replica is against the law when you can get busted at any moment!
Police in Italy arrested a group of eight mechanics who transformed the Toyota MR2s and Pontiacs into Ferrari and sold them for £15,000 each.
Police are understood to have confiscated 14 fake 360 Modenas – seven sold and seven under construction – and eight people are under investigation.
Apparently those buying the cars knew they were fakes (how wouldn’t they?) so we can only hope that people rolling in rebodied MR2s over here will soon get busted for being so lame. The buyers were simply buying the cars to impress the neighbors.
A wonderful photograph from Pat Ernzen. The
Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale is a fascinating track car, and this picture brings out the sheer beauty and elegance of the masterpiece from Pininfarina.
