my guess is that the gasket around the top of the fuel pump failed. happened on my car and was discovered while it was at the dealer for something else and got it swapped out. this occurs more readily in places that have ethanol in the fuel. this is the case in france but not as much in switzerland tho.
Aw mann.. it had sport seats. Good news is if the CF shells aren't melted too badly they can be recovered. It was a 3-pedal!!!!! Looks like a fuel line IMHO
No clue as to how this thread went unnoticed... Either way - I was the one behind the wheel at the time (a very good friend's car, which makes the matter even worse). The fire came out of nowhere right after having settled down to cruising speeds on the highway. No smells, no smoke. All of a sudden, the interior lit up from the massive flames that shot up out of nowhere in the engine bay and I proceeded to pull over onto the side of the highway as soon as possible. It was a shocking moment and thank god I didn't lose control of the car when the fire erupted (big OH SH*T moment). The first time I could actually turn around to see what was going on, was when I the car came to a complete stop, about 10 seconds after the fire having broken out. Unfortunately, the car was fully ablaze by then with no chance of being saved and I had to get out of the car as quickly as possible (my phone stayed in the car...). The interesting thing is that the car had just received the full Ferrari Premium Program from one of our most prestigious dealers here in Switzerland, less than a year prior, where all hoses and lines get checked and replaced. In my opinion, this is something that should probably have been checked/seen by the dealer - Especially if the fuel pump issue is a common thing on the F430/F360. I have to add that this specific car was always meticulously maintained and was literally as new. It's a shame as she truly was a fine specimen and won't be easy to replace: Manual Grigio Titanio with carbon buckets, ceramic brakes, leather wrapped roll bar etc. etc. etc. She will be missed. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
So sorry to see and read about this. I know it can be tough to deal with car fire. I lost a car that started to burn while I was driving a few years ago - the brake line. I could stop and watch it burn, happy I didn't lose control and burn with her... The car gone is very sad, but that no one was injured is way more important.
So sorry to read and see this, as owner of a similar car. I am glad you are ok. It looked quite shocking to experience. Also not good that it can happen to such a well maintained car.
I have a fire extinguisher in each car. Saved my old boat with one and started carrying them "in case". Super sad since manual w carbon seats is a great build.
That is very dangerous, regardless of the brand of the car. I am glad you made it out ok. Is it just the fuel pump leaking because of a bad seal? Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
That much burn that quickly I predict a fuel line broke off from the top of the pump, left or right...either one. Only way I can see that flames would be that extensive that quickly.
Scary ****. Does this happen more often with our 430s? From now on I would be extra careful. Would be nice to have somekind of fuel cutoff switch between the fuelpumps and tanks. Did anyone did this before?
It happened on early 458s. For sure if it were an issue with 430s we would have heard more about it here. Interesting analysis of the 458 issue here. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/458-fire-issue-fixed-with-previous-recall-from-years-back.524744/
I am thinking of selling my own factory manual 430 coupe with carbon buckets btw. It’s a UK RHD, 1000 miles. Keeping my manual 430 Spider which has more miles and which I drive more.
Was this car advertised for sale in Switzerland last year? If so, I was watching it for a while and soon after saw it or v similar driving in Zurich. Lovely and different from the usual colours, plus those manual shifts are so excellently engineered. Ferrari fires do seem to come with a theme of having been recently serviced, usually at a main dealer. Seems a conundrum of keeping to servicing regimes versus protecting your car from mechanics that might not be 100% attentive (or, if you must have a dealer stamp, then getting the car checked by real engineers).
There was yet another F430 (scud) fire just 1 month prior to this Swiss one, but in Malaysia. What gives? How can we make sure this never happens to us? All I know is to inspect for leaks regularly, and if you smell gas, absolutely don't drive it. Regarding recent service, in the DeLorean world, this has happened right after someone thinks they're preventing a fire by replacing their fuel lines. But then something leaks and then their prevention turns into the cause. https://automacha.com/ferrari-f430-on-fire-on-highway/