Caparo Caparo T1 on fire at 150mph

[Monster]

150mph Caparo accident


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Fifth Gear presenter and Touring Car driver Jason Plato has been hospitalised after the Caparo he was testing burst into flames at 150mph.

The T1 was being filmed for the TV show at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire, UK, on Monday when it 'burst into flames at an estimated 150mph'. Plato received burns to his hands, face and neck, and was treated at hospital before being released overnight.

'There was a slight loss of power, I looked in the mirror and saw some smoke, there was a slight smell of oil and then suddenly there was this intense heat,' said Plato. 'The car spontaneously erupted into a ball of flame and I was sat in the middle of a fireball. I hit the brakes, brought the car to a stop as quickly as I could and jumped out.'

Plato was then rushed to three separate hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville's specialist burns unit, but he was released later the same day.

Caparo is investigating the cause of the fire, and nobody was available to comment. CAR's Chris Chilton, who also tested the T1 at Bruntingthorpe, said you could get some pretty serious speeds at the former airfield - he's hit an indicated 195mph there in a Lamborghini Murcielago.

150mph Caparo accident - News - Carmagazine.co.uk


So more problems for the Caparo.

 

[Bruce]

Ahh, that's awful. Thankfully Plato wasn't too injured.

As for the Caparo... blah.

 

[Monster]

From the outside, the car looks very well engineered, but the problems with this car never seems to die down. Full credit to them for designing and buliding their own engine, but problems like this accident will definitely happen when you don't have access to manufacturer resources.

 

[Bruce]

From the outside, the car looks very well engineered, but the problems with this car never seems to die down. Full credit to them for designing and buliding their own engine, but problems like this accident will definitely happen when you don't have access to manufacturer resources.

Agreed full stop. And though I also completely appreciate what they have done from an engineering stand point, I think outsourcing the engine might have been a good idea.

 

[Sunny]

Yeah developing a 10500 rpm V8 on a (relatively speaking) shoe string budget for a street car was never a good idea to start with. And now this infamous blow up. I can't see how they will recover from it - while the hardcore James Dean types might still get it, the last place your typical millionaire weekend racer want to be is in the middle of a ball of fire. Which is a pity, cause I really wanted to see this car succeed.

 

[NarutoRamen]

I'm glad Jason is alright. But since it's a testing phase you can't blame the company and all test drivers know they're putting their lives on the line.

 

[PanterroR]

I wonder what our expert (IE) has to say on this... This is his dream car afaik... The one he praises most.

 

[Bartek S.]

Exclusive: first pics of Jason Plato’s car blaze
10 October 2007

by Andy Goodwin Here are the dramatic pictures which show the moment when a Caparo T1 driven by Fifth Gear’s Jason Plato bursts into flames.
As Plato skids the car to a halt his helmet can be seen in the side mirror as tyre smoke pours from the front wheels.
The second photograph shows the
Caparo T1abandoned on the runway at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, still smoking from the fire which broke out at 150mph.

Earlier today we told you how Plato was testing the supercar for Fifth Gear when he was suddenly scorched by flames.
After the accident Plato said: “There was a slight loss of power, I looked in the mirror and saw some smoke, there was a slight smell of oil and then suddenly there was this intense heat.
“The car spontaneously erupted into a ball of flames and I was sat in the middle of a fireball. I hit the brakes, brought the car to a stop as quickly as I could and jumped out.
“The back of my neck is burnt and so are my face and hands. I obviously couldn’t take my hands off the steering wheel whilst braking and my right hand is more badly burnt than my left.”
Despite burns to his face, hands and the back of his neck the Seat driver has already vowed to race in the BTCC title decider, being held at Thruxton this Sunday.
Plato currently has a nine-point lead over Vauxhall’s title rival Fabrizio Giovanardi, from Italy.

Plato added: “I’ll have to dig deep, but I’m still looking forward to the BTCC finale this weekend. It’s been a hard-fought season and I’ve led the Drivers’ Championship almost unbroken since winning the opening round, so this isn’t going to stop me winning the title on Sunday.”
Plato was taken to a specialist burns unit and released later the same evening. He spent the night resting at his Oxfordshire home, before seeing a burns specialist again this morning.
The Caparo T1 is not yet on sale, but has been wowing the motoring world with its Formula One car for the road. Accelerating from 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds, the £210,000 T1 has a top speed of 210mph.
Plato is the latest motoring journalist to be injured while filming. Top Gear presenter
Richard Hammond was involved in a 288mph crash, while Fifth Gear’s Tom Ford broke three toes last month when he rolled a van