Official video for the Ferrari 458 Spider - similar to the one that crashed in Victoria Park tunnel. Video / YouTube / Ferrari
A supercar that crashed in Auckland's Victoria Park tunnel, causing an 8km traffic jam, was a $290,000 Ferrari - with the dealer keeping tight-lipped about whether it was a test drive gone wrong.
The crash caused lengthy delays on Saturday and a photos of the scene suggests the vehicle involvedwas a white Ferrari 458 Italia.
The supercar is believed to be a Ferrari 458 Italia which was being taken for a test drive. Photo / RNZ - Matthew Theunissen
It is understood the supercar was listed for sale by Continental Cars, but the dealer has refused to comment on whether it was on a test drive at the time of the crash. The company says the matter is "confidential".
Generally a car dealer takes responsibility for insuring vehicles for sale and this extends to an incident that takes place during a test drive.
The 2013 Ferrari 458 Italia Coupe was listed for sale at $289,000.
The sports car has a 4.5-litre engine and can go from 0-100 km/h in under 3.4 seconds - with a top speed of 325km/h.
The ad disappeared from the dealer's website over the weekend - but a cached version shows the Ferrari coupe, licence plate IT4LIA, was worth $289,900.
Continental Cars was advertising a Ferrari 458 Italia but it was removed from the company's website over the weekend. Image / Google
A police spokeswoman said Saturday's crash happened just after midday. The vehicle was blocking the left two lanes in the tunnel, heading north.
No ambulance was called as the driver had not been injured. Police organised a tow truck which took the car away at 1.31pm, but traffic was heavy in the area for another hour.
Police were still making inquiries and no charges have been laid at this stage, a spokesman said today.Continental Cars principal dealer Tony Elsmore told the Herald on the day of the crash that he was aware something had happened but declined to comment further.
He has since declined to respond to emailed questions, saying the matter was confidential.
If the incident was a test drive it's not the first time a supercar has been wrecked on an Auckland motorway.
In 2017 a global software executive flipped a McLaren on Auckland's Northwestern Motorway while taking it for a test drive.
Witnesses heard the black McLaren "screaming" on to the motorway before the crash.
The driver, high-flying Dell executive Heng Loon Chee, was taking the supercar for a test drive when the crash happened.
He was rounding a corner at up to 120km/h when he lost control. The car went under a safety barrier and rolled down an embankment.
Chee told the court through his lawyer the crash happened because he was taking the corner too fast and the tyres were cold.
He also had no prior experience with the vehicle and made an error behind the wheel with things unravelling extremely quickly.
A black McLaren supercar is loaded onto a recovery truck after an accident during a test drive on Auckland's Northwestern Motorway in 2017. Photo / Peter Mee
