“I was scared it would explode,” Tokyo man's £220K Ferrari burns on the street, pictures go viral

What was meant to be a dream come true quickly turned into a nightmare. After years of hard work and saving, a man in Tokyo had just bought a £220,000 Ferrari 458 Spider. But within an hour of driving it, the brand-new car caught fire on the road. The rare incident left the new owner shocked and devastated.

The owner, 33-year-old Japanese music producer Honkon, had spent a decade working toward this dream. After finally driving his new Ferrari off the dealership lot, he was just an hour into his drive when things went wrong, according to a report presented by The Sun. While driving through Tokyo’s Minato area, Honkon noticed white smoke coming from the back of the car. Acting quickly, he pulled over to stop.

“I was really scared that it would explode,” he shared on social media, sharing what happened when the car suddenly caught fire, according to the media report.

In just a few minutes, the luxury car was on fire in the middle of the street. Videos from people nearby show the white Ferrari burning, with Honkon standing a few metres away, shocked but safe. Cars and people slowed down, watching in disbelief. Firefighters reached the spot and put out the flames in about 20 minutes. No one was hurt, but the car was badly damaged and left in ruins. “I think I'm the only person in Japan to have experienced such trouble,” Honkon noted, still coming to terms with the shock of what had unfolded, the report suggests.

フェラーリ納車して1時間後に燃え果てました。
こんなトラブル体験するの日本中で俺一人だと思う。 https://t.co/USsOVQHsyW pic.twitter.com/zlKeQwIEpM

— ほんこん  (@Niatan_2525) April 16, 2025

According to The Sun, Tokyo police have started an investigation to find out what caused the fire. So far, there’s no official explanation for how it started. It’s also unclear if the car was insured.

While rare, incidents like this have happened before. As per the report, earlier this year, a £300,000 Lamborghini caught fire on a busy street in London, attracting a crowd and going viral online. A bystander even tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher before emergency services arrived.