Moment £190,000 McLaren plug-in hybrid sports car bursts into flames on TEST DRIVE a mile away from motor dealership
- The McLaren Artura went up in flames in Pontefract Road, Stourton, in Leeds
This is the moment a £190,000 McLaren plug-in hybrid sports car burst into flames during a test drive.
The McLaren Artura – the supercar manufacturer's first electrified car – was engulfed while being taken out for a spin just a mile from the motor dealership.
Images show the scorched wreckage of the plug-in hybrid, which was recalled in the US this year over a fire risk.
Fire crews attended Pontefract Road in Stourton, Leeds, just before 2.30pm yesterday.
It is understood that the 23-plate car was on a test run with a customer and a showroom worker when it suddenly caught alight. Both passengers escaped unharmed.
The £190,000 McLaren Artura - the supercar manufacturer's first electrified car - was engulfed while being taken out for a spin in Leeds
Images show the scorched wreckage of the plug-in hybrid, which was recalled in the US this year over a fire risk
The motor - which can race to 60mph in just 2.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 205mph - was around a mile away from the McLaren Leeds dealership.
A spokesman from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: 'We received a call from the driver regarding a hybrid McLaren which went up in flames during its demo drive in Leeds, on the roundabout near the M1 at junction 44.
'We sent crews from Hunslet, which arrived on the scene at 2.35pm. We also sent a Hazardous Material Officer to dispose of the electrical battery. The fire was put out at 3.02pm with no report of injury.'
The Artura is McLaren's first foray into the electric market, featuring a 7.4kWh battery that powers a 94bhp electric motor.
But the supercar, built at McLaren's composite arm in South Yorkshire, has had a shaky start.
The first launch was cancelled at the last minute due to software issues and at the rescheduled event last summer a car caught fire.
Some 164 Arturas, which feature a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine made in Britain, were recalled in December by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
It is understood that the 23-plate car was on a test run with a customer and a showroom worker when it suddenly caught alight
Fire crews raced to Pontefract Road in Stourton, Leeds. A Hazardous Material Officer was also sent to dispose of the electrical battery
The remains of the supercar, which can race to 60mph in just 2.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 205mph
It warned of a fire risk that stems from a high-pressure fuel pipe that can become loose.
The cause of the blaze in Leeds, near to junction 44 of the M1, is not known.
In his Sunday Times review, of the car, Grand Tour star Jeremy Clarkson said: 'I'm told that at the press launch there were a number of other problems, including some "thermal powertrain management issues". Which sounds like a "fire" to me.
'But I had a good old poke around in the interior of my test car and have to say it seems to be as well made as a Victorian tunnel.
'It's spacious too. One of the treats about getting old is that you don't bend in places where you used to bend very easily. So getting in and out of a low-slung car is usually funny enough to be a TikTok hit. But the Artura's fine.'
McLaren was approached for comment.
