Supercar YouTuber James “TheStradman” was left despondent after his beloved Lamborghini Gallardo suddenly caught fire as he was driving near his home in Salt Lake City, Utah.
A video uploaded to his channel on Sunday shows his panic as he stops in the middle of the highway, crying “No!” repeatedly as smoke begins to billow from the car’s left side. Flames then erupt from above the rear left wheel as he attempts to save his possessions.
With the car blazing in the background, he says:
“I’m literally shaking so bad right now. The OG is dead. Are you kidding me? It’s literally gone. Oh my gosh.”
Concerned bystanders then appear to assist, with two men spraying the burning car down with fire extinguishers. The flames prove hard to put out, but after yet more people arrive to assist, the blackened and partially melted car is extinguished. As he stands on the roadside waiting for emergency services to arrive, he admits, “I’m trying not to cry right now.”
“The car just died on me, and it just started smoking”
Later, he reflected on what might have caused this, saying he smelled what he thought was fuel while driving and then things moved very rapidly: “I don’t know. The car just died on me, and it just started smoking. I mean, it’s got to be some kind of fuel leak.” He also notes that “there’s power steering fluid that’s been leaking out all night” on his garage floor.
But he also maintains an important perspective, explaining that “I realize at the end of the day it’s just a car, right? At the end of the day, I’m totally fine, everyone’s totally fine.” As for the insurance situation? “I have no idea”.
@super73.ben not a good day 💔 @TheStradman #lamborghini #car #blowthisup
♬ original sound – Mememaker_joshua
James also notes that there have been other Lamborghini fires. In fact, in September 2012 Lamborghini recalled 1,500 Gallardos – the same model in this video – for a fire risk. As reported by the NY Times, corrosion might allow power-steering fluid to leak, and if that fluid reaches a hot engine, a fire might occur:
“Lamborghini said it discovered the problem during routine internal testing, not from reports of crisped Gallardos from owners. The automaker told the safety agency it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the problem.”
James concludes by saying, “it’s sad” to see his beloved car in this condition. He also sounds pessimistic about a repair, pointing out that “getting parts is very difficult”. Lamborghini has not commented on the video.
