London - Many of us feel we’ve been left out of pocket by poor quality work at a garage.
But one car owner is claiming a shoddy car service cost him an astonishing £700 000 (R12 million) and turned his 1971 yellow Lamborghini into little more than a smoking wreck.
Billionaire Jon Hunt, founder of Foxtons estate agency, is suing a garage. He claims mechanics fitted incorrect spark plugs, causing the vehicle to burst into flames as soon as his son tried to drive it home. Motorists could only look on as the Italian sports car was burnt to a crisp.
Mr Hunt, 61, claims the car was worth £900 000 (R15.5 million) and is now worth £192 500 (R3.32 million), even in its incinerated state.
He believes luxury car specialists HR Owen owe him almost three-quarters of a million pounds.
Documents lodged at London’s High Court reveal that Mr Hunt delivered the Lamborghini Miura SV (once the world’s fastest road car, reaching speeds of up to 275km/h) to a garage in Acton, West London, back in December 2012. Four months later, in April last year, Mr Hunt’s son went back to collect the car.
The court papers claim: “As the vehicle was manoeuvred around the garage, the engine stalled. On leaving the workshop the engine again stalled.”
The writ continues: “Mr Hunt’s son then proceeded to drive into London along the A40. Within less than one mile the engine gave off a puff of smoke. There was then a deep percussion noise and the engine caught fire. Fortunately the son escaped unharmed.”
An HR Owen spokesman said: “We have a good relationship with Jon Hunt, and still do business with him.”
Mr Hunt, who is worth almost £1.1 billion, created Foxtons in 1981. He sold the firm for £370 million in 2007, weeks before the credit crunch slashed its value. He did not respond to requests for comment last night.
Daily Mail