http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/...tcmp=obnetwork

 

 

Battery fire?

 

Wow. Wonder what happened there?

 

He overfilled the tank. Read the +3 other threads.

 

Thanks Lex.

I didn't read the other threads.

Too bad for that guy.

You overfill a 911 and all you do is look for a microfiber to wipe the gas splash off your fender.

Overfill your 918 and it burns to the ground. That sucks.

 

Gotta love the blonde, "like what if it explodes?" I was leading a Porsche Tour over Cayuse Pass when we were forced to stop for a pickup that had caught fire right at the summit. This guy had a main tank, two saddle tanks, plus two 5 gallon tanks for the chainsaws he'd used cutting the cord of wood that had caused his brand new transmission to overheat on the pass. We watched as one after another the tanks went- each time hissing with a surge of flame and smoke. Truck burned to the ground but nothing exploded. Cars just don't explode. Except of course in Hollywood.

 

Perhaps she isn't a blonde but a well educated brunette that's weighing the odds of a gas station explosion. In a moment of a sheer terror, while faced with the prospect of a gas station explosion, she questions the drivers relative proximity to the fuel pumps. Gas stations not only explode in Hollywood but Russia as well.

On second thought: Probably a blonde

 

Good reporting on 'what happened' at the link below:

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.2029571

See attached photos from that report.

Although this fire was apparently caused by the 'unexpected' and rather 'misguided/odd' actions of the owner to an apparent overflow/spillage of gas during this fill-up at a gasoline station, I predict that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US will most likely examine closely this video and discuss with Porsche the likelihood that this 'fueling' error and subsequent fire could be duplicated by a US customer of this model in this country. Unfortunately, this is the type of 'accident' that could create a mountain of headaches for this superb 918 model (and Porsche) since a repositioning of the exhaust on this car is now frankly out of the question!

I sincerely hope this unfortunate mishap doesn't have major consequences for PAG and PCNA, but I am very concerned! Knowing the mentality of the 'nanny-state' culture in our own country, it would not surprise me if they 'step' in to save us from this potential 'fire hazard' for its owner or passenger...and the general public at, or around, gas stations!

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

.

 

"the car is worth almost a million dollar... I saw that... ha ha but he was laughing though... ha ha ha " !!!

 

I agree with Eduardo.

This is not good. Even though the car is limited in production numbers I can very well see Porsche pull the plug (no pun intended) on North America sales completely and ask for cars back for whomever has taken delivery of one already.
That's worse case. Best case would be a "fix" to the area of the car near the filler cap so that this can't happen again.

The owners of these cars are not retired race car drivers or part time employed SCCA driving school instructors. They are regular "suit" guys like this investment banker, hedge fund manager etc. These guys don't carry a fire extinguisher in all their cars. Only 3 cars in Canada and this happens already? That calls for a serious WTF?

It's one thing to engineer and produce a bad *** race car with no traction control nannies that in the hands of a mortal man that could and has killed them while driving it. It's another to spend however many millions of dollars to produce this amazing feat of electrical and mechanical engineering just to have them burn to the ground because some investment banker spills some fuel outside the filler cap while asking his girlfriend what restaurant she wants to eat at.

#bummer

 

Reminds me of how restrictive Porsche AG was when selecting proper customers for the 959. Many lined up, but Porsche got the final word on who made the cut.

 

Not sure what the gasoline filler neck looks like on a 918, but the nozzle must remain in contact with the side of the filler neck to keep a ground. Static electricity can develop as a container is filled by the air rushing out as the liquid fills. Aircraft and delivery trucks have static lines as they pump at such a fast rate. If a driver is being very careful and holding the nozzle right above the filler neck to attempt to not scratch the surrounding paint it can create a risk of explosion.
Years ago when I worked for Union Oil Company a barrel was being filled without a static line attached, it exploded and the fire destroyed the Las Vegas Terminal warehouse.

 

The owners preciously arranged scarf tells me all that I need to know.

A Darwin Award in the making - "yes officer, I used a squeegee to sweep pools of gasoline towards the hot engine compartment ....... "

 

I think I'm in the minority here - I absolutely cringe at the thought of running a dirty gas station squeegee over my paint. I suppose any paint damage caused is absolutely irrelevant given the after math