KUALA LUMPUR: The number 18 in Cantonese has a similar meaning to “Guaranteed to prosper”.
That was not the case for a 31-year-old businessman who was driving his Lamborghini Gallardo bearing the registration number 18.
It suddenly burst into flames near Bukit Damansara at 11.50am yesterday.
Luckily, he managed to escape unhurt.
The same, however, could not be said of the car which was destroyed. A brand new Lamborghini car is worth about RM1.6mil.
The owner who declined to be identified said he had taken his car for a warm-up drive near Jalan Beringin when he noticed smoke coming from the bonnet.
“I was driving up a slope at Jalan Beringin when I noticed smoke coming out from the engine bay.
“I stopped the car and got off and then it suddenly burst into flames,” he said, adding that he has owned the car for three years and was heartbroken to see it go up in flames.
The businessman believed a fuel leak could have caused the fire.
He said he last took the car for a spin about a week ago and decided to drive it yesterday to ensure the car was maintained properly.
Hartamas Fire and Rescue Department senior officer Shahrul Azizi said the car had caught fire easily because it was made of composite carbon fibre materials.
The Gallardo is powered by a V10 engine and is capable of reaching speeds of 300kph