The Ferrari F50 crashed in North Warnborough, Hampshire, moments after Matthew Cobden took Alexander Worth for a drive Credit: Crown Prosecution Service/PA
A teenage boy was killed while being taken for a spin in a £1.2m Ferrari supercar when the driver "misjudged its formidable power", a court heard.
Alexander Worth, 13, died at the scene after businessman Matthew Cobden, 39, over-accelerated in the high-performance Ferrari F50 and lost control, causing the vehicle to smash into a wooden post, jurors were told. Neither the driver or his passenger were wearing seatbelts.
Alexander's mother's partner had asked if the teenager could have his picture taken inside the vehicle, but Cobden instead told him he could take him for a "short drive", it was said.
A court heard Cobden might have failed to "properly take into account" that the supercar, which is capable of reaching 60mph in less than four seconds, was a left-hand drive vehicle.
The high-powered car, which has been said to be "the closest you can get to an F1 car on the road", hit the post, flipped and turned 270 degrees.
It can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in under four seconds. It's been described as the closest you can get to an F1 car on the roadProsecutor Thomas Wilkins
Winchester Crown Court heard that Cobden took Alexander for a drive at around 8.30pm on August 22, 2016, at a farm estate where his high-end car storage business is based in North Warnborough, also Hampshire.
Prosecutor Thomas Wilkins said conditions and visibility were good and the Ferrari was in "working order" without any defects and had been filmed earlier that day in Bruntingthorpe, Lincolnshire, by a car magazine without any issues.
The crash happened on a narrow track, which has an advisory speed limit of 10mph. Mr Wilkins said Cobden might have "misjudged" the road as a result of sitting on the left.
Alexander, from Kings Worthy, Winchester, was at the estate with his mother Arabella Worth because her partner, Justin Smith, was delivering a car battery.
Alexander Worth had been taken for a ride in the high-powered car by businessman Matthew Cobden Credit: Hampshire Constabulary
Mr Smith approached Cobden and asked if Alex could have his picture taken in the Ferrari, which was being kept by the businessman before it was to be sold at auction.
Cobden, of Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, and who owns the company Toy Stor-age, denies one charge of causing death by careless driving.
Mr Wilkins, opening the trial, said: "The prosecution say this was caused by simple driver error, in other words Mr Cobden failed to be a careful and competent driver and that caused Alex's death.
"There was unusual features about the car. It was left-hand drive - it may be that Mr Cobden failed to properly take it into account. From where he was sitting he may have misjudged it on the road and veered off to the right.
"The road bends gently to the left and he might not have realised that until it was too late and the car became airborne. The most unusual feature about the car was that it was a powerful vehicle, it was a Ferrari F50.
"To give you an idea of its power, it can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in under four seconds. It's been described as the closest you can get to an F1 car on the road."
An image showing damage to the high-performance Ferrari F50 shown in court Credit: Crown Prosecution Service/PA
He added: "The defendant said afterwards that shortly beforehand he put his foot on the accelerator and it just took off uncontrollably.
"When interviewed he said 'I put my foot on the accelerator very gently and it shot and all I can remember is a bang or a thud'.
"There is ample evidence it was in working order earlier that day, a lot of money had been spent bringing it to the highest specification.
"The defendant simply misjudged the formidable power of this iconic car, over-accelerated and lost control. His defence is that nothing he did caused the crash but a defect caused it to roar off and he was unable to stop it."
Matthew Cobden outside Winchester Crown Court Credit: Steve Parsons /PA
Mr Wilkins said testing of the vehicle revealed there were "no pre-collision defects which contributed" to the crash.
He added: "It was only being stored at the site pending a sale at auction. The owner bought the car in 2015 and spent £50,000 on it before deciding to sell it.
"It was taken to Bruntingthorpe in Lincolnshire that day for filming by the firm auctioning it. A motoring journalist said it was a 'fabulous example of a Ferrari F50'."
Only 349 Ferrari F50s were built, between 1995 and 1997, and they now change hands for as much as £1.5m. They can reach speeds in excess of 200mph and are capable of going from 0-60mph in under four seconds.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
Originally published on http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/19/boy-13-killed-12m-ferrari-driver-misjudged-supercars-power-court/
