£300,000 payout to repair supercar

24 March 2010

A driver is likely to face a big hike to his car insurance premiums after wrecking a £528,000 supercar on a test drive.

Repairs to the Pagani Zonda S, which can reach speeds of 220mph, are set to cost his insurance firm more than £300,000.

The Italian car was badly damaged when a professional driver took it out near Aberdeen last September and spun out of control on a country road before hitting a telegraph pole and smashing through a fence.

It has now been sent back to the Modena factory where the vehicles are made for repairs

The £300,000 bill to repair it is thought to be one of the highest ever car insurance pay-outs in the UK.

A spokesman said: "This is the biggest insurance payout we have had for repairs to a private car in the UK. This is out of the ordinary for an insurer."

The claim was lodged by the test driver, not the owner of the car.

Work on the vehicle, which is made out of carbon fibre, titanium and aircraft aluminium, is expected to be completed by May.

Copyright © Press Association 2010