On Monday of this week, the Canadian city of Toronto endured what was one of its most crippling flash floods on record. In a mere two hour time period, up to 126 millimeters of rain was dumped on the major metropolitan area. The effects of the flooding caused massive property damage, electrical power outages and even requiring a water-bound rescue of riders of a passenger-commuting Go Train.
While the flooding fortunately spared the Canadian city of loss of life, there was a noted casualty of the surging water. A victim of the deep waters in Toronto's downtown, a four-wheeled creation from Italy was a prancing horse that simply could not muster the strength to endure intact.
The property of an employment lawyer Howard Levitt, a silver 2010 Ferrari California became a viral spectacle of the Toronto flooding. Around the dinner-time hour, rain pounded the ground in overwhelming amounts as Levitt drove his 454-horsepower Ferrari hardtop convertible through the Lower Simcoe Street underpass. Believing he was only driving through a puddle, Howard Levitt soon found out he was trekking across an unintended, artificial pond. The Ferrari struggled to exercise its V-8 output as the rear wheels were finding less pavement to grip. Eventually, the California drew to an unmovable predicament when the driver was unable to move forward or backwards. Drenched with contaminated water entering the Ferrari's cabin and the fact the sports car was trapped, Levitt was forced to abandon the vehicle. Though Mr. Levitt made a responsible career decision, the presence of the Ferrari California lost in the water was guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of many devout fans of the Italian sports car brand. The Ferrari California was not alone in the flooded tunnel. An Infiniti that carried a mother and child also found itself overcome by water.
A Craigslist posting appearing a day after the flood posted the famous 2010 Ferrari California for sale online. The posting represents the famous Ferrari as "slightly moist" and also implies the car drives great but floats badly; indeed. At the worst part of the Toronto flooding, video of the car had water touching the wide mirrors. The post indicates the owner would be interested in trades for the water-damaged Ferrari California. It should be noted that the vehicle is a complete write-off but would have held an average American resale value of about $180,000 according to Nadaguides.com.
It's hard to expect this is a genuine posting made by the Ferrari's owner. However, with the photo and all the media attention, a Carproof report could probably be skipped.
Canadians have been receiving dubious recognition for drowning Ferraris in recent years. At the 2011 Targa Newfoundland road rally, Calgary businessman Zahir Rana plunged a modified Ferrari Enzo into the Atlantic Ocean. After a lengthy repair at edo competition, that vehicle is now back on the road.
However, despite what has been a few unpleasant experiences for some Ferraris, many Canadians cherish the sports car brand. From the Gilles Villeneuve Formula 1 era to the current fielding of Ferrari 458 Italias by Woodbridge, Ontario based AIM Autosport, Ferrari red is similar in pride to Canada's red and white.
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