Pelican: 1, Bugatti: 0

 
Photo from a video by Associated Press

By David Menzies

It’s official: a Bugatti Veyron, a cell phone, a pelican and a saltwater lagoon do not mix well together.

Just ask Andy House of Lufkin, Tex.

House recently took his newly delivered seven-figure 2006 Bugatti out for a spin, zooming past a saltwater lagoon near Galveston.

Alas, the beginning of the end for the Bugatti unfolded when House dropped his cell phone. While still merrily motoring along at goodness-knows-what-rate-of-speed (a Veyron can eclipse the 200-mph mark, after all), House engaged in some distracted driving as he searched the exoticar’s cockpit for his phone. When he finally retrieved the item and assumed a proper driving position (i.e., looking straight out the windshield), a low-flying pelican evidently startled House.

Don’t you hate it when that happens?

Anyway, the sight of the pelican was apparently so traumatic for House that he ended up swerving off the road and plowing the Veyron straight into the lagoon.

House emerged uninjured. But the Bugatti remained half-submerged in the brine and had to be towed out. The car is said to be (ouch!) a write-off. Talk about an inglorious ending for one of the world’s most coveted supercars: death by pelican and saltwater. Oy Veyron, indeed!

Incredibly, the incident was caught on film as a passing car just happened to be videotaping the Bugatti. (To view the video clip, simply type the words “car” and “idiot” into the search engine of your choice. Or, click here to find videos on Bing.)

Irony alert: House happens to be the owner of Performance Auto Sales, a company that specializes in restoring damaged luxury cars for resale. House undoubtedly has his work cut out for him should he attempt a restoration of his soggy supercar.

Video: Watch the Bugatti being towed from the lagoon

Lesson learned for the Texan: perhaps there really is some merit to the idea of a hands-free cell phone. And if investing in such technology is truly out of the question, maybe House should consider taking public transit or moving to a jurisdiction that is pelican-free.

Comments

That is not a good way to get your car washed LOL.