The good people of RM Auctions just saved an Enzo with the help of Bonhams' Jakob Greisen behind that crucial fire extinguisher! It looks like if the Italian V12 won't go up in flames by itself, neighboring machines will lend a hand.
Standing next to a 1929 Bentley 6½-Litre comes with some risks. For example that it can turn into a fireball the moment someone touches its gas pedal. Now, in case you park an Enzo (and an F50, an F40 and a 288 GTO) next to it, you better have your keys ready, or just leave the handbrakes off.
The Bentley went up in flames pretty violently, and I was just standing next to it, looking at how amazingly wide the Enzo is. The few people around me started shouting fire, the area was closed off with me staying inside, and until the rescue arrived, the staff tried to push the Ferraris into safety. They got the F40 and the F50 moving pretty quickly, but the Enzo remained inches away from fire damage.
More incoming fire extinguishers and the finally opened door made sure the Enzo didn't end up as the Bentley's victim. The visitors of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este's fantastic public day took a deep breath, the staff of RM Auctions took and ever deeper one.
Let's keep our fingers crossed for the Bentley's recovery.
(Sorry, I couldn't resist):
Photo credit: Attila Nagy and Máté Petrány