Accidentally refilling the diesel tank of a gasoline-powered vehicle is one of the biggest mistakes motorists can make. However, when you talk about one of those extremely rare race cars, it’s not a small mistake that can blow away a fortune.
Recently, Fracois Perrodo, the president of Perenco oil and gas company, also a ranked racer, made this serious mistake when he accidentally poured diesel into his extremely rare McLaren F1 GTR. The value of the car is given no less than 15 million USD.
At least, you wouldn’t imagine someone who’s been in the oil business for nearly 25 years making such a mistake. The 45-year-old took to Instagram to share his mistake.
A wealthy businessman and auto enthusiast, Perrodo has a garage full of the weirdest cars, including a street-licensed McLaren F1 GTR. The McLaren F1 is an iconic car that was first produced in 1955 and lasted until 2005. The one that Perrodo owns is numbered 61.
Although it still has BMW’s naturally aspirated 6.1-liter V12 engine like the street version, its output has been reduced to 600 horsepower to meet the race rules. However, the car’s lighter weight and many details designed specifically for racing cars make it significantly faster.
Perrodo said he was driving on Sunday to have a “morning with the boys” and spotted something amiss. The F1 GTR was traveling with a Ferrari 488 Pista and Porsche Carrera GT suddenly stopped and could not start. There are very few technicians in the world who are skilled enough to fix a McLaren F1 let alone an F1 GTR.
Ferrodo had to call Paul Lanzante from Lanzate Motorsport, who won Le Mans in 1995 with the McLaren F1 GTR. However, even Lanzante could not start the car. At that time, the French oil magnate realized his mistake. The McLaren F1 GTR has a tank full of diesel.
What happens when you put diesel in a gas car?
Although many people think of both gasoline and diesel as fuels, they are in fact very different. The combustion process of the two is completely different. Diesel is much denser, pressurized inside the engine to ignite while gasoline engines use spark plugs to ignite the mixture of gasoline and air. Accidentally mixing them together can damage the powertrain.
Thicker diesel oil can clog the entire fuel system, damage the fuel filter and pump. Things are even worse if diesel gets to the injectors and clogs them. The F1 GTR had two high-precision injectors per cylinder and it was expensive to replace them. In most cases, flushing the engine can fix the problem and get the car running again.
If you put gasoline in a diesel engine, the vehicle’s powertrain can be damaged.
“After 25 years with petrol, I’ve just done something crazy,” he said on Instagram. The businessman also said that “even the damn dog laughed at me when I got home”. As a joke, his friends added a sticker next to the car’s gas cap that read “Francois No Diesel”.
Who is Francois Perrodo?
Born on February 14, 1997, Francois Perrodo is a French businessman, currently the president of Perenco – an oil and gas company operating in 16 countries. The company was founded in 1975 by his father, Hubert Perrodo. According to reports, the Perrodo family owns a net worth of more than $10 billion. Francois is also a renowned motorcycle enthusiast and holds a racing license.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: autopro.com.vn – Read the original article here
