Autoblog

The picture above is, unfortunately, not a thinly-disguised prototype of a rocket-powered Ferrari F430. The sad truth is that yet another Prancing Horse has been destroyed, this time not by poor driving (at least not ostensibly), but by a fire in the engine bay. The picture was taken by the side of a Philippines highway, specifically the South Luzon Expressway that runs between metropolitan Manila and the Calabarzon region.

We don't like to minimize the passing of any Ferrari, but at least it wasn't another Enzo.

If you're sensitive to the sight of a beautiful car laid to waste, we wouldn't recommend following the link to see more, but if you're a natural born rubbernecker, Carscoop has got all the gory angles. Seriously, it's like Saving Private Ryan, only with a supercar.

[Source: Carscoop]

Our good buddy Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com did the legwork and got in touch with Ford safety spokesperson Dan Jarvis to talk about the video we showed you yesterday that features a 2008 Ford Super Duty pickup spewing flames from its tailpipes. Jarvis confirmed that the truck in the video is one of the three pickups Ford described last week when it issued a recall to address the problem. While not entirely certain which of the trucks it is, Jarvis said it's one of the two trucks that was purchased in Canada, probably the one that was started in extremely cold temperatures (appx. minus 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit) and not given sufficient time to warm up before being driven. That situation could make short work of any engine, and the resultant blown bearing seal in the turbo that leaked combustible fluid into the exhaust system should not necessarily be considered a defective part.

Clearly, Ford is very concerned about the reputation of its new 6.4L Power Stroke, which is evident by how quickly it took action with a recall to address three isolated incidents that resulted in the same outcome, i.e. flaming tailpipes. The real issue in each case appears to be this newfangled Diesel Particulate Filter, versions of which are used not only by the Ford Super Duty, but also the Heavy Duty GMT900 and Dodge Ram pickups. Considering that all three heavy duty pickups use a process of regeneration to burn away accumulated particulates in their respective DPFs, the potential for flaming tailpipes exists in all three trucks if an unmetered amount of flammable liquid gets in there somehow. We're certainly not cutting Ford any slack here, but considering it likely sells more heavy duty trucks equipped with diesels than the other two automakers, statistically speaking this was bound to happen to a Ford first. Only time will tell if we're right and other diesel-equipped late-model pickups start getting hot under the collar.

This video of a 2008 Ford Super Duty pickup shooting flames from its tailpipes surfaced last week over at forddoctorsdts.com, a forum only open to registered Ford diesel technicians. It made its way to some other forums before finally popping up on more mainstream sites today. Literally nothing is known for sure about the video, like who uploaded it, whether or not the truck spewing flames is one of the three Ford refers to in its recall notice, or even if the light show is the result of leaky injectors or a cracked turbo, the two issues that supposedly prompted the recall of all 2008 Ford Super Dutys equipped with the new 6.4L Power Stroke diesel in the first place.

What we do know is that it's pretty shocking to watch a truck throwing flames in idle, even more so when it's revved. We think it's important to be clear about what may be causing this and why Ford issued the recall in the first place. Fortunately, the purveyor of forddoctorsdts.com published a very clear, concise explanation of why the recall was issued and what may be going on in this video.

See the video and continue reading our account of this hot situation after the jump.

[Source: YouTube, forddoctorsdts.com, Automotive News, Pickuptruck.com]