Photo / Supplied
Amateur racing driver, François Perrodo, has made the mistake we all dread: putting diesel into a petrol car.
But it wasn’t just any car, it was a McLaren F1 GTR race car.
He took out the ultra-rare, multi-million-dollar car for a spin before making the cringe-worthy error. He didn’t realise the mistake though until the car got into trouble.
He called Paul Lanzante, the owner of a classic car garage who also oversaw this exact vehicle winning the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was when Lanzante couldn’t get the car started that Perrodo realised there was a bigger issue.
Explaining what happened on Instagram, he admitted to making “the cook post of the century.”
“After 25 years of dedicated petrolhead life,” he said, “I did the mother of all f*ck ups! I put diesel in a McLaren F1 GTR.”
“I don’t know what went through my head at that precise moment (actually, probably nothing),” Perrodo’s confession continues, “but I was so happy and excited I just grabbed the first nozzle available (which incidentally was blue, like 97 ultimate!) and then I started filling the car.”Firstly, had it been a modern car, the nozzle would not have fit in the hole but the GTR is a race car with a large aperture!”Secondly, had we been in France, the diesel nozzle would have been disgusting and smelly but this was BP Chiswick and it was as clean and dry as a petrol nozzle!
“And finally, you’d think my friends would have warned me!”
Perrodo’s story ends with a quote from Paul Lanzante: “Mate, I’ve seen some truly shocking shit in my career, but you’ve just taken it to a whole new level.”
Keyword: Someone accidentally pumped diesel into a McLaren F1 GTR race car