As China transforms into one of the biggest consumer markets in the world, foreign supercars are racing onto streets in China, sometimes literally. But many of these cars and their drivers wind up in accidents, and people are now asking whether these super-powered sports cars and their, often, inexperienced drivers are suitable for busy and crowded Chinese streets.

On April 19, a McLaren P1 worth 12.6 million yuan ($1.94 million) crashed into a Roewe in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province. In the past few years the Global Times has found similar cases where these supercars had accidents in Chinese streets. The cars are incredibly fast and powerful, and in the hands of untrained drivers they can be lethal weapons.

The McLaren P1. Photo: CFP

The mangled McLaren P1, which carried only a temporary license plate under its windscreen, sustained massive damage in the Yiwu accident. Both sides of the car were bashed in and much of the carbon fiber bodywork was shredded.

A wheel broke off in the collision and was retrieved 70 meters away from the crash. The driver suffered only minor injuries. The trunk of Roewe that it ran into was completely mangled.

Emergency services held up traffic at the scene for more than half an hour. Based on the skid marks on the road, traffic police said it was the McLaren's very high speed that caused it to rear-end the Roewe which was travelling in the same direction.

This silver-colored hyper car was powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine paired to an electric motor producing a combined 904 horsepower for a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 351 km/h (218 mph).

This was the first McLaren P1 to have crashed in China according to Chinese media.

Insiders said the damage was so extensive the vehicle was beyond repair. Even if repairs had been possible insuring the car again would have proved a hurdle because no insurer would want to cover the staggering cost of a new car, eastday.com reported.

The Koenigsegg Agera R. Photo: CFP

At 0:30 am on November 29, 2015, in Chongqing Municipality, a Swedish hypercar, a Koenigsegg Agera R, crashed into a road barrier with such force that the impact knocked off the bumper and left rear wheel.

A witness said he heard the roar of a racing car approaching, followed by a terrible explosion. He rushed out and saw the car skidding along the road winding up across and blocking the sidewalk. As a rear wheel dislodged and rolled down the street, smoke started billowing from the car.

A panic-stricken woman passenger jumped out of the car and sat crying by the side of the street. She talked to the driver who remained seated inside. This car was worth 26 million yuan.

LaFerrari. Photo: CFP

The driver of a LaFerrari, one of the limited production hybrid sports cars built by the Italian sports car maker Ferrari, lost control on Shanghai's Middle Ring Road in the rain on the night of April 28, 2015.

 It seems the car, which was one of just 499 made in the world and cost 22.5 million yuan, skidded on a wet section of the road and ran into the barriers. It would cost 10 million yuan just to repair the car.

The accident became China's most expensive single-car accident at that time. There have been four accidents involving the LaFerrari worldwide and this was the first reported in Asia.

A Lamborghini and a Ferrari. Photo: CFP

This was not a scene from the Fast and Furious movies but it wound up as a real-life 4-million-yuan accident on April 11, 2015, in Beijing, near the Bird Nest.

A Lamborghini and a Ferrari racing through a tunnel crashed against the wall and climbed fences leaving the Lamborghini a total write-off and the Ferrari seriously damaged.

A 150-meter roadside fence was wiped out in the collision. The Lamborghini's windscreen was smashed and its wheels, body and engine parts were scattered over 1,000 meters. The Ferrari survived but its right door was broken, all four tires left flat and the airbags were inflated. A passenger in the Lamborghini suffered spinal injuries.

A Rolls Royce Phantom. Photo: CFP

On June 5, 2012 in Minhang District, Shanghai, crowds were surrounding a truck to get a view of its load - a Rolls Royce Phantom, one of the quintessential luxury British cars. But this one was extensively damaged after a crash happened earlier.  

Mr. Gui, the owner of the 8 million-yuan car, said that the accident had happened in January the year before. A passenger had been killed, and the Rolls Royce was ruined.

Mr. Gui said evidence suggested that the accident happened because there were potential safety hazards of the car, according to eastday.com. He had filed a lawsuit against the dealer and the BMW group, of which Rolls Royce is a subsidiary.

A Lamborghini. Photo: CFP

On May 13, 2012, a motor mechanic in Kunming driving a Lamborghini hit an electric cycle and rear-ended a Hyundai. The cyclist was killed in the accident.

 The dealer, the 4S shop of Lamborghini in Kunming, later issued a "bereavement" notice: "We wish to express our deep condolences over the accident involving a Lamborghini. At present, however, the car cannot be verified as having been purchased from an authorized Lamborghini dealer in China, and there have been no repair records for it with our company."

 
Newspaper headline: Million dollar mayhem