Whether or not you think launch control is a useful feature in modern performance cars, chances are you’ll agree that the one place it absolutely shouldn’t be activated is in a tree-lined parking lot full of cars. But sadly, the combination of a rental McLaren 650S Spider and a wedding party full of British bros proved too much for the driver to resist—with predictably smashy results.
Pictures of the destroyed McLaren first popped up on Facebook, posted by a witness who says the genius behind the wheel was attempting to show off for his friends. While we sympathize with the temptation to wring out a $300,000 supercar that’s only yours for a day, there was literally no other way this could end aside from a controlled launch directly into a tree.
Without video of the actual accident, we don’t know how fast he was going, but the heavy front end damage and expended airbags are pretty big clues. It appears the driver was caught off guard by the force of the launch and failed to stop in time at the far end of the lot, spearing straight into the bushes and letting the tree do the braking for him.
And while the pictures of the smashed-up 650S are definitely a little painful to look at—with the McLaren P14 on the horizon, the 650S is near the end of its run—the video of site security guards casually dragging the supercar out of the brush with a Range Rover and a tow strap while the guests yell “SLOW! SLOW!” is like a soothing balm. Be sure to watch through to the end to see the wedding party descend on it as soon as it’s back on pavement; the driver certainly has everyone’s attention now.
