$630k Ferrari wrecked in Newmarket crash driven by luxury dealership staff member
A high-performance Ferrari worth more than $600,000 was being driven by a luxury dealership staff member when it was involved in a Newmarket crash, leaving it severely damaged and needing costly repairs, the Herald understands.
The incident, which occurred on Friday afternoon on Great South Rd near Continental Cars Ferrari, is now under police investigation.
It’s understood the smashed car was a 2025 Ferrari 296, valued at $629,990. An advertisement for the vehicle that was live on the dealership’s website on Friday was deactivated hours after the crash.
A nearby worker told the Herald the high-end Italian sports car appeared to have exited the dealership on to Great South Rd and attempted to cross three lanes of northbound traffic before being T-boned by a northbound Toyota Aqua.
Video and photographs from the crash scene show the Ferrari suffered severe damage to the right-hand side. It’s understood the damage is likely to be repairable, but extensive and costly.
Shortly after the crash, workers covered the damaged car with blankets as onlookers gathered to take photographs, a source said.
The Herald has been told a Continental Cars worker was driving the Ferrari at the time of the accident and that the dealership was selling the vehicle on behalf of its owner.
The Ferrari 296 is valued at $800,000 new but was being sold as near-new for $629,990.
The Herald contacted Continental Cars Ferrari for comment about the accident.
A staff member said, “There’s a lot of moving parts and I cannot comment.”
He asked the Herald to email questions but did not respond to written correspondence.
The Toyota was operated by commercial delivery company MoveLink.
A company spokesman said, “We are aware of Friday’s incident involving a vehicle associated with MoveLink. Our thoughts are with everyone involved.
“Our understanding is that the matter is currently with police and under investigation. For that reason, it would not be appropriate for us to comment on fault, cause, or the detailed circumstances at this stage.”
The spokesman said MoveLink would co-operate with any formal inquiries.
On Friday, police said they did not attend the accident and were not aware of any injuries.
However, in a statement yesterday, police confirmed they were now investigating.
“We received a report after the fact and are now making inquiries. This includes speaking to the relevant parties.”
‘You may find they’ve made insurance arrangements’
Insurance broker Samuel Kerr said owners of “high-value prestige vehicles” often used specialist insurers.
Assuming that both parties were insured, he said they would each lodge claims and then the two insurance companies would discuss liability “based on the facts at hand”.
“In an example of pulling out of a driveway, then it follows common road rules, which is the person entering the road has to give way and make sure there is room to manoeuvre on to the road safely.”
Cases of disputed liability may be referred to the Disputes Tribunal, but this had a $60,000 threshold, so it was unlikely to apply in this situation.
“In bigger cases and a scenario like this, when you’ve got a very high-value vehicle, you’d likely have discussions around who is responsible for the accident and where everyone was and what they were doing at the time the accident happened.”
Kerr said dealerships tended to have specific policies covering the types of events relating to their business.
“Coverage for showroom stock, coverage for test drives and coverage for customers’ vehicles that have come in to be sold on behalf.”
He said dealerships often took “control or custody” of a high-value vehicle when they were selling it on behalf of an owner, but the insurance coverage they decided on depended on a firm’s “risk appetite”.
“So you may find they’ve made insurance arrangements for that.”
Premiums on a vehicle worth up to $800,000 would usually be about 1% of the vehicle’s value – about $8000 per year.
‘Ferraris should be red’
Video and photos from the scene show the aftermath of the accident.
A white logistics vehicle can be seen lodged into the side of the high-performance car. Debris is scattered across the busy road.
A woman who was travelling on a bus in the opposite lane shortly after the accident said the crash “looked pretty bad”. It had caused a traffic backlog heading into Epsom as the school rush began.
Both airbags in the more expensive car appeared to have deployed, she said.
And a man who drove past immediately after the accident said people seemed to be in shock.
“What was running through my head is like, ‘Okay, if that’s a test drive, what’s the insurance on that?’
“I’m in a different world from these guys; I don’t have pocket change to buy a car like that,” he said.
“For most of us in New Zealand, that’s a house or it’s a lifetime of savings type of thing.”
While the man said it was a nice-looking car, “Ferraris should be red”.
Correction: This story originally said the limit for the Disputes Tribunal was $30,000. It was increased to $60,000 in February 2026.