Ferrari crash
The massive pileup, sparked by a crash between a group of foreign sportscar buffs, was called "a gathering of narcissists" by the expressway traffic police chief. REUTERS

Eight Ferraris, three Mercedes Benz cars and one Lamboghini were part of a 14-car crash in Japan on Dec. 4 when a luxury sportscar enthusiast outing ended in a massive freeway pileup.

The accident occured at around 10:16 am on the rain-soaked Chugoku Expressway, at the western tip of Honshu island in the Yamaguchi Prefecture.

'A Gathering of Narcissists.'

According to Mitsuyoshi Isejima, executive officer of the region's Traffic Police Unit, the crash was sparked by the driver of one of the red Ferraris, who swerved into the right lane and skidded, plowing into the median barrier and spinning across the freeway. Cars collided while trying to avoid hitting his car.

The drivers are all believed to be foreign car enthusiasts who regularly drive together. Among the cars involved in the crash were a Nissan GTR Skyline, F512, F355, F430 and F360 model Ferrari sportscars, a Lamborghini Diablo, a Toyota Pris and three Mercedes Benz vehicles.

It was a gathering of narcissists, Isejima told Bloomberg. The drivers were aged between 37 and 60 years old, he said.

The massive car crash is expected to rack up at least $1 million in damages. It took six hours to clear the highway of damaged cars and get drivers to the hospital, where ten people sustaining bruising and relatively minor injuries.

50 Miles Above Speed Limit

The driver suspected of causing the 14-car pileup, a 60-year-old self-employed man from Fukuoka, could face up to six months in jail and a 100,000 yen ($1,284.03) fine for the crash.

The group was on its way to Hiroshima to show off their cars when the crash occurred. NTV quoted drivers on the scene who said some of the cars were traveling around fifty miles above the speed limit. Footage from the scene showed one Ferrari that had plowed into the outer guard rail, while another car had almost its entire engine bonnet (front hood) ripped off.

Footage of Car Crash

Below, watch video footage of the car crash's aftermath.

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Video Montage of 14-Car Pileup in Japan:

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