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Valet Parker Wrecks $450,000 Ferrari After Mistaking Accelerator for Brake

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A parking attendant in Italy wrecked a $450,000 Ferrari while delivering it back to its owners a few blocks away, crashing the supercar into a storefront in Rome after accidentally pressing the accelerator instead of the brake.

Roberto Cinti was driving the Ferrari 599 GTO, one of the most powerful vehicles in the world, from a parking garage to the Hotel Exedra down the road when he lost control, according to local media.

“I was confused — instead of the brake, I pressed down on the accelerator,” Cinti told police on the scene, the Telegraph quoted a local newspaper as reporting.

And as he found out, a moment of confusion can cause catastrophic damage when you’re in a car that goes from 0-60 mph in three seconds.

Ferrari 599 GTB Driver Crashes into a Shop In Rome
A photograph made available on 01 April 2015 showing the aftermath following a ferrari 599 GTO which crashed into a shop in Viminale's road in Rome, Italy 30 March 2015.CLAUDIO PERI—EPA

The owners, a Dutch couple who had traveled to a meeting of Ferrari enthusiasts in Anzio, south of Rome, have not been identified or publicly reacted to the incident.

The valet, meanwhile, received treatment for minor injuries in a hospital and was — understandably — in a state of shock.

See the Evolution of the Ferrari in 10 Photos

Ferrari Formula One driver Raikkonen of Finland and team mate Massa of Brazil during the celebration of Ferrari's 60th anniversary
1947: After two decades of manufacturing only race cars, Ferrari debuted its first road car, the 125 S.Giampiero Sposito—Reuters
Mille Miglia 1998
1953: The 375 Mille Miglia Spyder - Chassis was first introduced at the Paris Auto Salon.Rainer W. Schlegelmilch—Getty Images
Klemantaski Collection
1957: The 250 GT California was an open top model with versions made for both racing and road driving. Klemantaski Collection—Getty Images
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
1962-64: The 250 GTO was the only front-engine model on display at the 1962 pre-season Ferrari press conference.Mario Suriani—AP
Klemantaski Collection
1968: The 365 GTB "Daytona" was first introduced at the Paris Auto Salon.Klemantaski Collection/Getty Images
Zippy car for Günter Netzer
1976: The 512 Berlinetta Boxer was a mid-engined road car that Enzo Ferrari initially worried would be too difficult for his customers to handle. dpa/AP
1986 Red Ferrari 288 GTO in speed on road, side view
1988: The 288 GTO was named for the car's 2.8 liter V8 engine. Ron Perry—Transtock/Corbis
USA - 2009 Concorso Italiano - 1999 Ferrari 355
1998: The F355 was designed to perform at a high level in various kinds of driving environments. Car Culture/Corbis
Ferrari Enzo, 2002
2002: The Enzo, named for Ferrari's founder, was built using formula-one technology. Rainer W. Schlegelmilch—Getty Images
2015: The 488 GTB can accelerate from 0 to 124 miles per hour in 8.3 seconds.Ferrari

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Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com