British driver totals Ferrari one hour after purchase

LONDON -- A British driver has survived a major crash in his Ferrari, an hour after he bought it. Local police called it a "miracle escape," but the car was not so lucky.

South Yorkshire Police posted Twitter photos of the smoking, wrecked car, saying it "went airborne (and) burst into flames" beside a highway in northern England.

The Ferrari 430 Scuderia, worth about $260,000 new, ended up a burning heap in a field.

The police said in a Facebook statement that the driver "only had minor cuts and bruises" after Thursday's smash, but they also detected "a sense of damaged pride."

The force said the driver told officers: "I've only just got it, picked it up an hour ago."

Police urged local drivers to take care on the roads.