A driver in the UK was left red-faced as he crashed a brand new Ferrari, worth a quarter of a million euro, while taking it out for a test drive.

The battered remains of the red Ferrari F458, which is capable of 0-60mph in three seconds, were seen on the A12 motorway near Essex.

The car was seen speeding down the fast lane on the southbound carriageway between Dedham and Langham before crashing a few moments later.

The driver, who was described as wearing an expensive suit, is believed to have lost control before spinning into a nearby Volkswagen Bora and smashing into the central reservation.

It is thought that the 202mph car, a 2014 demo model, belongs to Lancaster Ferrari, a Ferrari dealership based in Colchester.

The driver was said to be taking the brand new car for a test drive in the hope of later buying it.

Fortunately, no-one was injured in the high-speed crash - although it's not known if it put the test driver off buying the car.

Michael Carpenter was also on the road at the time of the collision and stopped to photograph the wreckage.

He said: "I was driving down the A12 on Saturday when I got stuck in traffic. I saw the police move a VW Bora onto the hard shoulder.

"It was then I saw the Ferrari with damage to the front and rear corners. “When I drove past, the salesman from the dealership was on the phone and the driver was looking very sheepish."

A spokesman for Essex Police said no arrests were made.

A spokesperson from Ferrari said: “Ferrari takes the privacy and confidentiality of its clients very seriously, and therefore we are unable to provide any information about an incident of this type to a third party, except the necessary authorities where we are asked to do so.”

To get an idea of how fast this model can go, check out the video below: