There are some eventualities that annual breakdown cover is never going to resolve. One of those is the Japanese crash in December 2011 involving 10 supercars – 8 Ferraris, 1 Lamborghini and 1 Mercedes. There was quite simply not much left to repair.

The police investigating the pile up, which happened in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi prefecture, have decided to press charges against 10 drivers. Enquiries revealed that the driver of the lead car lost control, and the following drivers did not apply their brakes in time to prevent crashing.

Damage caused by the chain-reaction crash is thought to be around £2.6 million, according to The Sports Nippon newspaper, which also called the accident ‘the world’s most expensive car crash’ at the time.

A 61-year-old man and 9 others are named in the case, which police sent to prosecutors recently. Violation of traffic laws is the alleged crime.

According to a police spokesman, the drivers, aged between 38 and 61, were not paying enough attention to the road ahead, or were breaking the speed limit.

Television reports showed dramatic footage of the aftermath, with numerous airbags having been deployed at the scene. No one was killed in the accident, but six people were injured.

Police official Shinji Tanaka, who announced the police’s intention to prosecute, said it was uncommon to see such a crash involving so many expensive cars. He also pointed out, "Some of the drivers told us they didn't really know the specifications of their cars or just how powerful their acceleration was."