Jaguar Adds to Monaco Glamour

The fear that a fender bender might take place during a car race, especially a high-speed Formula One race, is always on the minds of drivers, crews, teams, organizers and even spectators.  However, a crash that results in the loss of a $200,000 diamond is not what you’d expect to be the talk of the town.

That is what happened when the Steinmetz-sponsored Jaguar manned by rookie driver Christian Klien hit the rails at the Mirabeau corner on the opening lap of the Monaco Grand Prix yesterday.

When the tech team examined the car back in the garage after being hoisted out of the track, they discovered that the gem popped out of its housing and disappeared.

“That will be the most expensive drive I'll ever take around Monte Carlo,” Klien said later. Team spokesman Nav Sidhu added: “We may not have got the best result on the track this weekend but we have certainly left our mark in Monaco by adding to the glamour”.

The Jaguar team had another car in the race sporting a $200,000 diamond, this one making it safely back.