Iraqi playboy races Ferrari around London's Knightsbridge streets at 120mph

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 10:16 AM on 14th June 2011

An Iraqi playboy has been slammed for his reckless driving after footage of his 200mph supercar being raced around London appeared on YouTube.

The millionaire show-off is seen speeding through Knightsbridge in his turquoise Ferrari 599 without any regard for the safety of pedestrians and other motorists.

Road safety campaigners said it was a 'miracle' no-one had been injured by his foolish antics.

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Reckless: An Iraqi playboy has been slammed for driving this Ferrari 599 at up to 120mph around central London streets

Miracle: Road safety campaigners said it was incredible no-one had been injured by his antics

In the footage, pedestrians are clearly seen jumping out of the way as the car races through the narrow streets in a plume of tyre smoke.

In one clip the maniac appears to overtake a Mini at high speed - narrowly missing an oncoming bus.

Internet forum posters claim he topped a staggering 120mph on the busy Sloane Street - where the limit is 30mph.

A leading road safety charity said it was a 'miracle' that nobody had been injured by the Iraqi playboy speeding around London.

Ben Schofield, of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: 'Glorifying dangerous driving is grossly irresponsible.

'In this busy urban environment it's a miracle nobody was injured.'

Fancy a ride? In this image the driver of the car is seen with a passenger

Too fast: In this video clip the Ferrari is going so quickly, it is impossible to focus on the car

Forceful: In videos posted on internet forums, the Ferrari forces pedestrians to move out of the way

The brash motorist claims to be the first Iraqi playboy to enter the London supercar scene, which sees an annual influx of rich Middle Eastern motorists showing off their unique cars.

He bought the Ferrari from the Qatari Royal Family and has told onlookers he spent £80,000 upgrading the car's performance.

The footage was shot over a series of weeks by film and TV student Liam Kershaw, 18, who spends his spare time travelling round London looking at flash cars.

Mr Kershaw said: 'The guy tells us he has the first Iraqi supercar in London, and by his driving skills he is keen to let everyone know about it - he is one of the craziest drivers ever to come here.

'On my Youtube channel 'Exoticsoflondon' I have received a lot of criticism about how dangerous he is and how much damage he could cause.

'He is driving very fast but this is a car designed to do these sorts of speeds and is safer than most normal cars. This doesn't make it okay so he's got to be careful.'

A spokesperson for the Met Police West said they were investigating the footage.

Just a blur: The Iraqi show-off has been seen racing through London's narrow streets, leaving behind a plume of tyre smoke

Eye-catching: This £1.2million Koenigsegg CCXR (front) and a £350,000 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce belonging to the Qatari royal family were both clamped outside Harrods last year

Last year it was revealed that foreign supercar drivers have racked up a tab of unpaid parking fines totalling nearly £4m in Westminster.

The council announced it was powerless to recoup the losses because the drivers could not be traced due to the Middle Eastern numberplates.

However one traffic warden did find a solution to the problem and opted to clamp the cars instead.

This led to the eye-catching image of a £1.2 million Koenigsegg CCXR (one of only six ever made) and a £350,000 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce being clamped when they were illegally parked outside Harrods.

Both the cars belong to members of the Qatari royal family.

Local residents also complained about the drivers regularly flouting the speed limits in and around Knighsbridge's Lowndes Square.

They said that their night-time peace was being shattered by the owners racing their sports cars through the streets, describing it as being ‘like the starting grid at Le Mans’.

They also forged a campaign group and aired their grievances to Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, claiming that police and council have failed to act.