Car Melted by “Walkie-Talkie”

A new 37 storey London skyscraper, nicknamed the “Walkie-Talkie” because of its unusual shape, has caused parts of a car parked on a nearby street to warp and melt in the heat generated by the reflected light of the sun!

Currently under construction at 20 Fenchurch Street, the new building has been given a temporary screen whilst the developers carry out investigations and parking in three bays on Eastcheap, where the melted Jaguar had been parked, has been suspended for the time being. Shop fronts and window displays in the same street have also been damaged by the intense heat.

The vehicle suffered warped panels whilst the wing mirror and Jaguar badge had melted. The owner of the Jaguar, Mr Martin Lindsay, who had only left his vehicle parked on Eastcheap for about two hours, said he could not believe something like this could have happened – adding that it could have been dangerous if the sun had reflected on the wrong part of the car body. The developers, Land Securities and Canary Wharf, have apologised and paid for the repairs. They issued a joint statement to say they were aware of the problems caused by light reflecting from 20 Fenchurch Street and were looking into the matter.

It seems that the current position of the sun in the sky is causing the problem, this is set to last for around another three weeks and the developers are evaluating longer term solutions to ensure that it does not happen again.

Special Thanks [ Duncan ] for providing the image.