Along a bend in the road at Buttsbury Wash near Billericay in Essex sits a stretch of water that regularly catches drivers off guard. On a recent day the silver Vantage, fresh from the factory and valued around £165,000, approached it with the same confidence plenty of other cars had shown moments earlier. Larger vehicles and even some smaller ones had crossed without drama. The low-slung sports car rolled in, water climbing the sides, and kept going until roughly two-thirds of the way across the ford.
Poor chap hasn’t had a good week.
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— Lawrence Whittaker (@ListerLawrence) June 27, 2026
Power evaporated without notice as the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, manufactured by AMG and situated with its air intakes low and forward in the engine bay, absorbed water. The engine simply stopped out, leaving the automobile stuck in the midst of the crossing. The driver, wearing a black t-shirt, red shorts, and sunglasses, opened the door and stepped into shin-deep water. His first audible reply was a harsh “f*** me.”
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He took out his phone and called for help. “The car’s not filling up, but it’s obviously got into the engine,” he replied. “It just didn’t look that deep.” A short while later, he stated that the engine “just cut out.” Three men gathered around the open engine room as the car sat in the water. Someone attached the front tow hook. Roadside assistance arrived and towed the Vantage clear.
What followed for the owner was the predictable but unwanted sequence that occurs when water enters a modern performance engine. The diagnosis would indicate how far the water had traveled inside the cylinders. On an engine this powerful, that often means hydrolock damage. Repairing or rebuilding the V8 is rarely inexpensive, and insurance may feel that a total loss is more cost-effective than a protracted repair.
The location itself has a lengthy history, since the AA cautions drivers to approach any water deeper than roughly 10 cm with extreme caution unless the vehicle is elevated and has adequate clearance. The recommended technique is slow and steady, with greater revs than usual and no stopping midway through. Every year, many drivers disobey that caution at Fords, including this one. The Vantage owner learnt the same lesson the hard way, standing in the water while his new car waited for a tow truck.
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