<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Prototype fires? They happen all the time. Seldom though are they so dramatic. This next-generation aluminum-bodied 2016 Ford Super Duty was out testing in the furnace-like heat of Death Valley in California when things went awry. The photos tell the tale: At first the truck is merrily hauling a two-axle trailer loaded with water tanks. In the next image, the truck has pulled over and flames are flickering in the wheel well as thick black smoke starts to pour out of the engine compartment. RELATED: True or False: The new aluminum F-150 is made of aluminum  In the next frame it&amp;#039;s evident that the engineers testing the Ford had already wisely abandoned the truck. Our spy photographers report that from the time the first flames were visible in the wheel well to the entire front end being engulfed in flame took just three minutes. As the front of the truck continued to burn several explosions scattered parts of the Super Duty into the desert. Just 18 minutes later the truck was burned to the ground, with only charred puddles of aluminum and scorched roadway to tell the story. RELATED: Undercover 2015 Ford F-150s worked in a mine for years  Spectacular as this meltdown was, there&amp;#039;s no better justification for the extraordinary time and expense of comprehensive vehicle testing than a catastrophic failure. As if Death Valley wasn&amp;#039;t hot enough in the summer. RELATED: New photos show the Acura NSX prototype engulfed in flames "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a8463/this-2016-ford-super-duty-prototype-burned-to-the-ground/>