The devil's work? Supercar with registration plate '666' destroyed after it mysteriously bursts into flames

By Mail Foreign Service
Updated: 08:19 EST, 29 April 2009

It's commonly believed to be the number that identifies the Antichrist. So perhaps the owner of this Dodge Viper supercar shouldn't have been surprised when their car went up in flames.

The registration plate was '666': it was almost an invitation.

Enlarge   Apocalypse now: A Dodge Viper destroyed in an inferno in Russia. The license plate - upside down at the rear - reads '666'

Apocalypse now: A Dodge Viper destroyed in an inferno in Russia. The license plate - upside down at the rear - reads '666'

Enlarge   666: The charred license plate is found among the twisted metal

666: The charred license plate is found among the twisted metal

It's not known what happened to the car in the Russian city of Kostroma - but whatever it was, it certainly appears apocalyptic.

The top of the car was ripped off in an explosion. The seats have burned away and the charred engine is exposed. Melted, twisted metal is everywhere.

Strangely, the inferno appears to have been concentrated on the interior of the car. The wheels and the remainder of the exterior are charred but oddly intact compared to the destruction of the interior.

It is not known if anyone was injured in the explosion.

The 600-horsepower car - which starts at $91,220 (£62,000) - can usually go from 0-60 in just four seconds.

But it's clear this one isn't going anywhere.

Enlarge   The Viper before it was consumed in flames. The '666' license plate can clearly be seen

The Viper before it was consumed in flames. The '666' license plate can clearly be seen

Passers-by stare at the car in bemusement

Passers-by stare at the car in bemusement

The number '666' - the so-called 'Number of the Beast - has intrigued scholars for centuries. 

It first appeared in the Book of Revelation 13:17-18.

The King James version of the passage, translated from Greek, states: 'And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.'

Some scholars have speculated that the number is a code for someone it would have been dangerous to criticise publicly - like the Emperor Nero.

Enlarge   Parts of the car appear to have been literally ripped off from the force of the explosion that consumed it

Parts of the car appear to have been literally ripped off from the force of the explosion that consumed it

Enlarge   However the fire appears to have been very concentrated - burning only in the interior of the vehicle, leaving wheels charred but intact

However the fire appears to have been very concentrated - burning only in the interior of the vehicle, leaving wheels charred but intact

Nero's name, written in Aramaic can be valued at 666, using the Hebrew numerology of gematria, a system of assigning numerical value to letters of the alphabet.

The Emperor was vilified for persecuting Christians.

But others believe the number is a code with far more sinister connotations - and that it may identify the name or title of the Antichrist.

The number has been associated with the Satanism, universal price codes and the game of roulette, as the numbers on the wheel add up to 666.

Recent research has shown that the number in the Bible may have been translated incorrectly, and that 616 is the actual number of the beast.

However second century church father Irenaeus examined that possibility - and rejected it.

The demise of this Dodge Viper would seem to support his theory.

The frame of the seats and the engine can be seen amongst the wreckage

The frame of the seats and the engine can be seen amongst the wreckage



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