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Supercar 'dice' ends in tragedy

Metro police are investigating allegations that two supercars dicing in Sandton led to a horrific accident in which a Dainfern resident died on Sunday.

Jan Embro (53), the Swedish born head of marketing for Ericcson locally, burnt to death in his Ultima GRT after it left the road whilst allegedly jockeying for position with a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 roadster.

Road racing allegations

Embro and Darryl Leigh, a retired Johannesburg attorney who was driving the Lamborghini L640, were apparently driving in William Nicol Drive near the crossing of Republic Road in Sandton.

A metro police spokesperson, Edna Mamonyane, said they were investigating claims by witnesses that the two men had been dicing when the accident happened.

Mamonyane said: "Embro apparently lost control of his vehicle when he couldn't get past the Lamborghini.

"It burst through a fence, rolled, came to a standstill in the veld and burst into flames."


Darryl Leigh's Lamborghini LP640 Roadster at the scene of Sunday's horrific accident in Sandton.

Lambo driver uninjured

A woman and her three-year-old daughter saw the accident happen. She tried in vain to extinguish the flames.
A Netcare 911 spokesperson, Nick Dollman, said they were called out at about 16:45.

Dollman said Embro died in his car. Netcare 911 counsellor had been on hand to assist the woman and her daughter.
"Leigh wasn't injured and declined medical attention," Dollman added.

Mamonyane said it wasn't yet known if any one else had been in the car with Leigh. A case of culpable homicide was also being investigated, she said.



The Ultima GTR is a low-volume supercar of British origin, designed by famed performance car engineer Lee Noble.

Featuring a space-frame chassis and plastic bodywork, it’s powered by a range of Chevrolet sourced V8 engines and devoid of most modern safety features such as ABS modulated brakes, traction or stability control. It currently holds the world acceleration and deceleration sprint record from 0-160km/h and back to standstill.

Lamborghini’s Mucielago LP640 roadster is one of the world’s fastest open topped cars, powered by a mid-mounted 6.2l V12 producing 426kW. It features a host of contemporary safety features including ABS brakes and traction control, with driver and passenger front airbags onboard too.

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