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This skyscraper is melting cars like they're ants under a magnifying glass

How would you like it if you returned to your parked car, only to find that bits of it had begun to melt?

THE REFLECTION OF a building in London’s financial district has been alleged to be literally melting cars on the street, as reported by Jim Waterson at City AM

The combination of its curved shape, its placement, and its height has apparently created a tremendously intense reflection and beam of light that creates extraordinary heat on a nearby block

One Jaguar owner says his car suffered melting damage from having been parked in the spot.

A photo has been revealed by the BBC which shows the clearly warped body of the car. They report that parking has now been suspended in the three parking bays affected.

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The building, called 20 Fenchurch, is a 37-story skyscraper due for completion next year, and has been nicknamed the Walkie-Talkie due to its unusual shape.

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(Image  Credit: Ewan-M via Flickr/CreativeCommons)

An Instagram user has uploaded this great image showing just how white hot the spot on the street seems to get, commenting that “it is a good 10 degrees hotter in there”.

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(Image Credit: fiftyfathom/Instagram)

- Joe Weisenthal

Read: New ’132′ reg system drives huge increase in August car sales >

Burning Question: Air con or window down in the car? >

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    Mute Nydon
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:58 PM

    On reflection this shows the architects in a bad light as they obviously weren’t focused on the consequences.

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    Mute Anthony Byrne
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:41 PM

    Unlike the building, your pun is somewhat transparent. In my view the architect gave manifestation to an enlightened vision, a really bright idea. Didn’t hide his light behind a bushel.

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    Mute Paddy Murphy
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:45 PM

    Pass that sh*t over here lads

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    Mute Nydon
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:27 PM

    Anthony that’s just a load of parabolics if you ask me.

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    Mute Matt
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    Sep 4th 2013, 10:24 AM

    I pass this building almost everyday. It’s one ugly building. 2013 at that’s the best they can come up with.

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    Mute Jane Travers
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:35 PM

    I’m sure we can somehow use this in the forthcoming zombie apocalypse.

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    Mute Doey Walsh
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:43 PM

    Jane, you just won today’s Internet
    Congratulations :D

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    Mute Jane Travers
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:03 PM

    Sadly, 16 people disagree with you :(

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    Mute Doey Walsh
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:05 PM

    Ah well, I won’t lose sleep over it :D

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    Mute Jane Travers
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:55 PM

    :)

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    Mute Daffy the Bear
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:24 PM

    Jane, are yiu watching the Walking Dead on RTE TWO?

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    Mute Jane Travers
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:41 PM

    Daffy, I’ve been watching The Walking Dead since it was a comic book :)

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    Mute Alan Kennedy
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    Sep 4th 2013, 3:26 PM

    Haters gotta hate, Jane!

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    Mute Ireland Uncensored
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 11:24 PM

    Buy the parking spaces , put in deck chairs and rent out tanning time – a genius idea

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    Mute Tomás O'Loughlin
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:06 PM

    10 degrees warmer? Could do with a few around Dublin most the time….

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    Mute Lisa Ryan
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:15 PM

    That skyscraper is quite the focal point :-))

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    Mute Joey JoeJoe Shabadoo
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 11:07 PM

    Ba… Dum… Tish!

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    Mute Mike El
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:41 PM

    Funnily one of the tenants already signed up is royalsunalliance. Ha ha

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    Mute Patrick Moran
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:32 PM

    Just 10 degrees more than normal is causing cars to melt ?? Doesn’t make much sense. How come people aren’t been burned as they walk by ?

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    Mute Tomás O'Loughlin
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:49 PM

    The cars are parked. Temperature change isn’t massive but the fact the cars are exposed to it for an extended period of time is the problem. No one is going to stand there for hours…

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    Mute Joerg Steegmueller
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    Sep 4th 2013, 4:16 PM

    But there are countries were it is naturally, everywhere and every day 10 degrees hotter than in London in summer. Haven’t heard of too many melting cars in Spain!

    Very hot weather does affect asphalt and plastic as well, but are Jaguars not made of metal anymore?

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    Mute Pat Murphy
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    Sep 4th 2013, 5:08 PM

    simple physics lads, that’s all

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Sep 5th 2013, 1:25 AM

    They actually measured the temperature at 91 Celsius, the article is wrong. It’s possibly hotter at times, some of the mats in doorways started to smoke and got singed. As the sun gets lower in the sky, the focused beam will get higher and shine into windows, not the road or pavements and without air currents, it could get even hotter and start a fire.

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    Mute Brian Horton
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:44 PM

    “Melting cars like ants under a magnifying glass” a slight exaggeration perhaps, never let the truth get in the way of a good story!

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    Mute Stephen Mc Dermott
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:47 PM

    It’s curtains for that building.

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    Mute Sharlene Rocca
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 11:17 PM

    Hang on…do ants melt??

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    Mute Dave Kelly
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 11:21 PM

    Perfect spot for a solar panel!

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    Mute Kieran Monaghan
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    Sep 4th 2013, 12:59 AM

    Note to self…… Don’t buy a plastic car.

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    Mute sue sue
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:24 PM

    Park somewhere else

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    Mute Len Raynor
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:25 PM

    Problem solved

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    Mute Hazel Byrne- Ghani
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:57 PM

    They just ain’t making jags like they used to….

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    Mute David Mc Skane
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:07 PM

    “What’s a hot spot not” ?

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    Mute Ronan Stokes
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:26 PM

    Cold.

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    Mute Len Raynor
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:27 PM

    10 degrees would hardly melt an Eskimo snack for flips sake

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    Mute Stephen
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:38 PM

    The sun wouldnt be in the exact same spot for the whole day, so wouldn’t the sun have to be focused on the one point for a long period of time to do damage , which it can’t be???

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    Mute Henry
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:08 PM

    Same thing happened at a hotel in Vegas except it was people by the pool getting roasted. They put some anti-glare coating on it in the end.

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    Mute Sorting Hat
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 11:34 PM

    Looked like Sauron in the front page !

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    Mute Jānis Lazdāns
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:21 PM

    #maplin

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    Mute Daniel Wilson
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:56 PM

    You raise a very good point Janis

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    Mute Jānis Lazdāns
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:58 PM

    They MUST be selling some sort of antiglare…things…for cars!

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    Mute Cathal Leonard
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    Sep 4th 2013, 7:12 AM

    I was wondering what happened to Thatsun,

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    Mute Edel Mooney
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:37 PM

    A hot car
    Perpetrators invisible to the naked eye !

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    Mute Daniel Holian
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    Sep 4th 2013, 1:46 AM

    The bike in picture #3 is surely f**ked so?

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