This 202mph, £170,000 Ferrari was manoeuvred through the London traffic and parked near Harrods by a novice driver, who had L-plates on the vehicle.
The driver, who appeared to be a teenager, was accompanied by a man who was apparently his father.
After shopping in the store, they returned to find crowd pointing at the L-plates on the 458 Italia. The boy, with a little guidance from his father, coolly pulled away.
The car’s 4.5-litre V8 engine develops 582bhp, giving acceleration of 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds. One witness said: “Seeing supercars in London is an everyday sight but never before have I seen one with an L-plate.”