A car involved in a devastating crash that claimed four lives in Bolton had been modified to produce almost double its original brake horsepower, an investigation has revealed.
The Fatal Collision
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning on Wigan Road in Bolton. Muhammad Danyaal, 19, Farhan Patel, 18, and Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, 18, were travelling in a red Seat Leon when it collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso taxi at around 12.45am.
The taxi driver, 54-year-old Masrob Ali, also died in the collision. His daughter described him as a safe driver. A 29-year-old female passenger in the taxi sustained potentially life-threatening injuries and remains in hospital.
Revelations of Modifications and Speed
Footage has emerged showing the Seat Leon allegedly reaching speeds of 120mph on a residential road just 24 hours before the fatal crash.
Further investigation has uncovered that a vehicle matching the description of the Seat Leon was modified in September 2025, just four months prior to the incident. Online footage from Narkos Performance Tuning shows a car with an identical number plate being tuned to achieve 410 Brake Horsepower (BHP) and 550 Newton-metres of torque.
This is nearly double the standard specifications for a 2013 Cupra model, which typically produces 261 bhp and 350 Nm torque. Such modifications significantly increase engine output and acceleration.
A photograph seen by investigators shows one of the teenagers who died, Mohammed, standing next to the modified vehicle. The registration plate has been cross-referenced with images from the crash scene and appears to match.
Aftermath and Police Appeal
The crash left a scene of devastation. Other casualties included a 28-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man with serious injuries, a 29-year-old man with minor injuries, and an 18-year-old male passenger from the Seat Leon who remains hospitalised with minor injuries.
A local resident described hearing "the loudest bang" and witnessing CPR being performed. They also saw the taxi passenger, a woman, get out of the vehicle and two other unconscious people inside the taxi.
Detective Inspector Andrew Page stated that establishing the cause of the "terrible" crash remains a priority. He urged the public to be mindful of sharing footage on social media, as it could constitute a criminal offence and cause further distress to the families.
"Thanks to patrols in the area, teams were able to get to the incident location quickly to what was a particularly challenging scene for colleagues in the emergency services," DI Page said.
Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses, dashcam, or CCTV footage from anyone who saw the vehicles before the collision or the incident itself.
Chief Inspector Helen McCormick paid tribute to the emergency services and called the crash a "tragic reminder of the importance of safety on our roads." She noted that while serious collisions in Bolton have been massively reduced, "one incident is one too many."
