It might not have been much, but for a 21-year-old driver from Hennef, near Bonn, his first car was his pride and joy. But now, the car his father bought for 900 euros ($1,130) only a few days ago, is lying in pieces in the local fire station parking lot.

Overzealous fire fighters spotted the car parked alongside a row of scrap-yard vehicles rounded up to help them practice rescuing accident victims and promptly set to work with a pair of hydraulic scissors and axes.

But the car had only been parked -- not dumped -- next to the junkyard. Its driver hadn't yet registered the vehicle, so it didn't have license plates.

Fire department chief Heinz Peter Krämer said the situation was regrettable, but defended his colleagues.

"They're not really to blame, as the car was already 10 years old and didn't look any different from our practice cars," Krämer said.

Shock caused collapse

Shortly after the practice session, father and son came to collect their "new" car only to find it completely wrecked. The sight proved too much for the father, who suffered a collapse and had to be taken to hospital. He has since recovered from the shock.

"I don't think the firemen did this on purpose," the driver's father said. "It was simply a mistake."

According to German law, father and son have only themselves to blame for the mishap: Cars without license plates are not allowed to be parked on public property. Their luck seems to be improving however, as the city of Hennef has said it is prepared to have the damage covered by insurance.