A test drive of the world's first nuclear-powered automobile ended in disaster yesterday when the car collided with a BMW and vaporized half the San Fernando Valley.

At least 300,000 area residents were killed in the resulting explosion. However, the driver of the atomic car walked away without a scratch.

"If he hadn't been wearing a seatbelt, he'd probably be dead," a Highway Patrol officer said.

The designers of the nuclear car said they were undeterred by the mishap. "The Lexus Strontium is perfectly safe," a spokesman said. "The only reason this happened is because the other driver was yakking on his cell phone. So sue Verizon, not us."