By now details surrounding the death of
Fast and Furious star Paul Walker last week in a Los Angeles car crash are well-known.
But what the
speed freaks
and pro drivers have known for years is that the 2005 Porsche Carrera
GT that killed Walker is notoriously difficult to drive—“dangerous”
even, according to some higher-ups who work at the German automaker.
It’s “the first car in my life that I drive and I feel scared,” world rally champion and Porsche test driver Walter Rohrl told
Drive
magazine just before it went on sale in 2003. The concept had been
unveiled at the Paris motor show in 2000 but was delayed because Rohrl,
one of Porsche’s most experienced drivers, said its then-current power
level was unmanageable for most ordinary drivers.
“I came back into the pits and I was white,” Rohrl said after one particularly harrowing lap on a rain-wet track.
Even when Porsche released the Carrera GT, it proved a challenging drive. Jay Leno–an acclaimed driver and expert mechanic who frequents racetracks and road rallies nationwide–spun out of control in
a Carrera GT on the track at Talladega in 2005, no small thing for such
an experienced driver. Leno was unavailable for comment.
A spokesman for Porsche declined to comment on the specifics of
Walker’s death and on whether mechanical or driver error caused the
crash. (There was another fatal Carrera GT crash at California Speedway
in 2006. That case was settled out of court
for $4.5 million, but it served to generate discussion that blamed
Porsche for designing an especially lethal vehicle because the car does
not offer electronic stability control.)
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic accident,” the spokesman said,
noting that no Porsche employee was in the car or near it at the time of
the accident. “We will cooperate fully with any investigation and any
authorities who contact us.”
According to preliminary reports,
Walker’s longtime friend and financial manager, Roger Rodas, was at the
wheel when he apparently lost control and hit a tree with the car,
which then set on fire. The crash happened at the end of a charity event
organized by Rodas’s automotive tuning and racing company, Always
Evolving.
Rodas reportedly acquired the red Porsche last spring and often took
it to car shows. He had good reason to show it off: Porsche made the
Carrera GT to rival the multi-million-dollar Ferrari Enzo for the title
of the world’s fastest car. The V10 supercar produced 610 horsepower and
cost $450,000 new. Fewer than 1,300 of them were made.
Source:
forbes.com
1960 Ford Starliner 2 door Coupe 
All
eight cars in British connoisseur Dick Skipworth's collection from the
legendary Scottish team that won two consecutive Le Mans 24-Hour races
in 1956 and 1957, sold at Bonhams today (1 December) for record prices.Just as they did in the 1950s, four of the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguars raced ahead of their rivals.The
team's 1952 Jaguar C-Type sold for no less than £2,900,000, amid
auction-room applause, while their 1956 Jaguar 'Shortnose' D-Type sold
for £2,600,000. Both went to a buyer in the United States.Meanwhile, the packed saleroom resounded to further applause as the Collection's Jaguar XK120 Roadster made a record £707,000.
Million-pound mark-up for two-stroke truckHowever,
it was the Ecurie Ecosse three-car Transporter, their unique 1960
Commer TS3 immortalized for many by the Corgi toy, which exceeded all
expectations as it was sold to the same US buyer for £1,800,000 after a
telephone bidding war that lasted almost 20 minutes.The
800-strong crowd in Bonhams' £30-million New Bond Street headquarters –
opened by London Mayor Boris Johnson on October 24 - erupted as
auctioneer Robert Brooks' hammer sealed this sale of the most valuable
historic commercial vehicle ever sold at auction.Following
the Ecurie Ecosse Collection's sale excitement, the spotlight turned to
Ringo Starr's Facel Vega, which sold for £337,500 while seven-time
Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher's Benetton-Cosworth Ford
B194 went to a German museum in Boeblingen for £617,500, bringing the
auction total to £16,861,630.James Knight, Bonhams' Group
Motoring Director, said: 'We always knew that today's Sale had the
potential to be a roaring success, but nobody quite anticipated the
incredible atmosphere in the saleroom that saw so many truly historic
cars go for such astounding prices.'The Jaguars especially
were exceptionally popular, and I am delighted that the Transporter
will still be carrying two of its original Ecurie Ecosse racing cars.'
Jaguar XK120
1959 Tojeiro-Jaguar Sports-Racing Prototype
Le Mans Sprite
1960 Cooper Monaco-Climax ^Mark II^ Type 57 Rear-Engined Sports-Racing Prototype
1962-63 Tojeiro EE-Buick Endurance Racing Coupe
1960 Commer TS3 Three-Car Transporter
