How to crack up a Ferrari

[The_Veg]

News Story (http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local&id=3927255)- click under 'related links' to see the video.

[hlothery]

Interestingly, the car did exactly what it is designed to do during an impact, and the alledged "passenger" (probably the driver) only got a cut lip from this high speed crash. Can't believe a guy in a Mercedes thought he could outrun an Enzo! Having said that, glad no one else was hurt, of course. Money to burn must be a wonderful thing...... :banghead

[The_Veg]

The news report described the Mercedes as an SLR (http://www.mbusa.com/models/main.do?modelCode=SLR). Still dunno if it's a close match performance-wise, but when you consider that neither driver was probably sharp enough to use more than 7/10ths of what their car can do that becomes less relevant.

[hlothery]

The SLR is not even close, which shows how impaired the Ferrari driver was and reinforces my next point. Whenever anyone wants to race me on the street my standard answer is no, because anyone who wants to do that does not have the inate judgment, responsibility, and decision making skills for me to trust them enough for a race. That has always been my way of declining with dignity.......at least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! :nono

[Visian]

That has always been my way of declining with dignity.......

Well... you gotta admit, when some moron speeds up trying to keep you from merging onto the freeway, it's tremendously gratifying to drop a gear, roll it on and watch them disappear. :evil

Ian

[hlothery]

it's tremendously gratifying to drop a gear, roll it on and watch them disappear.



Especially if you drove an Enzo! Gotta love the guy's story though.....gee officer, I was letting some guy drive my $1,000,000 sports car, he wrecked it, and they he just ran off! I hate it when that happens.

[SNC1923]

From the news post on Cox Communications:

Red Ferrari Enzo Valued At One Million Dollars Crashes In Malibu
02-22-2006 12:07 PM

(Malibu, CA) -- Ferrari enthusiasts the world over are mourning the loss of a very rare example of the object of their obsession. A red Ferrari Enzo, one of only 400 ever made, bit the dust in a dramatic way on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu Tuesday morning after what cops believe was a race between the red Enzo and a Mercedes Benz SLR. Witnesses say in the "Los Angeles Times" that the Ferrari was racing the Mercedes at speeds reaching 120 miles per hour, nowhere near the Enzo's top speed, when it crested a hill and slammed into a pole. Debris was scattered nearly 12-hundred feet along the PCH. The registered owner was Swedish millionaire Stefan Eriksson. Authorities are trying to figure out if he is the noted video game designer, who ironically, designs car racing games. Eriksson was found by sheriff's deputies in the passenger seat with only minor injuries. Eriksson told deputies that the driver fled on foot into the Malibu hills. Investigators say they're not convinced of Eriksson's explanation and believe he may have been driving the car. Ferrari experts say the car is valued at over one-million-dollars.

[The_Veg]

Not even close? Hmmm, the SLR is about a thousand pounds heavier than the Enzo, makes 50 less horsepower but 90 more lb-ft of torque, and costs almost half as much. Both will get to 60 in under 4 seconds (3.2 for the Enzo, 3.8 for the SLR) and both factories claim a top speed over 200 MPH. I think they're close enough for the drivers to make all the difference, especially since I seriously doubt that anything near the cars' maximum performance can be used on most roads.

[hlothery]

Don't get me wrong.....I like the Mercedes. Would love to see them compete on a track, with professional drivers. They must have been cranking, though, to leave skid marks for over 1100 feet and debris for 1200 feet, and to separate the engine compartment from the monocoque cell for the cockpit.....WOW. Amazing that the owner was not injured (except for his cut lip). I'll bet he is really mad at that guy who was driving..... :wow

[username]

OMG, did you scroll down and look at the photo of the news anchor guy?! he looks like tim allen in that movie about not having xmas, where he got all tan and got botoxed. dang!

http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/800/1129/1134066949/oascentral-s.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/ABC/zzzz_Raines_KABC_House/KABC_Raines.jpg

[riderR1150GSAdv]

On the bright side of all this is the fact that the remaining Enzo's went up in value. :stick :laugh :bolt

[SNC1923]

Actually caught a glimpse of Dallas once in person when living in L.A. That's EXACTLY what he looks like. He's not an anchor; he's a "meteoroligist," which I'm pretty sure means weatherman.

The LA stations are particularly bad about employing these talking heads. ABC's Jerry Dunphy is reputed to be the model for the Simsons' own Kent Brockman.

http://www.simpsonsland.net/multimedia/images/0kent_brokman/04.gif

OMG, did you scroll down and look at the photo of the news anchor guy?! he looks like tim allen in that movie about not having xmas, where he got all tan and got botoxed. dang!

http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/800/1129/1134066949/oascentral-s.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/ABC/zzzz_Raines_KABC_House/KABC_Raines.jpg

[dlearl476]

tell it a Fiat joke.

[The_Veg]

Do Fiat still own Ferrari?

[flash412]

tell it a Fiat joke.http://tinyurl.com/cb7v7

[BubbaZanetti]

OMG, did you scroll down and look at the photo of the news anchor guy?! he looks like tim allen in that movie about not having xmas, where he got all tan and got botoxed. dang!

http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/800/1129/1134066949/oascentral-s.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/ABC/zzzz_Raines_KABC_House/KABC_Raines.jpg


http://wohba.com/blogimages/georgeh1.jpg
+
http://www.jamesspader.org/interview/regis/tv-regis-spader-5-30-2005-4.jpg
=
http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/800/1129/1134066949/oascentral-s.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/ABC/zzzz_Raines_KABC_House/KABC_Raines.jpg

[R75_7]

I'm working on a TV show that was filming less than a mile away. I was riding my motorcycle to work that morning. But I was coming from the north. My coworkers all saw it before during and after. That's all we've been talking about since. We have even been interviewed by the Sherrifs dept. We can't figure out what caused the crash. He was driving straight then ended up on the hill back down and into the pole. Longest skid marks I've ever seen. Some say he was driving near 200 mph and maybe caught air. That morning the engine and wheels separated from the car were on fire.

[rinty]

I heard or read somewhere that after Gerhardt Berger won his first GP race for Ferrari, the company gave him an F 40 or F 50 as a gift. Shortly thereafter he cracked it up, and was quoted as saying that these cars should not be driven on public roads by non-professionals. Has anybody come across this anecdote?
After NHL'er Dany Heatly crashed his Ferrari, a local dealer here was quoted as saying that the problem with these cars is that they are so easy to drive fast, they can get away on you before you know what's happening.

Rinty