Sad news for the Family of Paul Walker.
UK Article.
Jeff
Original Post
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What a terrible accident. Must have been a violent crash as there is nothing left of the car, especially on the non-impact side.
RIP
RIP
A Porsche GT
I've read that they are too much car for the road.
Sad. Has a James Dean feel about it.
Very sorry for his family.
I've read that they are too much car for the road.
Sad. Has a James Dean feel about it.
Very sorry for his family.
Regarding the video....
What a bunch of chickens... Why aren't they going to the car to see if they can get anyone out, instead of running away from it.
All they wanted to do was get iPhone video.
What a bunch of losers.
Rocky
What a bunch of chickens... Why aren't they going to the car to see if they can get anyone out, instead of running away from it.
All they wanted to do was get iPhone video.
What a bunch of losers.
Rocky
Too much HBO. Everybody thinks cars on fire are going to explode like they do in the movies. The only thing that usually happens is the tires pop and scare everybody.
Nobody in that car is going to have a survivable burn at the point they show in the video, unless they were thrown free. Bystanders should have at least gotten close enough to drag somebody away if they were thrown free.
Mike
(former professional firefighter, current ER doc)
Nobody in that car is going to have a survivable burn at the point they show in the video, unless they were thrown free. Bystanders should have at least gotten close enough to drag somebody away if they were thrown free.
Mike
(former professional firefighter, current ER doc)
I thought the video seemed to show that the engine compartment was ablaze when they arrived on scene, but maybe not the cab? That said Paul Walker was the passenger and likely bore the full brunt of the tree/lamppost and would like to think from the aftermath photos he was probably dead on impact, which although tragic is somewhat more comforting as I cannot imagine any more horrific way to go than being trapped and burning to death.
The car was wrecked and litter strewn on the street, so not sure what went wrong, but Carrera GT's have been reported in the past to be a real scary handful even for experts.
R.I.P.
The car was wrecked and litter strewn on the street, so not sure what went wrong, but Carrera GT's have been reported in the past to be a real scary handful even for experts.
R.I.P.
I agree Joules. Hope they both died on impact. Coroner said the bodies were "too badly burned to be identified" and would have to wait for dental records.
Interesting to see if somebody sues Porsche.
Mike
Interesting to see if somebody sues Porsche.
Mike
quote:Originally posted by ktmike:
Interesting to see if somebody sues Porsche.
Mike
A friend of mine here in Indy had a Porsche CGT and crashed it at a race track earlier this year. Interestingly it too caught fire and was totalled, but he was able to get out safe.
According to him, the car is designed to split in half, that's how you survive the crash....just get out before the fire starts. Porsche was held partially liable years ago in a death suit for making such an overly dangerous car. At least a dozen people have died in them in the 9 years its been out.
I got to drive it, pretty remarkable.
-William
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Although it's sad that two people lost their lives in such a violent manner, the truth is that to see this amount of destruction to the Porsche infers that they were going at an insane rate of speed on a local city street where others could have been hurt or killed because of their recklessness. My warehouse used to be just down the street from where this accident occurred, and the potential mayhem could have been much more tragic.
quote:Originally posted by tberg:
Although it's sad that two people lost their lives in such a violent manner, the truth is that to see this amount of destruction to the Porsche infers that they were going at an insane rate of speed on a local city street where others could have been hurt or killed because of their recklessness.
I totally agree. There is no excuse for behavior like that. And to expect someone to risk their life to save them is absurd.
deniscCaretaker of 8MA1244 '70 Euro Mangusta DRIVE THEM, THEY WERE MEANT TO BE DRIVEN, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT ONE, BUY A POSTER!
quote:Originally posted by tberg:
My warehouse used to be just down the street from where this accident occurred, and the potential mayhem could have been much more tragic.
tberg, looking at Google maps loks like a commercial area, not too many residences nearby, Do people race there or drift? How fast do you estimate?
https://maps.google.com/maps?l...4.45344%2C-118.57895
DenisC,
It is the commercial area of Valencia, a bedroom community about 10 miles north of the San Fernando Valley. I have heard that people like to race there but that would have to be on weekends as it's too busy an area during the week.
44 years ago I had a friend in high school who was riding with his uncle and a friend (3 of them) crammed into a Corvette. The car was going approximately 125 mph, hit a dip, became airborne and hit a telephone pole that acted like a skill saw with one half of the car falling on each side of the pole. 3 dead young men were the result. That Porsche looked like the Corvette.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy going fast even on city streets, but there are reasonable limits especially when exposing other people to danger. I am going to bet that once the investigation details are released, a) the speedometer will show a ridiculous rate of speed and b) there was some driving under the influence.
I spoke to a friend who lives up in the general vicinity who happened to casually know the driver, who also lived in the area. He leaves a family, and I understand Mr. Walker also leaves a daughter. The effects of their foolishness, unfortunately, don't end with their deaths...two families are destroyed, as well, and children have lost their parents.
It is the commercial area of Valencia, a bedroom community about 10 miles north of the San Fernando Valley. I have heard that people like to race there but that would have to be on weekends as it's too busy an area during the week.
44 years ago I had a friend in high school who was riding with his uncle and a friend (3 of them) crammed into a Corvette. The car was going approximately 125 mph, hit a dip, became airborne and hit a telephone pole that acted like a skill saw with one half of the car falling on each side of the pole. 3 dead young men were the result. That Porsche looked like the Corvette.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy going fast even on city streets, but there are reasonable limits especially when exposing other people to danger. I am going to bet that once the investigation details are released, a) the speedometer will show a ridiculous rate of speed and b) there was some driving under the influence.
I spoke to a friend who lives up in the general vicinity who happened to casually know the driver, who also lived in the area. He leaves a family, and I understand Mr. Walker also leaves a daughter. The effects of their foolishness, unfortunately, don't end with their deaths...two families are destroyed, as well, and children have lost their parents.
deniscCaretaker of 8MA1244 '70 Euro Mangusta DRIVE THEM, THEY WERE MEANT TO BE DRIVEN, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT ONE, BUY A POSTER!
Hey, I am not promoting fast driving on residential streets in any shape or form, and anyone who has never driven hard/fast should cast the first stone. I am just curious as to the general area where this happened. You and I know our midengine handle quite diferently than say a 5.0 Mustang, that said the driver was an expererienced driver and there did not seem to be any apparent spin-out. Just general questions.
quote:Originally posted by Denis C:
Hey, I am not promoting fast driving on residential streets in any shape or form, and anyone who has never driven hard/fast should cast the first stone. I am just curious as to the general area where this happened. You and I know our midengine handle quite diferently than say a 5.0 Mustang, that said the driver was an expererienced driver and there did not seem to be any apparent spin-out. Just general questions.
In 1988 I was driving in my home town, and a group of four guys were driving a brand new GT Mustang with temporary plates. They were pushing the little car pretty hard seeing what the Mustang could do. Well the next day the news were telling the story of a group of four Army soldiers who were killed in a brand new Mustang on the Interstate, I knew when I heard the newscast that had to be the same guys I saw the day before. Was a very surreal moment.
Jeff
Here's a link to an article yesterday regarding the accident.
http://www.ktiv.com/story/2410...wn-for-street-racing
It was on an industrial area in Valencia apparently popular for street racing because of its apparent isolation on the weekends.
It would be interesting to know exactly what caused the single car accident as the driver was familiar with the area and an experienced race car driver, not a street racer. Speed was a factor but I speculate there was also some sort of mechanical failure.
http://www.ktiv.com/story/2410...wn-for-street-racing
It was on an industrial area in Valencia apparently popular for street racing because of its apparent isolation on the weekends.
It would be interesting to know exactly what caused the single car accident as the driver was familiar with the area and an experienced race car driver, not a street racer. Speed was a factor but I speculate there was also some sort of mechanical failure.
quote:Originally posted by tberg:
I am going to bet that once the investigation details are released, a) the speedometer will show a ridiculous rate of speed and b) there was some driving under the influence.
That is a fairly harsh speculation, considering they were on their way to a charity event.
There have been a number of acicdents involving Porsche Carrera GT's where they have burst into flames. The ferocity of the fire makes it hard to determine what was collision damage and what was fire. Don't get me wrong I'm not defending anyone, they undoubtedly were speeding or pranking with donuts by the reported skid marks.
Also how many Ford GT's have been written off by drivers new to a mid engine supercar who don't understand it's power, some completely destroyed at relatively low speeds.
Just my 2 cents.
Julian
quote:Originally posted by Joules:
That is a fairly harsh speculation, considering they were on their way to a charity event.
Just my 2 cents.
Julian
Make that $.04.
I've seen enough scary CGT crash images to question how comfortable I would feel behind the wheel of one, and I'm a pretty slow, conservative driver.
Mark
Mark, I suspect you would be just fine. The biggest surprise is to people who don't know about mid-engine car handling.
If you drive a CGT responsibly and aware, it is just like any other stiff, high-powered mid-engine 2wd sports car.
The biggest problem I encountered with a friends CGT is that there is no "flywheel effect" and the clutch is a light switch. Makes for many embarrassing stalls. Imagine your GT 40 with 200 more horsepower and no bottom end.
Once you get it moving it is just like any other high performance mid-engine car. If you get on the gas too hard with a quick revving engine like that, things are going to go sideways and backwards.
It is definitely "old school" with no meaningful traction control or stability systems. You just have to use your head and not do stupid stuff-just like in a high powered Pantera. Luckily, with a Pantera you have torque down low which makes everything so much easier.
AWD Lambo's, Porsche Turbos, Nissan GTR's etc. have made everybody forget what old school 2wd mid-engine cars handled like.
Just like the old Porsche 930's, if you are not careful it will bite you.
Mike
If you drive a CGT responsibly and aware, it is just like any other stiff, high-powered mid-engine 2wd sports car.
The biggest problem I encountered with a friends CGT is that there is no "flywheel effect" and the clutch is a light switch. Makes for many embarrassing stalls. Imagine your GT 40 with 200 more horsepower and no bottom end.
Once you get it moving it is just like any other high performance mid-engine car. If you get on the gas too hard with a quick revving engine like that, things are going to go sideways and backwards.
It is definitely "old school" with no meaningful traction control or stability systems. You just have to use your head and not do stupid stuff-just like in a high powered Pantera. Luckily, with a Pantera you have torque down low which makes everything so much easier.
AWD Lambo's, Porsche Turbos, Nissan GTR's etc. have made everybody forget what old school 2wd mid-engine cars handled like.
Just like the old Porsche 930's, if you are not careful it will bite you.
Mike
Excerpt from an article investigating the cause of the accident :
A source said: “The area where the crash occurred has a history of being a popular street racing location.”
Investigators, who believe Rodas, 38, was speeding, are now on the hunt for video and witnesses that could prove another car’s involvement.
It also emerged yesterday that the car may have had a mechanical fault – possibly a steering fluid leak.
Sources connected to Always Evolving – the car customisation shop co-owned by Walker and Rodas – said they saw evidence of a fluid burst and subsequent liquid trail before tyre marks at the accident scene.
One source said: “There is a noticeable absence of skid marks until just before the point of impact.
“If Roger had lost control, the skid marks would show swerving, but instead the marks were in a straight line.
"This cements the theory the driver didn’t have steering control.”
It was also claimed the £305,000 Porsche Carrera GT was not modified and rarely driven so any failure would be a factory defect.
The source added: “Roger was a world-class driver and while he might have been speeding, the notion he just lost control is preposterous.”
Walker was photographed with the supercar just 30 minutes before his death a block away from his car business north of Los Angeles.
A source said: “The area where the crash occurred has a history of being a popular street racing location.”
Investigators, who believe Rodas, 38, was speeding, are now on the hunt for video and witnesses that could prove another car’s involvement.
It also emerged yesterday that the car may have had a mechanical fault – possibly a steering fluid leak.
Sources connected to Always Evolving – the car customisation shop co-owned by Walker and Rodas – said they saw evidence of a fluid burst and subsequent liquid trail before tyre marks at the accident scene.
One source said: “There is a noticeable absence of skid marks until just before the point of impact.
“If Roger had lost control, the skid marks would show swerving, but instead the marks were in a straight line.
"This cements the theory the driver didn’t have steering control.”
It was also claimed the £305,000 Porsche Carrera GT was not modified and rarely driven so any failure would be a factory defect.
The source added: “Roger was a world-class driver and while he might have been speeding, the notion he just lost control is preposterous.”
Walker was photographed with the supercar just 30 minutes before his death a block away from his car business north of Los Angeles.