Darnit! The first time I see a Carrera GT in person and it is wrecked...

[j_garcia]

I was just popping out to lunch and I see a bunch of cops standing around with one of my favorite on ramps blocked off and a flatbed waiting to pick somehthing big and silver, but I couldn't see it clearly due to the cop cars. I got food and quickly came back to find them pulling the silver GT up onto the truck with the left front suspension badly damaged and some serious scrapes on the left side. Sorry, was passing by with a lot of cops, couldn't take pics The saddest part was that it looked like the guy just used too much throttle, broke it loose and went into a dirt burm of an overpass - since he was going STRAIGHT, not turning. You can see the skid marks and they go straight into the dirt. On the one hand I feel bad (for the car) and on the other, I am ticked that someone who can't drive has that car... Just because you have money doesn't mean you can drive!!!!

 

[stratman]

My brother in law saw Tiger getting his serviced at our local Porsche dealer. My friend Oscar has a silver one, they're nice, but I'll take an Enzo at the drop of a hat over the Porsche.

 

[aberkowitz]

In high school my friend taught me how to drive stick on his father's Carrera 4S.... one of the greatest hours of driving in my life.

 

[j_garcia]

For those who may not be immediately familiar this is a Carrera GT:

Price: est $440,000

 

[majorloser]

For the most part, those that own these kinds of toys don't know how to use them

(or too old to see past the end of the hood)

 

[stratman]

For the most part, those that own these kinds of toys don't know how to use them

(or too old to see past the end of the hood)

You're not kidding, some of the old farts you see driving these things, makes you think, runaway missile. Or the punks behind the wheel.

 

[mike c]

wait, when you guys say, can't drive these things, is it because its too powerful of a car, and a little step on the gas pedal will speed you up or is it because these cars are all stick shifts?

i learned to drive on stick shift, automatic transmission was a "luxury" back then.

 

[Djizasse]

I have to disagree with some of you.

Even though someone is not an ace driver, he or she has as much right to own a super car as anyone else. It's all about money and wanting to possess a fine piece of motoring art, be it for the performance, the look or even for the status.
I'm glad that people continue to buy these cars, so that they can keep being produced to inspire and dazzle us.

Moreover, accidents do happen, even to the most talented of drivers.

Anyway, the Carrera GT is a stunning car and the first time i saw one was at a trackday. I started to listen to this amazing roar, of what seemed a F1 engine. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. And then it appeared, blasting through the VIP turn at the Estoril track. Simply amazing

 

[stratman]

I have to disagree with some of you.

Even though someone is not an ace driver, he or she has as much right to own a super car as anyone else. It's all about money and wanting to possess a fine piece of motoring art, be it for the performance, the look or even for the status.
I'm glad that people continue to buy these cars, so that they can keep being produced to inspire and dazzle us.

Moreover, accidents do happen, even to the most talented of drivers.

Anyway, the Carrera GT is a stunning car and the first time i saw one was at a trackday. I started to listen to this amazing roar, of what seemed a F1 engine. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. And then it appeared, blasting through the VIP turn at the Estoril track. Simply amazing

You obviously missed the humor in the posts. And you're right it is about the money, not necessarily the car. 99% of those cars will never see a club race or track, yet they'll see plenty of valet parkers in front of expensive restaurants. Where I live exotics aren't that exotic yet they are definitely a status symbol and the majority of the drivers can't drive the damn things, that's not the reason they buy them in the first place.

 

[j_garcia]

wait, when you guys say, can't drive these things, is it because its too powerful of a car, and a little step on the gas pedal will speed you up or is it because these cars are all stick shifts?.

Yes, it is due to power. I have seen it before too. That kind of power REQUIRES a driver who knows what they are doing and how to properly control it.

I have to disagree with some of you.

Even though someone is not an ace driver, he or she has as much right to own a super car as anyone else. It's all about money and wanting to possess a fine piece of motoring art, be it for the performance, the look or even for the status.
I'm glad that people continue to buy these cars, so that they can keep being produced to inspire and dazzle us.

Moreover, accidents do happen, even to the most talented of drivers.

Anyway, the Carrera GT is a stunning car and the first time i saw one was at a trackday. I started to listen to this amazing roar, of what seemed a F1 engine. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. And then it appeared, blasting through the VIP turn at the Estoril track. Simply amazing

While I realize that money means you can afford a car like this, the point I was trying to make was why bother buying an ultimate performance car if you don't know how to drive it properly? There are plenty of expensive "status" cars that are more geared toward luxury rather than ultimate performance. In this case, someone had the money but not the skill and it is a waste in my book, on both sides - waste of money because it won't get used as intended and also because it is now destroyed as a result. If they can afford the car, maybe they should also take a performance driving class? I realize you don't need to be a race car driver to be capable of owning a car like this, but thinking you drive well enough to handle a car like this and actually having the skill to do so are typically two very different things. It is sort of like buying a race horse because you can afford it, and then riding it on the freeway in rush hour traffic.

 

[majorloser]

You obviously missed the humor in the posts. And you're right it is about the money, not necessarily the car. 99% of those cars will never see a club race or track, yet they'll see plenty of valet parkers in front of expensive restaurants. Where I live exotics aren't that exotic yet they are definitely a status symbol and the majority of the drivers can't drive the damn things, that's not the reason they buy them in the first place.

Florida is crawling with "exotic" cars. We get to see what drives them and how they drive. Rich old guys, entertainment stars or professional athletes. They drive them to the night clubs where they sit around with the valets.

You want to see the latest exotics, go to Boca Raton where you can see them sitting in the mall valet parking lots. Nothing like sitting my Camry in a drive-thru ATM behind some guy in a F430 Spider while he checks his balance.

 

[aberkowitz]

Florida is crawling with "exotic" cars. We get to see what drives them and how they drive. Rich old guys, entertainment stars or professional athletes. They drive them to the night clubs where they sit around with the valets.

You want to see the latest exotics, go to Boca Raton where you can see them sitting in the mall valet parking lots. Nothing like sitting my Camry in a drive-thru ATM behind some guy in a F430 Spider while he checks his balance.

My parents now live in Boca... the cars in their building's garage are absolutely insane, particularly some of the classic Porsches and Benz's.

I had the same thing growing up in Northern NJ- Maseratis, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, etc... you name it there was a 90% chance you'd see it being driven on a Saturday or Sunday. In this case you were talking about investment bankers and Wall St. traders- most of these guys bought the car to show how big their balls were, not because they could drive. But hey... if you got the money then there's nothing wrong with spending it as you please.

 

[jinjuku]

I will take the Ariel Atom over the Carrera GT:

It will give the Carrera GT a run for its money and most likely outperform regardless of the cost.

 

[majorloser]

I will take the Ariel Atom over the Carrera GT:

It will give the Carrera GT a run for its money and most likely outperform regardless of the cost.

Not sure if it would be street legal in the USA, but that thing is INSANELY fast. They took it for a test drive on one of the shows (Top Gear, I think).

http://www.topgear.com/content/videos/videos/52/broadband_wm.html

 

[jinjuku]

Not sure if it would be street legal in the USA, but that thing is INSANELY fast. They took it for a test drive on one of the shows (Top Gear, I think).

http://www.topgear.com/content/videos/videos/52/broadband_wm.html

Yes, it is street legal... That is a performance vehicle distilled to the very essence of.

 

[cbraver]

I'm with Djizasse, you are all a bunch of haters.

There are good driving sports car owners in the US, I mean... I'd say about the same % of good drivers that have regular cars.

Most people that can afford a car like that don't have time to go to driving schools. Most Americans don't period.

It's not an excuse to not keep control of their car, but it also isn't a reason for us to be negative toward them either.

 

[stratman]

I'm with Djizasse, you are all a bunch of haters.

There are good driving sports car owners in the US, I mean... I'd say about the same % of good drivers that have regular cars.

Most people that can afford a car like that don't have time to go to driving schools. Most Americans don't period.

It's not an excuse to not keep control of their car, but it also isn't a reason for us to be negative toward them either.

I think most people that can afford those cars have the means to go to driving schools and the time. Regular working folk that can't afford these techno-lux-transports couldn't take time off work to go learn how to drive their Ford Escort. Can you imagine? "Hey boss, I need Thursday off, Michael Schumacker is teaching a class on how to drift properly and spin recovery, it's part of my program to learn how to drive my $15,000 Escort. You don't mind, right?"

 

[cbraver]

I think most people that can afford those cars have the means to go to driving schools and the time. Regular working folk that can't afford these techno-lux-transports couldn't take time off work to go learn how to drive their Ford Escort. Can you imagine? "Hey boss, I need Thursday off, Michael Schumacker is teaching a class on how to drift properly and spin recovery, it's part of my program to learn how to drive my $15,000 Escort. You don't mind, right?"

Believe it or not, just because someone is rich doesn't mean they have a lot of free time ... or vice versa. It's irritating to me that a lot of people hate on rich people. I'm not sure where people get that in their heads *cough* jealousy *cough*... most rich people I have met work their *** off and are intelligent. Anyone with a car needs to learn how to drive it, period, rich or poor.

Like Djizasse said, accidents happen. Other than him, no one else so much as a "I hope that guy is okay" ...instead all I see is stuff along the lines of 'screw this guy, he didn't deserve the car anyways.' Guess what, he probably earned it through hard work and it's a bummer it got wrecked... and hopefully he isn't hurt.

 

[j_garcia]

The guy was standing there with a big dumb look on his face...yes he was OK, aside from a case of stupid with complications of that-is-going-to-cost-a-lot-itis.

What if this guy killed someone else because of a stupid mistake because he didn't know how to handle a car like that? Is he still rich and harmless? Being rich does not give a free license to do anything you can afford... You wouldn't want some rich person to go buy a plane and try to fly it without any kind of training would you? It is possible to be rich without flaunting that one has money by buying status symbols. It is called humility.

 

[cbraver]

BTW, I had this saved in my YouTube account...

Tim Schrick mountain drifting a Carrera GT:

Driving a TechArt modified Cabrio at dem Nürburgring

Also on the Nordschleife, a GT3