Porsche Carrera GT: 5 reasons the car Paul Walker died in is different
(CNN) -- It has three times the horsepower of the average car. It's notoriously difficult to handle, even for professional drivers. And now, it's known as the car actor Paul Walker was riding in when he died.Until this crash, I had never even heard of Paul Walker. I'm sorry to hear he passed away, but jeez-o-flip, people, he died in a supercar being driven way too fast by someone that clearly thought they were a better driver than they actually were. It happens literally thousands of times a year - and in cars that don't cost more than the average suburban home.
Both Walker and his driving team partner, who was behind the wheel, died after the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT they were in slammed into a pole and burst into flames. Los Angeles County authorities say speed was a factor in the crash and are investigating how fast the exotic car was going.
The "reasons" they give for the Porsche being "different" are laughable. The Pontiac freakin' Fiero was a mid-engine car. The only people that died in high speed crashes in Fieros were hit by other cars going fast. We managed to drive cars without traction control for decades without high speed crashes - because we weren't driving like testosterone-fueled morons. Expensive? Few of them? Um, duh? Why is this even a talking point?
Look, I understand. A marginally popular actor dies too young. See Dean, James (and yes, I know that the accident report cleared Dean of speeding. He also died in a Porsche). Naturally they're looking for someone to blame, and the Porsche Carrera GT makes an attractive target. It goes too fast. It costs too much. 99.999% of the people reading the report can't afford the insurance on this car. I've owned several vehicles that cost less than an oil change for this car. So, let's create irrational fear so we can pass more meaningless laws banning things that we don't understand.
Gah. We really do get the government we deserve...
That is all.
13 comments:
Jay,
You need to shoot something today. You'll feel better. Borrow a gun if you have to.
- Brad
A while back for other reasons I was examining the various societal bell curves and started to think that if instead of being exceptional at all, perhaps I was merely just the average guy right there in the middle somewhere. After plucking through some on academic performance & general intelligence it hit me: If being truly average is the case, a full 50% - far, far more than I had ever really considered with any deep thought - are stupider than me.
Ever since then, such understanding has really helped to explain things like this, gun control, liberals, et cetera.
Not comforting thoughts by any means.
The CGT even spooked Porsche test and development driver Walter Rohrl. Mix together a 600 hp midengine supercar, cold tires, dusty industrial park roadways, waaay too high speeds.... add in a carbon fiber chassis with minimal side impact resistance, and throw it against a tree sideways and you are going to have a very bad result.
...... but since the vast majority of them are very low milage garage queens, they are less dangerous than however many Pintos still remain.
Yup. It's worth keeping in mind: the lamestream media doesn't know any more about cars than they know about guns (the GT isn't 'hard to handle' any more than an AR 'sprays bullets from the hip'), they love any chance to stir up class hatred (and a $440k car is a perfect opportunity to do that), They love blaming the object over blaming the act(because no person can ever be responsible for their actions), and they love sensationalism. What this story is; is one more opportunity to see candy-arsed liberal pantywaists for what they are.
As a racing friends says, "Speed kills no one. The sudden unexpected stops do."
Gerry
someone that clearly thought they were a better driver than they actually were
That was my initial thought, too. Some jackass trying to show off for "ZOMG FAST AND FURIOUS GUY" and got them both killed.
Instead, it turns out that the driver was
quite the racer and it appears that the car crashed due to mechanical failure.
Now, if he'd had that mechanical failure at 45mph instead of [mumble mumble]mph, they'd probably still be alive. It's like the four rules only for cars: Never point your car at something it can't safely run over.
mechanical failure my a**.
If you are travelling at speed, power steering is superflous and most newer cars have diminished power assist when over 15MPH.
My mid engine car has *no* power steering, and it's sure not fatal. Well not yet :-)
power steering fluid on tires at triple digits makes it a wild ride..and a big fireball
Seeing as this particular CGT was on it's 6th owner and only had 3500 miles on it, it may still have the orgininal set of $ 12,000 tires mounted on the $ 40,000 wheels. 10 year old R compound Piolt Sport Cups are rock hard and have little of of old grip. Pirelli recommends replacement after 3 years. Power steering fluid was not needed too make the tires slippery.
Blame the foreign Porsche, not those .Gov Fiskers that caught fire.... Reportedly they were at an "Event," and hopped in to take it to a parking spot, because the Valet was unable to figure out how to drive the thing.
Y'know, I wanted someone to burn over Fast and Furious, but I was thinking of someone like Eric Holder, not Paul Walker.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
We not only get the government we deserve, apparently we also get the media we deserve.
Neither one does what it's supposed to.
Think shear forces from rapid deceleration imparted on the brain within the skull and on internal organs with the chest cavity and abdomen. Add conflagration from ignited spilled fuel, lubricants, break fluid and plastics.
Shake and bake?
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