JJB236

The article says it's a "new" 911 which belonged to her Dad. Apparently, she took it out while she was drunk, then clipped a Honda while she was trying to pass it. What a tragedy to her family... May she rest in peace.

What model was this 911 (could have been bought used), and the pictures look pretty bad (not for the faint-hearted), even though it was traveling at only 100 mph.

This got me concerned. How safe are our 911?

Wellardmac

This one happened last Halloween. Her name was Nicole Catsouras. I have the photos and story if you're interested. It was an insane crash.

There were many versions of the story that were told... one that she was drunk, one that she stole the car after arguing with her father.... none were actually verified. The only thing that was known to be true was that she was speeding and lost control. It was pretty sad.

If I remember correctly she was driving a C2 cab.

ArneeA

?? Is this the one that happened here @ the OC off the 241?

Wellardmac

Yup. I kept the story and the photos to use as a lesson for my kid when he's old enough.... I followed the news reports for a while to try and find out which version of the story was actually true, but never really got the final story - the family were so pissed off about the photos being posted that the story pretty much got shut down.

I'll never forget her name, or the before and after photos.

JJB236

Just saw more photos thanks. Real sad...

ArneeA

Yeah, I pass by that toll booth whenever I'm on the 241 and I always think about the consequences of stupid high speed driving.

Wellardmac

I can't tell you how much that story had an impact on me... it was just horrific.

The capabilities of her car and her speed outpaced her driving abilities and she paid for it.

Part of me called her a dumb *** and I was glad that she only killed herself, but the other part of me saw the tragedy of an 18 year old going in such a horrific manner and realizing that it could easily happen to any of us should be not teach our kids responsible driving.

... not something you want to see everyday. I can still vividly recall the photos. I don't need to look at them, they're etched into my memory.

Edit: Holy cow. I just did a quick Google search - it was actually Halloween 2006 when it happened... boy time flies by quickly.

JJB236

Yeah, let's not attach any more photos in here.

My concern at this point is how this affected Porsche. Has Porsche issued any statement after this? Is our 911 safe? How did 911 perform in the crash test, etc.?

Meister Fahrer

Unfortunately, a lot of young people have died tragically in Porsches, BMWs, hot Mustangs, etc.
Think about the boys who drove an M5 off the end of a runway in Florida last year.
(Wellard, the story you reference actually happened Halloween 2006, police photo's were leaked, the family tried to sue the CHP, etc. Happened local here in OC, and my wife was acquainted with the parents).

This girl Nicole never had a chance, not in any car at such speed.
The problem is 18 yo's and Porsches just don't mix well.
Here was the original story, the official CHP photos did leak all over the Internet, unfortunately for the family.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/honda...ross-catsouras

Wellardmac

The 911 is safe. What happened to that car would happen to any car if they lose control, flip and hit a concrete toll booth at over 100mph. You would have to be driving no less than a tank to survive that kind of impact - it's not a forgiving way to come to a standstill.

Think of it this way. Assuming that the car had survived intact with no damage and that she had been protected. The g-forces of hitting a concrete toll booth head on at over 100 mph would have killed her.

Porsche_Smile

when they are young........ they are not too bright... but as stated before at worse she ONLY took her own life instead of others as well......

Wellardmac

Yeah, I already corrected my comment above after I refreshed my memory.

If you are familiar with the family, did anyone ever get to the bottom of the story as to why she was in possession of the car and why she was driving like she was? Did she have the reported argument with her father?

Wellardmac

Here's a follow-up article from this year that I'd not seen before:

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister...le_1965415.php

The article says that she had cocaine metabolites in her system, took the car without permission and that when she did both her parents called 911 stating that she had been drinking. Both later denied the latter statements.

A quote from the story, "Nikki took the Porsche because her parents were going to admit her to a hospital again after she tested positive for cocaine the night before she died, Lesli Catsouras said. Her parents had taken away the keys to her car, but she found the keys to the Porsche dangling in the house."

Meister Fahrer

Right, sorry, me too.

Just one of those local stories that came a bit too close to home.
That was what my wife had heard, there was some silly argument, daughter took the keys.....

As we know, a 911 is a special car that handles differently than most cars.
Regarding safety of the 911, I guess we could speculate a different car (front-engine) might have reacted differently upon impacting that Honda.

Wellardmac

You know, I never knew her and it hit close to home for me... it should hit close to home for anyone who has kids.

It was nice to revisit the story and see the loose ends tied up... I don't think I'd searched for it since last year. I was sad to see that some of the reported stories were true.