I wrecked the Porsche
06-15-2007, 10:35 AM
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I wrecked the Porsche
Honey, I Wrecked the Porsche
Fast, powerful and out of control. Jennifer Saranow on why some drivers are finding their new cars too hot to handle.
By JENNIFER SARANOW
June 15, 2007; Page W1
Call it a metaphor for a prosperous, risk-embracing age or just call it bad driving.
Auto makers are turning out a new breed of supremely fast sports cars that sell for upwards of $250,000 and share many characteristics of purebred racecars. But as more of them hit the road, often in the hands of inexperienced drivers, a growing number are ending up wrapped around trees, smashed into guardrails or otherwise totaled in accidents.
In the past 18 months, drivers across the world have cracked up at least six rare $1 million Ferrari Enzos -- only 400 of which were built. In March, a California man rammed his $300,000 Lamborghini Murcielago into five parked cars; while in England, a 39-year-old driver caused an international stir among car enthusiasts by crashing a Bugatti Veyron -- an extremely rare $1.5 million turbocharged missile with a top speed of 253 miles per hour.
It's not just drunken celebrities doing the damage. On the way to an M.B.A. class near San Diego one recent morning, Nasar Aboubakare, a 40-year-old private-equity firm president, lost control of his new 550-horsepower Ford GT and wrenched it over a lane divider. "The car is like a wild animal," he says.
To compound matters, it's tough to be inconspicuous when you damage a $150,000 automobile. After Mr. Aboubakare's accident, several passing motorists snapped pictures while one leaned out the window of his pickup truck and shouted: "What an idiot!"
Police in wealthy enclaves across the country say these accidents are not unusual. A spokesman for the Beverly Hills Police Department says his officers "regularly" handle accidents involving exotic vehicles, while Sgt. Jeffrey Kelly from Boca Raton, Fla., says his department has logged two Ferrari crashes in the past two years. "We've had our fair share," he says.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the total number of accidents involving Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Lotuses and Maseratis rose to 141 last year, an 81% increase from 2002, while overall crashes declined statewide during that period. Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which sell a wider range of models, saw a 22% increase during that time frame.
These accidents are happening so regularly that a Web site called WreckedExotics.com -- which contains photos of dream cars reduced to smoking heaps -- added as many as 700 new examples to its gallery last year and says it attracts about 650,000 visitors a month. Founder Gregg Fidan explains the attraction this way: "It's like seeing a supermodel fall off the runway."
More Cars, More Crashes
One reason for the increase is that there are simply more of these so-called "supercars" on the road. CNW Marketing Research, a firm that analyzes the auto market, says Americans bought about 8,400 "ultra-luxury" sports cars last year -- more than three times the number from 2003. While the number of supercars registered in California is up sharply, the rate at which they are getting into accidents is still small -- just over 1% -- and hasn't changed appreciably since the state began breaking data down by make in 2002. (The statewide accident rate for all vehicles was 3%.)
Stefan Winkelmann, president and chief executive officer of Lamborghini, a unit of Volkswagen's Audi Group, says he's aware of "four or five" incidents involving one of the company's new 640-horsepower Murcielagos -- a small fraction of the nearly 500 models the company sold last year. Toscan Bennett, a spokesman for Ferrari, a unit of Fiat Group, says the company does not track the number of accidents involving its cars, but adds that several high-profile incidents may have contributed to a false impression that these crashes are common.
Auto makers say the rising horsepower is being offset by safety advancements ranging from all-wheel drive to ceramic brakes, rear-view cameras, extra airbags and monocoque safety cages that direct impact forces away from passengers. "The cars give themselves up for the safety of the driver," says Porsche spokesman Tony Fouladpour. Many supercars come with traction and stability control systems that automatically vary the power delivered to the wheels to help prevent drivers from sliding and skidding.
Insurance companies say that while the majority of supercar accidents do not result in serious injuries, there has been an uptick in collision claims on these cars. In some cases, rates are rising. Based on the rising cost of claims, State Farm says the same driver would have paid 9% more last year to buy physical damage insurance for a new Lamborghini Murcielago than in 2003.
Expensive sports cars have always been intimidatingly fast, but experts say the latest models are not just more powerful, they're also lighter: Ferrari's new 599 GTB Fiorano produces about .164 horsepower per pound -- a 21% improvement over the model it replaced. The trouble begins when overconfident drivers start trying to push the cars to speeds that even experienced drivers may not be capable of handling. "Generally speaking, the cars are well over the heads of the drivers," says Glenn Roberts, the owner of an auto-body shop in Fountain Hills, Ariz., that repairs damaged exotic cars.
The people buying these cars are also changing. Unlike previous supercar collectors who often babied their machines, they tend to drive about 4,000 to 6,000 miles per year -- more than double the average from a decade ago. And they're not getting any more mature: the median age for ultra-luxury sports-car buyers dropped to 47 last year from an average of 56 just 10 years ago, according to CNW. And you don't have to be an actuary to know that younger people are more likely to drive aggressively. A spokeswoman for Leland-West Insurance Brokers says most of the supercar claims the company handles each year involve men aged 25 to 40 driving newer high-performance cars too fast and losing control.
'Controllable' Speed
Adnan K. Mehmood, a 32-year-old fabric importer and stock trader from Miami, counts himself among those who don't believe a high-performance car should be pampered. He says he has driven his 2006 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster faster than 191 mph a number of times on freeways. Mr. Mehmood says it's the engineering that gives him the confidence to go that fast. "When you are in the car, it's so stable," he says. "It's such a controllable speed. In a normal car when you are going 80 or 90, it feels like you are going really, really fast. In the Lambo, you are going 120 or 140 and honestly, it feels like it's stopped on the freeway. It feels like it's not moving."
He is awaiting delivery of Lamborghini's new Murcielago LP640 Roadster, which has an extra 60 horsepower and a new suspension design that will help make it one of the fastest cars the company has ever built -- traveling up to 211 mph and from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds. "I want to go to 200 mph," Mr. Mehmood says.
Veteran sports-car connoisseur Michael *** says he has a pretty good idea why all these crashes are happening. The 64-year-old mattress entrepreneur from Miami, whose collection includes a Bugatti Veyron, a Ferrari 599, an Enzo and five Lamborghinis, says younger drivers are constantly challenging him to race. "These kids, they don't use their heads," he says. "They think they're back in the old Wild West."
Driving experts say most accidents in these cars happen when drivers take turns too fast for the road conditions or start turning prematurely and then snap off the accelerator to compensate. If the car's back end starts to fishtail, many inexperienced drivers will fail to steer in the direction of the sliding tail or will overcorrect by turning too severely in that direction. Both mistakes can cause a spin. "It's a symphony of inputs and adjustments to keep the car under control," says David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Division.
Anthony Almada's $440,000 Porsche Carrera GT
For Anthony Almada, a 46-year-old nutritional biochemist and entrepreneur from Dana Point, Calif., the catalyst was a deceivingly slick road. While driving his $440,000 Porsche Carrera GT on a bend near his home at 80 miles per hour on a slightly wet road early last year, he says the car snapped into a spin. He followed the procedure he'd been taught in driving class and "put both feet in" -- pressing down on the brake and the clutch at the same time -- and hoped for the best. The car broadsided a brick wall and spun at least six times and caught fire. "It wasn't something I could have corrected," says Mr. Almada, who climbed out unhurt. "I was going too fast for the road conditions. It's that simple."
Another common mistake: failing to warm up the tires. Standing inside his garage last month at Classic Coach Repair in Elizabeth, N.J., owner Onofrio Triarsi points out two damaged Ferraris -- a red 360 that needs a new quarter panel and bumper and a blue 550 Maranello with similar damage. Both cars had been taken out on racetracks on cold mornings by drivers who had not given the tires enough time to heat up (and thus adhere better to the asphalt). When customers drive off now, Mr. Triarsi leaves them with the same advice: "Don't forget the tires."
In some cases, drivers say they got into trouble after shutting off the car's traction control system to get a more "authentic" sports-car experience. During a test for Car and Driver last spring in Italy, technical editor Aaron Robinson, 37, flicked off the electronic stability control in a 611-horsepower Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano so he could get the vehicle's rear end to flare out around a curve for a photo. But after giving the car "too much throttle and not enough core steering," he says he wound up sideswiping a wall. "Any car with 600 horsepower is intimidating," Mr. Robinson says.
Many of these accidents are, of course, just examples of pure recklessness. The Bugatti Veyron owner who crashed in Surrey, England, this year was said to be traveling at least 100 mph on a country lane before colliding with a station wagon. He was cited by police for driving "without due care and attention." The 26-year-old who crashed his 2005 Lamborghini into five parked cars in Santa Monica, Calif., in March was reportedly racing at 75 mph around a 35 mph curve. He was charged with driving under the influence.
You don't have to buy one of these cars to trash one, either: New York's Gotham Dream Cars, one of a growing number of companies that allow people to rent supercars for the day, says about one in 50 of its rentals comes back damaged.
High Speed, Low Clearance
Speed isn't always the culprit. Because of their odd dimensions and miniscule ground clearance, supercars have always been vulnerable to damage from curbs, speed bumps or even objects in the road. While driving his yellow Ferrari Enzo for only the third time, Ali Haas, a 51-year-old plastic surgeon from Florida, ran over a spool of wire on the road. In most cars this would have been a nonevent -- but in this case the low-slung Ferrari was knocked airborne, breaking its grip on the road and sending it skidding into a guardrail. "If I ran over that spool of wire in my Ford Expedition, probably nothing would have happened," Mr. Haas says.
Regardless of the cause, anyone who wrecks one of these cars has a more immediate problem than finding a mechanic: the possibility of public humiliation. After smashing his silver Ferrari 360 into a light pole in November in Palm Beach, Fla., David Riggs says none of the 50 or so onlookers who stopped to gawk asked him if he was OK. Instead, the 42-year-old says he heard comments like "wow, you are really having a bad day," "that is really a bummer," and "your toy is broke." "Nobody is really concerned if you are hurt," Mr. Riggs says.
Car companies say they do what they can to make sure their most powerful vehicles get into the hands of experienced drivers. Buyers of Ferrari limited-production cars like the Enzo "were chosen by the factory based on their history and loyalty to Ferrari," says the spokesman, Mr. Bennett.
Driving Academies
Manufacturers are also rolling out driver-education programs. Later this year, Bugatti plans to start offering buyers a "security driving course" at a test track near its factory in France. Ferrari has offered driver training in Italy since the early 1990s and just opened the first authorized school outside Italy last year in Mt. Tremblant, Canada. Lamborghini started offering winter and summer-driving academies last year, formalizing classes long offered by dealers.
Bentley offered its first driving class in the U.S. last year and Lotus is launching a driving school in the U.S. this month called the Lotus Performance Driving Experience outside Las Vegas that will include instruction in "the dynamics of skid control."
One recent driving-school graduate: Mr. Aboubakare, the private-equity company president who spun out his Ford GT. He hopes to be better equipped to drive the new Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster he is getting later this summer. "I think with training, I'm a little more equipped to drive the car," he says.
For auto makers, the horsepower binge is continuing to accelerate. Even in an era of high gas prices, some like Audi and Lexus are building or testing new supercar designs. The 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 packs 505 horsepower and Ford recently introduced a $41,000 Mustang with 500 horsepower.
There's no sign people are less interested in speeding, either. Movies like "The Fast and the Furious" and "Redline" have glamourized the notion of driving fast on public roads while drivers have been using sites like YouTube to post videos of themselves making flamboyant maneuvers. Mix in the growing number of supercars, their soaring horsepower and the increasing number of states raising speed limits and "we have almost the perfect storm going on here," says Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Standing in his garage on a Sunday morning last month, Mr. Almada pulls out what's left of his beloved Porsche Carrera GT: one severed headlight and one rear-wheel tire and brake assembly. Finally, from a shelf he built to hold surfboards, he pulls down his last keepsake, the car's badly scraped carbon-fiber wing. He stares at it for a few moments, then gently lays it down. "It's like the memento of a family member who passed away," he says.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Auto Shop
Here are some of the top-of-the-line supercars and prototypes that auto makers have unveiled recently.
CAR STATS COMMENT
Audi R8420 hp; top speed: 187 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds Once the car arrives in September, 300 of the vehicles, which start at $109,000, will be available for U.S. buyers this year. It's Audi's first two-seat midengine sports car and is inspired partly by the Lamborghini Gallardo.
Bugatti Veyron 1,001 hp; top speed: 253 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds Bugatti plans to build 300 of the $1.5 million-or-so supercars over a period of about four years. About 150 have been sold so far and about 65 made; 70 to 80 can be made annually.
Callaway C16 560 hp or 616 hp; top speed: 206 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 3.5 or 3.3 seconds, depending on horsepower. The high-performance car based on Chevrolet's Corvette came out in December and starts at $119,865 for the 560 hp version. The 616 hp version costs more. All 45 the company can make this year are spoken for.
Ferrari FXX 800 hp; no official performance numbers yet. Factory promises it will be faster than the Enzo. Only 30 of the $2 million prototype models were produced and sold to "client test drivers." The model, which is not street legal, is part of the development program for an Enzo successor to be offered at some time in the future.
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano 611 hp; top speed: above 205 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds Yours for about $300,000, it replaces the 575M Maranello and was introduced last November. About 25% to 30% of the 800 made annually will come to the U.S.
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 640 hp; top speed: 211 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds (roadster version: 3.7 seconds) Lamborghini expects to sell around 600 of the $321,000 Coupe and $355,000 Roadster models this year. It sold just under 500 last year.
Lexus LF-A More than 500 hp; a top speed of 200 mph is "not only possible but probable." Spokesman Greg Thome says no commitments have been made to a production version of this supercar concept, the latest version of which was unveiled in Detroit earlier this year.
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 641 hp; top speed: 209.4 mph. Goes from 0 to 62 in 3.6 seconds Introduced last fall, the $482,750 special commemorative edition was offered by lottery only to those who already own a McLaren model. Only 24 were offered (and sold) to U.S. buyers.
Write to Jennifer Saranow at jennifer.saranow@wsj.com
Fast, powerful and out of control. Jennifer Saranow on why some drivers are finding their new cars too hot to handle.
By JENNIFER SARANOW
June 15, 2007; Page W1
Call it a metaphor for a prosperous, risk-embracing age or just call it bad driving.
Auto makers are turning out a new breed of supremely fast sports cars that sell for upwards of $250,000 and share many characteristics of purebred racecars. But as more of them hit the road, often in the hands of inexperienced drivers, a growing number are ending up wrapped around trees, smashed into guardrails or otherwise totaled in accidents.
In the past 18 months, drivers across the world have cracked up at least six rare $1 million Ferrari Enzos -- only 400 of which were built. In March, a California man rammed his $300,000 Lamborghini Murcielago into five parked cars; while in England, a 39-year-old driver caused an international stir among car enthusiasts by crashing a Bugatti Veyron -- an extremely rare $1.5 million turbocharged missile with a top speed of 253 miles per hour.
It's not just drunken celebrities doing the damage. On the way to an M.B.A. class near San Diego one recent morning, Nasar Aboubakare, a 40-year-old private-equity firm president, lost control of his new 550-horsepower Ford GT and wrenched it over a lane divider. "The car is like a wild animal," he says.
To compound matters, it's tough to be inconspicuous when you damage a $150,000 automobile. After Mr. Aboubakare's accident, several passing motorists snapped pictures while one leaned out the window of his pickup truck and shouted: "What an idiot!"
Police in wealthy enclaves across the country say these accidents are not unusual. A spokesman for the Beverly Hills Police Department says his officers "regularly" handle accidents involving exotic vehicles, while Sgt. Jeffrey Kelly from Boca Raton, Fla., says his department has logged two Ferrari crashes in the past two years. "We've had our fair share," he says.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the total number of accidents involving Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Lotuses and Maseratis rose to 141 last year, an 81% increase from 2002, while overall crashes declined statewide during that period. Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which sell a wider range of models, saw a 22% increase during that time frame.
These accidents are happening so regularly that a Web site called WreckedExotics.com -- which contains photos of dream cars reduced to smoking heaps -- added as many as 700 new examples to its gallery last year and says it attracts about 650,000 visitors a month. Founder Gregg Fidan explains the attraction this way: "It's like seeing a supermodel fall off the runway."
More Cars, More Crashes
One reason for the increase is that there are simply more of these so-called "supercars" on the road. CNW Marketing Research, a firm that analyzes the auto market, says Americans bought about 8,400 "ultra-luxury" sports cars last year -- more than three times the number from 2003. While the number of supercars registered in California is up sharply, the rate at which they are getting into accidents is still small -- just over 1% -- and hasn't changed appreciably since the state began breaking data down by make in 2002. (The statewide accident rate for all vehicles was 3%.)
Stefan Winkelmann, president and chief executive officer of Lamborghini, a unit of Volkswagen's Audi Group, says he's aware of "four or five" incidents involving one of the company's new 640-horsepower Murcielagos -- a small fraction of the nearly 500 models the company sold last year. Toscan Bennett, a spokesman for Ferrari, a unit of Fiat Group, says the company does not track the number of accidents involving its cars, but adds that several high-profile incidents may have contributed to a false impression that these crashes are common.
Auto makers say the rising horsepower is being offset by safety advancements ranging from all-wheel drive to ceramic brakes, rear-view cameras, extra airbags and monocoque safety cages that direct impact forces away from passengers. "The cars give themselves up for the safety of the driver," says Porsche spokesman Tony Fouladpour. Many supercars come with traction and stability control systems that automatically vary the power delivered to the wheels to help prevent drivers from sliding and skidding.
Insurance companies say that while the majority of supercar accidents do not result in serious injuries, there has been an uptick in collision claims on these cars. In some cases, rates are rising. Based on the rising cost of claims, State Farm says the same driver would have paid 9% more last year to buy physical damage insurance for a new Lamborghini Murcielago than in 2003.
Expensive sports cars have always been intimidatingly fast, but experts say the latest models are not just more powerful, they're also lighter: Ferrari's new 599 GTB Fiorano produces about .164 horsepower per pound -- a 21% improvement over the model it replaced. The trouble begins when overconfident drivers start trying to push the cars to speeds that even experienced drivers may not be capable of handling. "Generally speaking, the cars are well over the heads of the drivers," says Glenn Roberts, the owner of an auto-body shop in Fountain Hills, Ariz., that repairs damaged exotic cars.
The people buying these cars are also changing. Unlike previous supercar collectors who often babied their machines, they tend to drive about 4,000 to 6,000 miles per year -- more than double the average from a decade ago. And they're not getting any more mature: the median age for ultra-luxury sports-car buyers dropped to 47 last year from an average of 56 just 10 years ago, according to CNW. And you don't have to be an actuary to know that younger people are more likely to drive aggressively. A spokeswoman for Leland-West Insurance Brokers says most of the supercar claims the company handles each year involve men aged 25 to 40 driving newer high-performance cars too fast and losing control.
'Controllable' Speed
Adnan K. Mehmood, a 32-year-old fabric importer and stock trader from Miami, counts himself among those who don't believe a high-performance car should be pampered. He says he has driven his 2006 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster faster than 191 mph a number of times on freeways. Mr. Mehmood says it's the engineering that gives him the confidence to go that fast. "When you are in the car, it's so stable," he says. "It's such a controllable speed. In a normal car when you are going 80 or 90, it feels like you are going really, really fast. In the Lambo, you are going 120 or 140 and honestly, it feels like it's stopped on the freeway. It feels like it's not moving."
He is awaiting delivery of Lamborghini's new Murcielago LP640 Roadster, which has an extra 60 horsepower and a new suspension design that will help make it one of the fastest cars the company has ever built -- traveling up to 211 mph and from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds. "I want to go to 200 mph," Mr. Mehmood says.
Veteran sports-car connoisseur Michael *** says he has a pretty good idea why all these crashes are happening. The 64-year-old mattress entrepreneur from Miami, whose collection includes a Bugatti Veyron, a Ferrari 599, an Enzo and five Lamborghinis, says younger drivers are constantly challenging him to race. "These kids, they don't use their heads," he says. "They think they're back in the old Wild West."
Driving experts say most accidents in these cars happen when drivers take turns too fast for the road conditions or start turning prematurely and then snap off the accelerator to compensate. If the car's back end starts to fishtail, many inexperienced drivers will fail to steer in the direction of the sliding tail or will overcorrect by turning too severely in that direction. Both mistakes can cause a spin. "It's a symphony of inputs and adjustments to keep the car under control," says David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Division.
Anthony Almada's $440,000 Porsche Carrera GT
For Anthony Almada, a 46-year-old nutritional biochemist and entrepreneur from Dana Point, Calif., the catalyst was a deceivingly slick road. While driving his $440,000 Porsche Carrera GT on a bend near his home at 80 miles per hour on a slightly wet road early last year, he says the car snapped into a spin. He followed the procedure he'd been taught in driving class and "put both feet in" -- pressing down on the brake and the clutch at the same time -- and hoped for the best. The car broadsided a brick wall and spun at least six times and caught fire. "It wasn't something I could have corrected," says Mr. Almada, who climbed out unhurt. "I was going too fast for the road conditions. It's that simple."
Another common mistake: failing to warm up the tires. Standing inside his garage last month at Classic Coach Repair in Elizabeth, N.J., owner Onofrio Triarsi points out two damaged Ferraris -- a red 360 that needs a new quarter panel and bumper and a blue 550 Maranello with similar damage. Both cars had been taken out on racetracks on cold mornings by drivers who had not given the tires enough time to heat up (and thus adhere better to the asphalt). When customers drive off now, Mr. Triarsi leaves them with the same advice: "Don't forget the tires."
In some cases, drivers say they got into trouble after shutting off the car's traction control system to get a more "authentic" sports-car experience. During a test for Car and Driver last spring in Italy, technical editor Aaron Robinson, 37, flicked off the electronic stability control in a 611-horsepower Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano so he could get the vehicle's rear end to flare out around a curve for a photo. But after giving the car "too much throttle and not enough core steering," he says he wound up sideswiping a wall. "Any car with 600 horsepower is intimidating," Mr. Robinson says.
Many of these accidents are, of course, just examples of pure recklessness. The Bugatti Veyron owner who crashed in Surrey, England, this year was said to be traveling at least 100 mph on a country lane before colliding with a station wagon. He was cited by police for driving "without due care and attention." The 26-year-old who crashed his 2005 Lamborghini into five parked cars in Santa Monica, Calif., in March was reportedly racing at 75 mph around a 35 mph curve. He was charged with driving under the influence.
You don't have to buy one of these cars to trash one, either: New York's Gotham Dream Cars, one of a growing number of companies that allow people to rent supercars for the day, says about one in 50 of its rentals comes back damaged.
High Speed, Low Clearance
Speed isn't always the culprit. Because of their odd dimensions and miniscule ground clearance, supercars have always been vulnerable to damage from curbs, speed bumps or even objects in the road. While driving his yellow Ferrari Enzo for only the third time, Ali Haas, a 51-year-old plastic surgeon from Florida, ran over a spool of wire on the road. In most cars this would have been a nonevent -- but in this case the low-slung Ferrari was knocked airborne, breaking its grip on the road and sending it skidding into a guardrail. "If I ran over that spool of wire in my Ford Expedition, probably nothing would have happened," Mr. Haas says.
Regardless of the cause, anyone who wrecks one of these cars has a more immediate problem than finding a mechanic: the possibility of public humiliation. After smashing his silver Ferrari 360 into a light pole in November in Palm Beach, Fla., David Riggs says none of the 50 or so onlookers who stopped to gawk asked him if he was OK. Instead, the 42-year-old says he heard comments like "wow, you are really having a bad day," "that is really a bummer," and "your toy is broke." "Nobody is really concerned if you are hurt," Mr. Riggs says.
Car companies say they do what they can to make sure their most powerful vehicles get into the hands of experienced drivers. Buyers of Ferrari limited-production cars like the Enzo "were chosen by the factory based on their history and loyalty to Ferrari," says the spokesman, Mr. Bennett.
Driving Academies
Manufacturers are also rolling out driver-education programs. Later this year, Bugatti plans to start offering buyers a "security driving course" at a test track near its factory in France. Ferrari has offered driver training in Italy since the early 1990s and just opened the first authorized school outside Italy last year in Mt. Tremblant, Canada. Lamborghini started offering winter and summer-driving academies last year, formalizing classes long offered by dealers.
Bentley offered its first driving class in the U.S. last year and Lotus is launching a driving school in the U.S. this month called the Lotus Performance Driving Experience outside Las Vegas that will include instruction in "the dynamics of skid control."
One recent driving-school graduate: Mr. Aboubakare, the private-equity company president who spun out his Ford GT. He hopes to be better equipped to drive the new Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster he is getting later this summer. "I think with training, I'm a little more equipped to drive the car," he says.
For auto makers, the horsepower binge is continuing to accelerate. Even in an era of high gas prices, some like Audi and Lexus are building or testing new supercar designs. The 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 packs 505 horsepower and Ford recently introduced a $41,000 Mustang with 500 horsepower.
There's no sign people are less interested in speeding, either. Movies like "The Fast and the Furious" and "Redline" have glamourized the notion of driving fast on public roads while drivers have been using sites like YouTube to post videos of themselves making flamboyant maneuvers. Mix in the growing number of supercars, their soaring horsepower and the increasing number of states raising speed limits and "we have almost the perfect storm going on here," says Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Standing in his garage on a Sunday morning last month, Mr. Almada pulls out what's left of his beloved Porsche Carrera GT: one severed headlight and one rear-wheel tire and brake assembly. Finally, from a shelf he built to hold surfboards, he pulls down his last keepsake, the car's badly scraped carbon-fiber wing. He stares at it for a few moments, then gently lays it down. "It's like the memento of a family member who passed away," he says.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Auto Shop
Here are some of the top-of-the-line supercars and prototypes that auto makers have unveiled recently.
CAR STATS COMMENT
Audi R8420 hp; top speed: 187 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds Once the car arrives in September, 300 of the vehicles, which start at $109,000, will be available for U.S. buyers this year. It's Audi's first two-seat midengine sports car and is inspired partly by the Lamborghini Gallardo.
Bugatti Veyron 1,001 hp; top speed: 253 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds Bugatti plans to build 300 of the $1.5 million-or-so supercars over a period of about four years. About 150 have been sold so far and about 65 made; 70 to 80 can be made annually.
Callaway C16 560 hp or 616 hp; top speed: 206 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 3.5 or 3.3 seconds, depending on horsepower. The high-performance car based on Chevrolet's Corvette came out in December and starts at $119,865 for the 560 hp version. The 616 hp version costs more. All 45 the company can make this year are spoken for.
Ferrari FXX 800 hp; no official performance numbers yet. Factory promises it will be faster than the Enzo. Only 30 of the $2 million prototype models were produced and sold to "client test drivers." The model, which is not street legal, is part of the development program for an Enzo successor to be offered at some time in the future.
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano 611 hp; top speed: above 205 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds Yours for about $300,000, it replaces the 575M Maranello and was introduced last November. About 25% to 30% of the 800 made annually will come to the U.S.
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 640 hp; top speed: 211 mph. Goes from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds (roadster version: 3.7 seconds) Lamborghini expects to sell around 600 of the $321,000 Coupe and $355,000 Roadster models this year. It sold just under 500 last year.
Lexus LF-A More than 500 hp; a top speed of 200 mph is "not only possible but probable." Spokesman Greg Thome says no commitments have been made to a production version of this supercar concept, the latest version of which was unveiled in Detroit earlier this year.
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 641 hp; top speed: 209.4 mph. Goes from 0 to 62 in 3.6 seconds Introduced last fall, the $482,750 special commemorative edition was offered by lottery only to those who already own a McLaren model. Only 24 were offered (and sold) to U.S. buyers.
Write to Jennifer Saranow at jennifer.saranow@wsj.com
06-15-2007, 11:01 AM
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Sounds like a case for banning supercars in America - Hell they are Un-American - some euro plot to winkle silly money outta upright American folks exercising their god and founding father given right to make jack asses out of themselves.
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06-15-2007, 12:07 PM
#3
Drifting
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"He says he has driven his 2006 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster faster than 191 mph a number of times on freeways. .... "I want to go to 200 mph," Mr. Mehmood says."
Idiot.
Idiot.
06-15-2007, 12:10 PM
#4
Three Wheelin'
What about the era of the muscle car. I wasn't around so I've got no clue about the number of crashes, but high horsepower cars on skinny tires, with lots of weight, with no safety features other than a seat belt. There's more cars on the road now than then, so of course there'll be more accidents. Sounds like someone didn't do any research before they wrote that article.
06-15-2007, 12:20 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
I wonder if they have done a study to prove how many Americans are injured or killed by falling in the shower. Maybe they could ban showers or force us to wear a harness in the shower to prevent falling.
This is insane. These same people that can't control their "supercars" are probably the same that take no responsibilty for anything that goes wrong in their lives. "It's not my fault I lost control doing over 150 mph on the freeway, it must be the uber wealthy car company".
Sorry for the rant, I am just sick and tired of people passing the buck. Take it like a man. You made a mistake.
This is insane. These same people that can't control their "supercars" are probably the same that take no responsibilty for anything that goes wrong in their lives. "It's not my fault I lost control doing over 150 mph on the freeway, it must be the uber wealthy car company".
Sorry for the rant, I am just sick and tired of people passing the buck. Take it like a man. You made a mistake.
06-15-2007, 01:04 PM
#7
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What I got out of it is that we have a bunch of idiots in society... It's not about the cars but about people being stupid. I can just see somebody driving like a maniac and showing off (too fast, too loud, and too flashy) and ending up wrecking the car -- any wonder that the people watching snicker and click off photos to post on the web of the "bone head that broke his toy"?
We have become a society of extremes and danger-seekers and ironically liberal policies have allowed it to happen. We have more dangerous toys and hobbies, and fast cars is one of many. I don't think the percentage of exotic wrecks is any more than sports car wrecks were in the muscle car era - it's just that you weren't saturated with the "news" of wrecks in the old days.
Now we all have a good idea of why stability control will be mandatory in the near future on all cars - and I wouldn't be surprised if they eliminate the "off" button. Thanks to all of the idiots out there for ruining things for the rest of us. Fortunately, we can always pick up an older Porsche to enjoy on the track...
We have become a society of extremes and danger-seekers and ironically liberal policies have allowed it to happen. We have more dangerous toys and hobbies, and fast cars is one of many. I don't think the percentage of exotic wrecks is any more than sports car wrecks were in the muscle car era - it's just that you weren't saturated with the "news" of wrecks in the old days.
Now we all have a good idea of why stability control will be mandatory in the near future on all cars - and I wouldn't be surprised if they eliminate the "off" button. Thanks to all of the idiots out there for ruining things for the rest of us. Fortunately, we can always pick up an older Porsche to enjoy on the track...
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06-15-2007, 01:13 PM
#8
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That is true. IMHO, the tone of the article was that the cars are at fault....not the drivers. I hate to say it, but this is becoming typical for American culture...
(And what kind of idiot doesn't check his tires at the track!!!!!!!!)
-B
(And what kind of idiot doesn't check his tires at the track!!!!!!!!)
-B
06-15-2007, 01:15 PM
#9
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Thread Starter
The Shelby Mustang I rented from Hertz had its stability control off button disabled, and it was an automatic. The more I think about it the more certain I am that I will never be able to sell my car to buy a new one--what would I buy? Starting to think about looking for an older Porsche for club racing, though. Maybe in E or F.
If there is good news here maybe it's that the bozos who have exotic cars will support the construction of more tracks, and then they'll lose interest and leave the tracks to us. (Of course the bozo was probably me in buying a 996 GT3 before ever driving a car on the track and then appearing at a DE. Maybe hope for bozos....)
If there is good news here maybe it's that the bozos who have exotic cars will support the construction of more tracks, and then they'll lose interest and leave the tracks to us. (Of course the bozo was probably me in buying a 996 GT3 before ever driving a car on the track and then appearing at a DE. Maybe hope for bozos....)
06-15-2007, 02:13 PM
#10
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There is something to be said for the people buying so many exotics -- they help pay for the R&D on the cars we may buy. If not for the mass market, I wonder if my 997S would exist as it is or if it would have been painfully more expensive. I'm no economist, but I'll bet in 2007 dollars, my 997S was less expensive when adjusted for inflation than one that was purchased 25 years ago. So all the "non-enthusiasts" and people buying Porsche SUVs have done well by us. The downside is all of the nanny functions that we can no longer consider optional. Look at PSM - cannot fully disable it, not even Synergy can fully turn it off in their race cars (Excellence article). The bone heads buying exotics and wrecking them are helping to push us into more limitations. Can you envision a day when cars are limited to a maximum speed, perhaps controlled by GPS (so when you are in a 35 zone, GPS enabled computer only allows you to go 35 - go on the highway and it lets you go 65)?
06-15-2007, 02:28 PM
#11
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Originally Posted by RonCT
Can you envision a day when cars are limited to a maximum speed, perhaps controlled by GPS (so when you are in a 35 zone, GPS enabled computer only allows you to go 35 - go on the highway and it lets you go 65)?
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Larry Herman
2016 Ford Transit Connect Titanium LWB
2018 Tesla Model 3 - Electricity can be fun!
Retired Club Racer & National PCA Instructor
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Larry Herman
2016 Ford Transit Connect Titanium LWB
2018 Tesla Model 3 - Electricity can be fun!
Retired Club Racer & National PCA Instructor
Past Flames:
1994 RS America Club Racer
2004 GT3 Track Car
1984 911 Carrera Club Racer
1974 914/4 2.0 Track Car
CLICK HERE to see some of my ancient racing videos.
06-15-2007, 02:35 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by 94Speedster
That is true. IMHO, the tone of the article was that the cars are at fault....not the drivers. I hate to say it, but this is becoming typical for American culture...
(And what kind of idiot doesn't check his tires at the track!!!!!!!!)
-B
(And what kind of idiot doesn't check his tires at the track!!!!!!!!)
-B
Substitute "guns" for "cars" and "criminals" for "drivers".
06-15-2007, 03:52 PM
#13
Three Wheelin'
Originally Posted by 94Speedster
That is true. IMHO, the tone of the article was that the cars are at fault....not the drivers. I hate to say it, but this is becoming typical for American culture...
Substitute "food producers" for cars and "fat people" for drivers
06-15-2007, 06:16 PM
#14
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Originally Posted by 2BWise
What about the era of the muscle car. I wasn't around so I've got no clue about the number of crashes, but high horsepower cars on skinny tires, with lots of weight, with no safety features other than a seat belt. There's more cars on the road now than then, so of course there'll be more accidents. Sounds like someone didn't do any research before they wrote that article.
Besides, only geeks driving British cars turned their steering wheels while "racing".
Toby
06-15-2007, 06:30 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
Apparently, it's easy to gloss over this part of the article:
"While the number of supercars registered in California is up sharply, the rate at which they are getting into accidents is still small -- just over 1% -- and hasn't changed appreciably since the state began breaking data down by make in 2002. (The statewide accident rate for all vehicles was 3%.)"
So... accident rate for Supercars = 1%
And for all vehicles = 3%
Why isn't the headline, "Supercars Three Times Less Accident-prone"?
"While the number of supercars registered in California is up sharply, the rate at which they are getting into accidents is still small -- just over 1% -- and hasn't changed appreciably since the state began breaking data down by make in 2002. (The statewide accident rate for all vehicles was 3%.)"
So... accident rate for Supercars = 1%
And for all vehicles = 3%
Why isn't the headline, "Supercars Three Times Less Accident-prone"?