Don't say I didn't warn you 'cos I did! This is a tragic, nay heartbreaking true story

Dad, I'm Borrowing the Car... $1,000,000 FERRARI

Ferrari hits a power pylon at 200 mph.....








The driver only had some bruising (seat belt)
and 2 small cuts.
-car loss $1 Million bucks!
-waiting list for a new one - 2 years;
-when can I drive Dad's car again - nuclear 1/2 life;
-when will I not be grounded & see the light of day - same day the polar ice caps melt
- still alive .... Priceless

Car only had 9 miles on it! One mile of it was during the wreck.

My only question is "How did this f***ing idiot slip into the gene pool?"

He can be thankful that car saved his life because I now get the pleasure of beating him to death with one of his own arms after I rip it off. The whole family should be banned from owning anything more powerful than a ride on mower.

Who in the world will drive a car that only did 9 miles up to a speed of 200 miles an hour (320 Km/h) on a public road? He must be insane. Luckily he crashed, wrecking the car and thank god taking no other lives. People like that should be in prison for a very long time.

Crash

Once the police let the parts go, there would be plenty of Ferrari anoraks with poised mouse fingers just waiting for ebay. Mind you, box it up and send it back to Ferrari..........you never know.

Matt

One fugly car less in the world.

Chris_F wrote on Feb 1^st, 2007 at 10:30am:


Fair enough, but there can be beautiful and fast cars, too...

The second and third photos remind me of a VBIED...

I remember squeezing a 3 litre straight 6 Porsche engine into my friends Beetle. That thing was scary in a straight line but couldn't corner for toffee

I don't know if the XJ220 is the appropriate comparison to the Enzo, it wasn't at the top of the food chain in its day.  A beautiful car, but heavy, and not what it should have been (originally slated for a V12, it ended up with a turbo V6).  Frankly, despite being slower, I still have more appreciation for the McLaren F1.  But if I were to buy a super-duper car today it would have to be the Carrera GT.  Not a great looker, but it seems to me to be the most fun of the modern super-dupers.

Jaguar has a real history for beautiful cars though (pitty they haven't made a real sports car since the E-type).

expat wrote on Feb 1^st, 2007 at 6:06pm:

One has to ask, what were they smoking?

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I agree, I have never cared for the look of the Enzo.  But, I believe one of these fits both catagories:

from the saleen site
"while providing a distinctly American driving
experience for the fortunate few who will own one"

I'm sorry but in a car that goes 200mph+ the last thing I want is a distinct American driving experience.
I'd like something with a good suspension, brakes that actually stop the car in a reasonable distance, and a steering wheel thats not so light to turn that driving with the window down is a hazard.

Craig. wrote on Feb 2^nd, 2007 at 6:27am:

I thought you'd be asking for a steering wheel that actually allowed the car to turn.

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A force fed V6 will never have the smooth, instantaneous feel of a V12.  V6's are inherently imbalanced (meaning they vibrate).  Turbos necessarily lag (modern ones are almost lag free but the XJ220 didn't use modern turbos).  Torque application in a turbo car is difficult due to lag, and all the more critical in a mid-engined beast.  You don't want a turbo kicking in as you're gingerly exiting a corner (unless you're last name is Piquet or Prost or Senna or something).  It's a design tradeoff between driveability, packaging, weight, and other factors.  But most importantly it (and all sports cars) are about passion.  And a V12 has way more sex appeal than a turbo V6.

Chris_F wrote on Feb 2^nd, 2007 at 11:06am:


Tell that to the 47000cm³, 1500hp Biturbo V12 of a Leopard 2.

It had as much sex appeal as an overweight, noisy, smelly chick.

And it consumed more like an american car (hard to beat!) - 7l diesel per kilometer.

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Sounds like a blond bombshell to an engine man 

Matt

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Thankfully I don't think Jaguar was planning to go with a 47L desiel turbo V12 with the XJ220.  After you've heard a screaming V12 at the track (often under a scarlet red hood wearing a certain chrome prancing horse logo) you'll understand the appeal.  That Enzo that started this thread had a sweaty, ugly, heavy, noisy V12 when it started life and not many people would say that it's the wrong engine for the car.  Granted I'm sure there are plenty of Toyota Camrys with the much sexier V6 installed under their bread-and-butter hoods.

Chris_F wrote on Feb 2^nd, 2007 at 11:11am:

Having met Steve Saleen personally (he is family friend; and through him Brian Walsh), I have been around both the Michigan and Irvine facilities. After seeing both plats, I can assure you that the S7 is NOT a kit car in any way, shape, or form. In fact, Saleen's company is specifically designated as an OEM by the AIAG (and is universally accepted as such). They design, build, and manufacture nearly all parts in either their new plant in Troy (mostly Mustang production and prototype construction), or their older facility in California. Even the Mustangs (although sold in normal Ford dealerships) are built in one of the two Saleen factorys. The quality difference between the Ford product and the Saleen product is very noticeable. . .

. . .And the S7 is something else entirely. No part of it is a kit . . . it is only sold as a complete car (at a very high price) through either Saleen directly or through a couple of big name ford dealers (Galpin comes to mind). The engine is built and designed (from scratch) in-house (Irvine). Even the old naturally aspirated version differences from the units used S7R race car (which I believe uses an outsourced design). The space-frame is also designed and built in California. In fact, I can't think of anything on the car [S7 or S7TT] that is outsourced to another company (beyond the usual items that all OEM's out source [brake systems, transmission, audio]). The interior is well thought out, and the paintjob is of higher quality than anything that I have seen on a car from a Ford factory (except for the Ford GT. . .but that is probably because it is assembled and painted at Saleen's Michigan plant for Ford/SVT).

Granted, the fit and finish on the S7 might be slightly lower than your top of the line street-Ferrari (which has been a high mark in recent years), but then again the Enzo is not your average street Ferrari either. Having sat in both cars, I must tell you that the Enzo has very little luxury compared to your average hardcore sports car (S7 included), and has comparatively no luxury next to your average performance car. The S7 is surprisingly luxurious on the other-hand. The interior feels solid and thoughtout, with no feeling of being a stripped to the  bare-bones like the Ferrari (which has no carpeting and features a plethora of exposed carbon fiber; on the s7 the only visible carbon fiber in the passenger compartment is the seat backs). The only part that doesn't look like it belongs is the audio "head unit", which is sourced from some large audio company (alpine or pioneer if memory serves). The Ferrari feels like a street-legal race car, where as the S7 seems designed for more road use than track use.
All in all, comparing Saleen, Inc. to Ferrari S.p.A. might not be the best match-up, but calling the S7 (which is a +$500,000 OEM built supercar) a "kit-car" similar to sub $100,000 products from Factory Five, Superformance, Mosler, or Ultima is just absurd.

You're right, calling the S7 a kit car is too harsh.  But at $500k expectations should be high and I don't know how the sales figures look today but I'd bet the waiting list (if one could exist given Ferrari's elitist sales attitude towards the Enzo) would be longer for the Ferrari.  I too love the Saleen concept, saw them at the track and they sent chills down my spine.  But for $500k? I think I'd choose the Porsche, partly because I'm infatuated with the engine sound and partly because I suspect it will be worth more in 20 years time.  Saleen has a decent name, but it's too strongly allied with Mustangs which I fear will hurt the long term desireability of the S7.  Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren don't have a "stigma" of being associated with a lower teir product.

I've only seen racing versions of the S7 but my statement was made only on what I'd read in magazines and on the 'net: in other words of dubious accuracy.  If Saleen did produce a car worthy of consideration in that price range then good for them and too bad they aren't attracting the audience they deserve.  If I were in the market for a car which cost twice what I paid for my house I'd give it a test drive (wouldn't even bother entering a Ferrari dealership since they're such arrogant pricks about the Enzo and their other "special editions").  But I suspect I'd end up with the Porsche.

There's a suprising ammount of competition at the "cost no object" sports car level lately.  Bugatti hasn't even been mentioned yet (not a real fan myself).

Woodlouse2002 wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2007 at 9:05pm:


Because aside from it costing what? nearly twice as much as an enzo, that thing aint really a car, its just well, its not right
The same can be said for the new koeniggseggggeeegg  minus the top gear wing which is actually faster than the veyron. I think you need to be certifiably insane to even think of driving those two cars.

Craig. wrote on Feb 4^th, 2007 at 4:46am:

It may be faster, but remember the Bugatti is limited to it's maximum speed.

Still insane though.

Chris_F wrote on Feb 4^th, 2007 at 11:06am:

Thats the thing though, maybe there are cars that have bettered the Bugattis 250mph. However, these cars, especially the McLaren, were really pushing themselves to the absolute limit to achieve it. The Bugatti has a speed limiter on it. If you removed that who knows what the top speed was. According to the tests done with the Veyron you could have a race between it and a McLaren, letting the McLaren start first and starting the Veyron only when the McLaren got to 100 MPH. The Veyron would still get to 200mph first.

Craig. wrote on Feb 4^th, 2007 at 4:46am:

True, but the Veyron weighs two tons (US)!!

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That's pretty ugly, but ugliest?  I'd give that vote to the original Audi TT.  When it came out it could have been named the VW Beetle Sport.

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Was this the 1st time you saw the R8?
Me likes!
And not only of the fact that it´s very possible that the R8 is more reliable than the Ferrari.
And who won last years 24h du Le Mans?

Arnimon wrote on Feb 6^th, 2007 at 2:45pm:

I don't know if that's particularly telling.  The outright LeMans win hasn't been seriously contested by any other major manufacturers for years.  Pescarolo is just about the biggest Audi threat and they're miniscule by comparison.  If Audi really wants to test their engineering mettle then they'd best do it in F1 or NASCAR.  That's where the big automakers are devoting their efforts.  The best LeMans competition today (and perhaps the most important to those of us who buy street cars) is in GT2, the slowest class.  There Porsche, Ferrari, Panoz, etc are hammering it out.  P1?  Audi has that class all to themselves...

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No, the Veron was built for one reason and one reason only. To prove that it could be done and once you can prove it, there are people who will buy regardless of how much it costs.

As for the Top Gear wing, Koenigseg put that on because the car fightend the Stig sh#t less going around corners ( I say that figuratively, we all know the Stig goes by proxy)

Matt

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Probably why they wont let it go round top gears track.
But as Ex-pat said, they built it to show it could be done. Its all about pure speed with the Veyron.
The thing I dont like is the constant harping on about it being faster than an F1 car, as though an F1 car could never be as fast. As Adrian Newey and Pat simmons said a while back, if they really wanted to, they could make an F1 car that goes round a corner at 250mph given the time and resources. The only downside being the driver.

Craig. wrote on Feb 7^th, 2007 at 5:18am:


BAR Honda reckon that they can get 426kph out of one of thier cars. While being slightly modified (Honda's words) for the event, is still a track legal BAR Honda 007 – the team's entry in the 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship. At the wheel for the record attempt will be Alan van der Merwe, member of BAR Honda's Young Driver Programme. Unfortunately last October/Novembers attempt was thwarted by the weather. It is hoped that it will be done this year.

Matt

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And I suspect we'll see the same as Toyota makes their start in the top echelon of NASCAR.  I'm no NASCAR fan, and I'm only a passing F1 fan (USGP face disilusioned me).  But LeMans has seen a number of automakers show up in a field of light competition and take top prize.  BMW, Toyota, Porsche to name a few.  That doesn't make the win any less prestegous (LeMans is my favorite racing event) but it doesn't mean that the automaker has demonstrated its superiority over strong competition.

Like I said, if Audi were out to prove itself against the world's best it wouldn't be doing in in LMP1.  It would do it in F1, NASCAR, WRC, GT1, maybe GT2.

if i were the ackjass that crashed that car i would have got out, ran into the woods and lived the rest my life as a secluded forest dwelling man creature never to be seen or heard from again.

I hope he got a good whipping with a cane - one lash with the cane for every dollar involved in the crash. counting damage to the roadway, the phone poles, police fire and rescue money and the money spend on repairing or replacing street signs and electrical wiring and phone pole replacement.

and one more lash to grow on

then one lash more for the hell of it

make that 2 more lashes

edit: then all the hard working people who build those cars get to urinate on his cane lashing wounds.

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That would be Deiter...

For those who didn't follow the story the guy who crashed the car us named Stefan Erikson.  He used to run a company called Gizmondo and basically ran out on investors with their cash.  He moved to the 'States bringing his Ferrari with him and neglecting to tell the auto-loan holder.  He also stopped paying his car loan, basically stealing the car.

When police arrived to the crash Stephan claimed a German named Deiter was driving and he fled in to the woods.  Stephan had been drinking.

Things got weirder.  After Stephan made a cell phone call some dudes showed up with badges claiming to be from Homeland Security and took Stephan aside.  They then tried to convince the police to release Stephan in to their custody but they failed and left.  Meanwhile the police find an illegal gun in the car.  Hmmm.  Turns out the guys are from a privately run Transit Security group that Stephan is involved in.  Later police find Stephan's blood on the driver's air bag and no evidence that "Deiter" exists.

The case ended up with so many twists and turns that it's still sorting itself out.  I'm sure there are better news articles on the web but this is what I found with a quick search.  (language warning)

http://automotiveauthority.blogspot.com/2006/10/ferrari-enzo-crash-driver-turns-...

Some years back (1970's?) a famous local politician on the national level (last name "Kenedy") was drunk and drove off a bridge in to a river, killing his passenger.  No charges were ever brought.  So yeah, politicians get a little different treatment than the rest of us.