The price of failing to ‘respect’ vehicular power

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Updated Dec 3, 2013

You’ve passed more scenes of highway carnage in a year than most people see in a lifetime. You know well that vehicles and speed are nothing to trifle with.

The New York Daily News published this photo of the wreck that killed Paul Walker and his friend.The New York Daily News published this photo of the wreck that killed Paul Walker and his friend.

That’s certainly the case with a particularly fast and “dangerous” Porsche that actor Paul Walker was riding in when he had his fatal accident Saturday. It’s believed that pro racer Roger Rodas was driving.

Reports coming out Monday afternoon suggest drag racing was involved in the high-speed crash that killed Walker, 40, who played in some of the “Fast and Furious” films.  

A jalopnik.com report on the Carrera GT cites racing and sports car sources calling the car one that “needs respect,” “the most dangerous car on the road,” and “the first car in my life that I drive and I feel scared.”  Because of its power, the sources say, the car needs better traction control, especially in wet road conditions.

The Carrera GT has been in high-profile incidents, including one while Jay Leno  was driving it at Talladega, notes jalopnik.com. Another was a fatal crash at California Speedway.

The website cites Doug DeMuro, a former manager at Porsche Cars North America: “My favorite car ever, in the whole world, but man, are they dangerous. A close friend of mine has one here and I refuse to let him take me for a ride.”

For plenty of photos of Walker, the wreck, and the car, see this New York Daily News report.

And if you’re close to retirement and thinking of trading in your trusty Class 8 tractor for a used Carrera GT to live out an overdue midlife crisis, think again. The car was priced at $440,000 when it was introduced in 2004. Five used models listed for sale on a  luxury car site range from $369,900 to $499,999.

 

 

 

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