Posted on 05/02/2022 3:41:57 PM PDT by algore
A Ford GT owner in Boca Raton, Florida crashed his recently purchased supercar into a tree Friday evening because he was "unfamiliar with how to drive stick shift," police say.
The driver, 50-year-old Robert J. Guarini, told cops he lost control after downshifting while leaving his housing development at around 6 p.m, a police report says. This led to a head-on collision with a palm tree. Guarini then told a nearby security worker that he did not have his phone and needed a ride back to his house, where he spoke to authorities via landline after leaving the vehicle unattended, the report says.
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Though the police report says Guarini told officers the crash was caused by inexperience with a manual transmission, the Ford GT owner told Road & Track over the phone that there was more to the event. Guarini claims old tires, muddy pavement, and a fresh detailing were all factors causing the 550-horsepower supercar to swing out and hit a tree. The driver also told R&T the crash occurred as he shifted up into second gear from first, not while downshifting, as the official report says.
“I don’t want people to think I was racing at 90 mph," Guarini says. "I was going 35 mph.”
From the police report, it's unclear if speed played a role in the crash.
Facebook user John Peddle's photos from the crash site show that the damage is limited to the front third of the car. The hit was substantial enough to trigger multiple airbags, disable the vehicle, and cause the GT to slide far enough after hitting the tree that it blocked a nearby sidewalk.
Though police say the car was not registered or insured when the crash occurred, Guarini claims the car was covered under an umbrella policy and that he just didn't have the documentation available when the crash happened.
The police report's listed VIN indicates the car was purchased at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach in early April for $704,000, about the going price for a 2006 Heritage Edition GT. That would make replacement a very expensive endeavor.
Guarini was issued a citation for driving with a suspended license and a warning for operating an unregistered vehicle. The 50-year-old claims his license suspension was due to an unrelated department of motor vehicles "clerical error."
Well..at least he didnt pay 7.5 million, or so, like the guy who bought Carol Shelbys original Cobra.
I drove professionally for almost a decade, and have no desire to do it again.
Yeah, right. Did the cop laugh when he said that?
...and he just purchased the car for $704,000.
I'm probably one of the few here who actually read the posted articles...
Nor do I.
Drive for us! Home weekly!
Ya right..
Driving Michigan double log trucks was a real fun experience also. 165 thousand gross with dumb asses pulling out in front of you on snow and icy roads.
Getting to within 10 feet of topping a back roads snow packed hill and sliding backwards down it..with all fours chained.
Now wonder I got heart trouble.
I’m a lot older and have only driven a stick once. The best I can say is that there were no fatalities.
Stick shifts are fun. You should have stuck with it. You would enjoy it.
Life’s too short for stick shifts. I drive a late model German car. Very well designed,very well built...it’s an absolute joy on the Interstate with cruise control set at 70.Its transmission,along with the rest of the drive train,is wonderful.
Too each his own. :)
one of my friends was a rally driver in sweden, he was driving an old saab 3cyl 2stroke. In order to get the best power the timing had to be set as close to 0 as possible.
started the car flag went down and he went flying backwards.
I guess he was past 0 on the timing and the engine was running backwards. he said it was very embarrassing, (and he lost)
My 28 year old millennial son has ONLY driven sticks. His GF also drives a stick. Not all young-uns are stupid.
Talking about that. You know that the major auto manufacturers are/were setting up to start production of the 3 cylinder opposed piston two cycle engines? Actually..it would be three cylinder 6 piston opposed piston engine.
Test had shown that a F 150 would get in excess of 36 MPG.
The lower ports would be the intake and the upper the exhaust.
No valve train or 150 less moving parts.
I suppose they scrapped that now though since EVs are the savior of the world now...puke.
Interesting, I have own advanced designs for those.
I guess I need to see how they compare and if they stole my IP
Which companies ?
That is the report I have seen and I understand that walmart is going to refit their big trucks with them.
I am surprised you havent seen that.
Opposed piston engine have been around for a very long time in use for large diesel applications on ships.
We had to learn them in Tech College for Marine Diesel Engineering school....long time ago now. Time flies.
I always get a kick out of it. Talk to kids these days about engines-trucks, etc. I tell them that those aint engines...THESE are engines and show them pictures of the MAN diesels, and others, producing 70 thousand plus BHP at 90 plus RPMs, with cylinders dia. of 24 plus inches, long or short strokes of 5 foot and longer.
And then explain to them that they are reversible.
I see part of his problem is he lost his left shoe and
he was trying to find it.
Six cylinder engine. 3.5 liter, 660hp
“All those F-15 pilots and he was the only one who could drive a manual.”
Not sure I believe that. Most of them ride motorcycles and drive sports cars. I think the pilots didn’t want the job.
It’s similar to Cobra...I think the real thing holds its value much better over time than the repro ones.
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