2003 Ferrari Enzo
Posted on 02/22/2006 5:58:52 AM PST by yankeedame
Crash turns rare Ferrari into scrap
From: Agence France-Presse
From correspondents in Los Angeles
February 22, 2006
A RARE $US1 million ($A1.36 million) Ferrari sports car belonging to a Swedish game industry mogul slammed into a pole during a high-speed street race today, reducing it to scrap metal, US police said.
Police in the plush Los Angeles district of Malibu said the 2003 Ferrari Enzo, only 399 of which were made, was owned by Stefan Eriksson, 44, a controversial former executive of the failed handheld gaming company Gizmondo. The driver lost control of the Ferrari about dawn when it careened up an embankment, probably became airborne and then slammed into a pole, slicing the vehicle in half, police said.
Mr Eriksson, who was slightly injured in the crash, told police he was a passenger in the vehicle and that the driver was a German man called Dietrich who had fled the scene, Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Sergeant Philip Brooks said.
"Whoever was driving the Ferrari and a Mercedes came out to Malibu for a little race," Sheriff's Department Sergeant Philip Brooks said.
"The other car racing was a ($677,500) SLR Mercedes," he said.
Advertisement: Mr Eriksson had a blood-alcohol level of 0.09, which is above the legal limit, Sgt Brooks said. Nobody had been arrested in connection with the crash,but officers were still seeking to identify the driver of the car, he said. "He's still considered as the passenger," Sgt Brooks said of Mr Eriksson. "We're continuing our investigation. He's not in custody."
The red Ferrari Enzo, other examples of which are owned by such high-flyers as Oscar-winning movie star Nicolas Cage and US fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, was speeding at more than 192km/h when the crash occurred, Sgt Brooks said.
The impact sheared the red Italian sports car in two, separating the entire front section from the rest of the vehicle.
The 650-horsepower car had a top speed of more than 360km/h.
"For a million dollars, you get a very good passenger-safety system, and apparently, in this case, it did work," Brooks said.
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2003 Ferrari Enzo
2003 Ferrari Enzo
2003 Ferrari Enzo
2003 Ferrari Enzo
The moral of the story, never let a German drive an Italian car - ESPECIALLY when racing a German car! Apparently, 'Dietrich' was taking sides...
Did he meet "Dietrich" at a Brokeback Mountain screening?
Barney Miller might know where he is.
Is the seatbelt bruise on his right shoulder or left?
Maybe it was a five-point restraint...
Shucks, the Viper isn't good enough for you Bunny?
True enough, though a good lawyer could explain away THOSE facts.
From the above information, perhaps the passenger really fled the scene.
Makes one wonder if the passenger were here illegally, was on drugs, had drugs on him or was wanted by the police for something.
It's difficult to believe that this guy would let a friend RACE his car.
He might even be telling the truth.
They sound like a couple of middle-aged fools with too much money and not enough maturity and sense.
When I drove away from the Benz Dealership Monday, I was thinking the same thing: "I'm just going to keep driving this thing"
That's saying a lot considering I'm driving this:
A 4 cylinder, 67 horsepower, 83 240D. lol
The best thing at this link is the first video - the newcaster is a blonde Asian. I wonder if she made the Slate article.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Video says that there was blood around the owner's mouth & blood on the driver's airbag, not on the passengers.
Video repeats that police are skeptical about owner being a passenger.
Also, the passenger side Airbag is deployed. most vehicles have a sensor that tells the car whether or not someone is in the passenger seat.
Yeh but--the car was broken in half. Maybe the sensor wiring got short circuited?
Those are some blood curdling photos. What a schmuck.
Very nice paint if original. Not much sun in WA state ;).
Some Italian craftsman probably spent several weeks putting this engine together, testing, hand fitting, polishing, and on and on.
And now it's roadkill!
I bet that's still worth 6 figures just for parts.
;-)
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