Paul Walker Died in 'Most Dangerous Car on the Road'

Newser ^ | 12/03/2013 | By Evann Gastaldo

[Responsibility2nd]

Even professional drivers are wary of Porsche Carrera GT

(Newser) – Paul Walker died in a Porsche Carrera GT, a car that a former manager at the car company has called "crazy" and "the most dangerous car on the road," Jalopnik reports. And that's not the only eerie quote the site rounded up: A well-known Porsche test driver said the car was the first to actually scare him, and a Top Gear presenter noted, "You need to be awake to drive this car fast." It's been involved in a number of other headline-making incidents, including a fatal crash at the California Speedway. More on the car and Walker's crash:
 

• The car is so sensitive to road conditions, Porsche sent a memo to dealers before it went on sale in 2004 warning that the Carrera GT is "as close to a racecar as we will ever get," and thus "has all the disadvantages of a racecar"—so dealers shouldn't let just anybody drive it. The memo specifically notes that the car can't even drive over a Foster's beer can on its side without being damaged, and TMZ notes that the road where the crash occurred is covered in reflective dots.
• Meanwhile, some fans aren't exactly mourning Walker safely: Police have been sent to the crash site so they can ask fans to stop burning rubber, spinning their tires, and doing something called a "drifting maneuver" that involves purposely losing traction in the back tires so they slide all over the place, Fox News reports.
• The neighborhood where Walker died is a popular place for street racing, but authorities are now saying that though speed was likely a factor in the crash, eyewitnesses say Rodas and Walker were "traveling alone" at the time, Fox adds.
• A curve may also be a factor: A source tells NBC News the car was only traveling around 45mph when it crashed, but it was at a curve where the speed limit drops to 15mph.
• One thing is clear: The sports car community considered Walker one of its own, the Los Angeles Times reports, and he liked to go fast: In a three-year period, he'd gotten five speeding tickets, Radar reports.

 

[IYAS9YAS]

I raced sprinter karts on asphalt for a few years and Outlaw Karts on dirt ovals for a few years after that. They were a blast, but I had more fun on the dirt, too.

Here's a link that shows a photo of me in my Outlaw Kart. I'm in #50, pulling a wheelie almost all the way down the straight (1/9th-mile oval). This was early in the season, too, as the wing is un-bent ;-). It had a Honda CR500 engine in it. It was fun, but even in the small stuff, the budget got too tight to keep going. I've been out of it for more than a decade.

[dfwgator]

The best part of that scene is the little “ping” it makes right before the explosion.

[traderrob6]

Did someone say Fiat 124 Spyder?

First car I ever owned, LOVED IT!.

[Mamzelle]

To any aficionados of fast cars here…just why is the death of this actor such a big deal, and was headlined on Drudge for days and the Five and other Fox shows discuss it ad nauseam…is there something to this story that is going unmentioned, or is it a Kardashian phenom?

[three century american]

The guy driving the car builds race cars(cant remember his name sorry) and raced them. They screwed up. Ah! that car doesnt look like it was going 45mph more like 145.

[three century american]

Walker wasnt driving. Paul Newman and Steve McQueen were both really good race car drivers

[CivilWarBrewing]

Power steering fluid + spinning tires = Loss of control.

[CivilWarBrewing]

Roger Rodas.

[Resolute Conservative]

....but, but, but I was always told that movies and music had no affect on person sense or reality and morality...

[Venturer]

You can believe that or you can let your commons sense tell you what to believe.

The fact that there were police called to stop the reckless driving on the site should tell you something.

[showme_the_Glory]

I think most of the original Cobra’s were wrecked too. Something to do with horsepower to weight? Pedal to the metal?

[Jewbacca]

An STi is a mean little car.

I consider it downsizing — flew jets for the IDF (still fly jets, but they don’t let me shoot anyone anymore, just train Americans).

[Jewbacca]

“How much does the fuel cell bladder weigh? Wow what a dumbass Hollyweird thing to do.”

It’s not the bladder, per se, but an entire after-market gas tank that is (I bet) carbon fibre. I’ve seen these mounted in GTs.

[TexasCajun]

Walker wasnt driving

I have to admit not reading one sentence in any article.

All the headlines make it appear he was driving alone when killed.

Was there another person/driver that died as well?

[Jewbacca]

“James Dean died crashing his 1955 Porsche Speedster.”

Nope. A 1955 550 SPYDER. Mid-engine, all aluminium.

Speedster (aka early 356) is rear-engine.

[TexasCajun]

Walker, 40, was killed Saturday when the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT piloted by his buddy Roger Rodas — a former racecar driver — plowed into a tree in Santa Clarita, Calif.

Now I'm a little more up to speed.

[TexasGator]

“Mid-engined cars, like rear engined, can have the rear end pop out when foolish with the accelerator (both accelerating and decelerating).”

Front engined also. Put your foot into a 570 hp vette or 650 hp Shelby and you can easily be looking at where you were.

[TruthWillWin]

You are correct, he crashed in his newly acquired Spyder, he previously owned the Speedster.

[Jewbacca]

I know about it, given I own a 1955 Spyder, and people always ask me about James Dean.

[PLMerite]

Only 45mph and it did that? Wow.