Million-dollar sports car totaled in rally for charity [Owner totals Ferrari Enzo]

The Salt Lake Tribune ^ | 8/3/2006 | Mark Havnes and Lisa Rosetta

[TChris]

MILFORD - Utah Highway Patrol troopers had blocked off part of a remote Millard County highway Wednesday so owners of exotic sports cars could slam on the gas pedal and leave those 65 mph speed limit signs in the dust.

Mercedes, Jaguars, Vipers, Porches and more were zipping along State Route 257 - all for charity - when the four-day Utah Fast Pass Road Rally took a dangerous turn.

Provo resident Richard Losee lost control of his $1.3 million Ferrari - which had been screaming along at close to 100 mph - and crashed 28 miles north of Milford in southwestern Utah.

[cmsgop]

HOLY CRAP! Looks like I need to put some money in my 2000 Jetta ASAP!

[TChris]

HOLY CRAP! Looks like I need to put some money in my 2000 Jetta ASAP!

Well, yeah! It should be good for at least 400 HP, right? :-)

[cmsgop]

Mine is the All Powerful 2.0 4 cylinder, 115hp, LMAO!!!

[TChris]

Mine is the All Powerful 2.0 4 cylinder, 115hp, LMAO!!!

See my post #117. Although that one's a 2.5 L, you can still see that a four-banger has more potential than you might expect.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Gold, Jeryy. Gold.

[absolootezer0]

AFAIK, 200+ MPH requires something like 600 HP or more.

and the right gearing, cooling and lubrication to maintain it.

[t_skoz]

I just bought a 2006 VW Rabbit two weeks ago. I'm not into the whole Euro-sport thing, but that video is pretty cool!

[IronJack]

That's pretty poor, really, for what is suppoed to be a (fairly) high performance sports car. Do they have a more sporting model of the RX8, with stiffer springs and tighter damping?

I don't know that it's supposed to be a "high performance sports car." It's more of a rally machine, or a sports coupe, if you ask me. It handles beautifully in corners, and is extremely forgiving. And yes, there is an upgrade that has the air dam and spoiler that would probably start to come into play at higher speeds. The road I tested it on was not exactly velvet smooth either.

My point was that if my RX-8 can handle up to 140 without going dirty-side up, an Enzo ought to be able to do at least 180 and never miss a beat. I know SUVs that can do 100 without handling problems.

[sheik yerbouty]

Too much car for him!

[sheik yerbouty]

All speed is relative. 10 mph on some off road trails is suicidal..

[TChris]

All speed is relative. 10 mph on some off road trails is suicidal..

There's a trail to a good fishing lake I know where you're moving pretty well if the speedometer registers anything at all. If you're just going by yourself, you can walk in faster than you can drive.

[AmishDude]

Great post!

[-YYZ-]

I didn't mean any offense, btw. I think the RX-8 is a really neat car with a lot of character. I guess realistically not many of them (or any other car) are really going to spend much time in excess of 120 mph, so it doesn't much matter. My Accord gets a bit floaty up around 100 - too soft springs and too little damping for those kinds of speeds.

[IronJack]

With its low curb weight and a 240-horse high-winding rotary, the RX has some real guts. And its suspension is a nice compromise between lumber-wagon stiff and couch-with-wheels mushy. Like you say, it's probably not going to spend a lot of time in triple digit country, so if the makers had to sacrifice something, it's probably going to be a little top-end rigidity.

But I've taken cloverleaf 3/4 turns at over 60, Z-rated radials screaming all the way around the bend, and never once felt on the edge. The thing corners like it's on rails.

[sheik yerbouty]

I've been on a few of those..