Joy ride turns nearly fatal (Stolen Viper goes airborne after only 4 blocks)

Effingham (IL) Daily News ^ | 10.8.03 | KIM WIEDMAN

[mhking]

NEWTON - She had only been allowed out a few times for special occasions, and when she did go out, people couldn't help but stop and stare.

With her V-10 motor and six-speed manual transmission, there wasn't many like her on the road, and her owners, Kevin and Max Short of McClane Motors in Newton, knew how special she was. She was hand-assembled and part of a limited production.

After she was purchased in the later part of '94, when it was worth $60,500, the owners toyed with the idea of selling her, but with looks like hers, they couldn't help but become too attached.

On a few occasions, the McClane's had taken her out to show her off in parades and she did go on a few short trips here and there, but she was mainly used as an attention-grabber to attract people to the dealership.

On Friday night, she was driven proudly through the Newton High School Homecoming Parade, where she carried a queen candidate, Kevin Short's stepdaughter Emily Matson, for all parade-goers to admire.

Following the parade, she wasn't taken back to her normal storage area, but instead with her odometer set at 169, she was parked in the shop area of the dealership where her owners had intended for her to stay until the next day when they planned to take her out and show her off a little.

Her next trip, however, would come just a few hours later, when a driver she was unfamiliar with took her out for a spin.

As she left McClane Motors in Newton with the unfamiliar driver, no one could have anticipated what would happen next.

Just four short blocks from the dealership along Illinois 33, the '95 red Dodge Viper became airborne as the driver lost control causing the vehicle to strike a parked tractor at Newton Tractor Sales. The motor of the tractor was pushed back an estimated 6 inches, and the Viper was ripped to shreds.

Witnesses say they saw the Viper pass by around 4:05 a.m. Saturday at an excessive speed and then they heard the crash - which residents say was heard blocks away.

Kevin Short, general manager of McClane Motors, who has been around the car business as long as he can remember, said when he heard the news about what had happened to the car, he was in disbelief.

"I was pretty shocked about the whole incident," said Short. "We initially had gotten it as a possible vehicle to sell, but it is not a car that everyone in this area is going to buy. We had gotten attached to it."

Although it is unknown what the exact rate of speed the car was traveling when it crashed, Short said the car is capable of reaching a high rate of speed in a very short period of time.

According to a Web site that features specifications on that year of Dodge Viper, the Viper is capable of reaching up to 113.8 mph in a quarter of a mile, which is about the distance the Viper traveled before it was wrecked.

The car that was once admired as it traveled down the roadway now sits in an undisclosed location, and the driver of the car, Joshua S. Clasby, 25, of Greenup remains in critical condition at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana.

Illinois State Police is continuing to investigate the crash, and Clasby could face criminal and traffic charges.

[Question_Assumptions]

The new Ford GT is supposed to be just a bit faster than the Viper. That list would have been even more interesting if it listed top speeds, as well.

[Cuttnhorse]

Piss poor writing for someone who allegedly makes a living at it!

My thoughts too...I kept waiting to see what high school newpaper wrote the thing.

[BraveMan]

By extension, I must admit I am part of the overall problem. Permit me to explain . . .

My Honor Student teenage daughter, having received her driver's license last February, has been in four accidents in the last four months. She has been at fault in ALL of them by varying degrees. Two days ago, she totalled her '91 Ford Probe by turning left into oncoming traffic. Thankfully, no one has been injured. Yet, if you ask her, she will tell you she is a very cautious driver . . .

I have since forbidden her from getting behind the wheel of anything bigger and faster than a pedal car, out of concern for the motoring public in general and bikers in particular. Predictably, my wife and daughter do not agree with my decision . . .

Here is the kicker. My insurance agent is advising me to replace the totalled Probe with another vehicle, in order to keep her from being listed as an "occasional driver" on any of my vehicles. Otherwise, my own insurance premiums will skyrocket! Apparently, not even an oath signed in blood stating she will never be allowed to drive any of my vehicles is sufficient to dissuade the insurance companies from listing her as an "occasional driver".

While this friendly advice doesn't pass the Smell test to me, I am loathe to begin shopping other insurance carriers at this precise moment. Any suggestions?

[Poohbah]

Petition the state to revoke your daughter's license.

[truthandjustice1]

"Any suggestions"

Divorce (just kidding).

[JoeSixPack1]

Create a dowery and marry her off. Move while they are on their honeymoon. Ship all her clothing and valuables to her Mother-in-law's home.

Wait one year, then buy her a new car, a new wardrobe, buy her back from the bum she married, put her back into her old room, and finally get some sleep!

<|:-)~~

[taildragger]

CherylBower,

Did you say "C6"?

It is not to be shown to the public until the Detroit Show in Jan 04!

Is it a 3 valve 6.3L?

When does it get Orbital Direct Injection?

[RatSlayer]

BTW, if want a really wild ride there are kit cars that are variations of the old Lotus Super 7 where you can get a 1000 lb car with a motor that makes over 200 bhp. Less that 5 lbs/hp, WOOOOOW!!!

[Charles Martel]

That's what happens when you put an inexperienced driver in an overpowered car made by a company (Dodge) that knows practically nothing about sports cars.

Like the Shelby Cobra that inspired it, the Viper handles and brakes well enough. There are quite a few of them being raced on the road courses with relatively minor suspension and brake changes or upgrades. Anything with that much horsepower can kill a foolish driver, though.

It's not all that overpowered, though. Now, THIS beast is overpowered:

Supercharged Chevy LT-1 crammed in an old 240Z. Check out the owner's website and be sure to play the 240Z videos. It'll light up the tires at a 40 mph roll and accelerate as hard as a sport bike. I'd prefer it if he didn't demonstrate all that torque with oncoming traffic like that, though (note how the front wheels are cut to correct for that back end sliding around).

[truthandjustice1]

I don't think she'd know, as she's in accounting. The only sure thing is that the retractable headlights are gone for weight reduction purposes.

[shaggy eel]

,,, your kind of thread.

[Will_Zurmacht]

I think they are telling you the truth..I once worked for auto insurance co. Our formula was to match driver to Vehicle....Worst driver to Worst rated vehicle...Higer $$$. Sounds kinda bad but it was the company way. If I were you I'd pick up an old beater car for as little as possible....and keep her banned from autos for a while.

If that doesnt work you might try shopping around for insurance, I'm no expert in this, jut telling you how a certain national auto insurance co. does a similar thing. Most folks did better by buying low points cars for family while kids were at that age.
The industry uses point systems for cars figuring in things like collision damage, theft, repairs to vehicles...surely there is a place on the net for this...if i find it i'll send it to ya..

[walford]

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,99165,00.html
"All-Star hockey player Dany Heatley (search) was charged with vehicular homicide (search) Monday after teammate Dan Snyder (search) died of head injuries suffered last week in the crash of Heatley's Ferrari."

I was in a media class last week and the prof played a tape of Fox news that included this amongst the stories for our analysis. More than one student lamented the loss of the Ferrari more than the people.

Also--

I know that it is not possible to include all of the modified cars that exist, but a common one about 20 or so ago was the V-8 Vega. I'd seen the one's with the 454s in the magazines, but got to ride in the backseat of one with an LT-1 350.

[Having been a teen in the '70s near Manassas Va (even a few girls had Cobra Jet Torinos and Dodge SuperBees), I didn't think that it was possible for a car to be too fast/powerful until that little ride.]

While we were being subject to G-forces most astronauts couldn't withstand, the driver nonchalantly mentioned that he was on his third body. One had the frame twisted by the torque of the engine. He wouldn't tell us what happened to body #2. I kissed the ground when we got back.

[rmlew]

If he lives he will face charges. If not, ...

[antiRepublicrat]

I have some friends with the modern incarnation, the Caterham Superlight R500. You don't realize how small they are until you've seen one.

I've watched them on trackdays -- insanely fast.

[rockrr]

I had a neighbor who bought a V-8 Vega about ten years ago. I went with him on his first ride around the block after getting it home. A bolck away from the house, he power-shifted 1-2 and raised the front off the ground. It came back down and ruptured the oil pan. We left a trail all the way back to his house.
He fixed the pan and sold the car.
(too much car for him)

[TOTAL RECALL]

Damn, I've driven a Viper before and I can say with certainty that they are frighteningly fast. It totally blew me away. Luckily I was in the controlled environment of the racing pad at Laguna Seca, meaning it didn't matter that I took a turn while totally flooring it (only in second gear too), totally scorched the tires, nearly went into a spin, and took out like 5 cones (we were doing an autocross course).

But such is the nature of a beast like that. That car is pure testosterone. Maybe I'll own one some day :0).

[1Old Pro]

Your probably right though, 'ole Shelby probably doesn't know a damn thing about cars.

A real car IMHO doesn't just go fast around a track or on a straghtaway. Give me some Porche's, BMW's, astin martins, ferrari's and the like on a course like watkins glen. They'll beat anything Shelby designed every time.

When I drive on the road I find that I never drive in large ovals or never ending straight aways. The real challenge is ess turns, shifting, toe to heal, stopping and accelerating.

[evets]

I haven't seen one, but I liked the concept early on. chevyssforum

[laotzu]

"They'll beat anything Shelby designed every time"

Shelby's Cobra ate up many a Ferarri, Porsche, etc..., in its day; as did Ford's GT40(after receiving help from Shelby). And, he did so on European turf.

The Europeans have nothing on American autos today. Shelby's Series One, Panoz's Esperante & GTR, Dodge's Viper, and Ford's new GT40 (among others) will hold their own against any European challenger.

Incidently, Jaguar & Aston Martin are both Ford products.