Florida Man Destroys His $700,000 Ford GT Before Even Leaving the Neighborhood
Think about taking your supercar out for a drive—and nearly instantly crashing it. That’s what occurred on Friday final week to a Florida man who barely made it out of his housing improvement earlier than destroying his 2006 Ford GT Heritage Version sports activities automobile on a palm tree. The rationale for the crash, in accordance with the motive force? An absence of familiarity with a guide transmission.
The proprietor was “unfamiliar with drive stick shift”
In line with reporting by Street & Observe, the motive force—later recognized as 50-year-old Robert J. Guarini—claimed to have misplaced management of the automobile whereas downshifting. The person informed police he was “unfamiliar” with driving stick, however there’s rather a lot to this story that appears suspect.
For one, the automobile wasn’t registered but or insured. The driving force received out of his automobile, hitched a trip to his home, then known as police from his landline—slightly than calling to report the accident proper on the scene. Was this an embarrassed flee, or only a real love of the landline? We might by no means know.
In line with Street & Observe, the Ford GT was purchased in Palm Seashore at a Barret-Jackson public sale final month for $704,000. Whereas that quantity could seem excessive at first, it’s a very reasonable value for this mannequin on this situation. Or, at the very least, in its former situation.
Consumer Ottomatik80 commented on a Reddit thread, “The dude had a suspended license, no insurance coverage, and claims to not know drive stick correctly. More cash than sense is my take. It’s a disgrace [he] took a GT out alongside the way in which although.”
The 2006 Ford GT Heritage Version
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For these unfamiliar, who could also be questioning why this sharp teal-and-orange automobile went for $700,000 within the first place, the 2006 GT Heritage Version is a legend. Used costs for Ford GT fashions are sky-high as lovers struggle to assert one for themselves.
Ford produced solely a restricted variety of these GT Heritage Version vehicles in 2006, slightly below 350. The Heritage Blue/Epic Orange shade scheme was iconic, and the flashy, distinctive styling made the Heritage Version much more uncommon and precious. 4 white roundels on the physique allowed homeowners to put their favourite racing quantity on the automobile in homage to the Ford GT-40 racecar. The 2006 GT got here normal with a 5.4-liter V8 engine making 550 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque.
They aren’t all as fortunate (or unfortunate?) as this one, although—final summer time, the identical make, mannequin, and yr may very well be purchased for reasonable on a web based public sale website for wrecked vehicles. Who is aware of, Guarini’s GT Heritage Version might discover itself in the identical spot.
RELATED: Ford Reveals New Ford GT Heritage Version
Supercar crashes are astonishingly widespread
Many individuals have a morbid fascination with automobile crashes—particularly once they’re supercars. And this unhappy Ford GT crash isn’t the primary supercar accident inside the previous couple of years. Final yr alone noticed a $3.8 million supercar crash, the collision of two separate yellow Lamborghini Aventadors, and one other crash involving a GT that received break up in half in Beverly Hills.
This story, at the very least, options no fatalities and even accidents, so I can really feel rather less responsible about scrolling by way of footage and studying feedback. The one harm up to now appears to be to Guarini’s satisfaction.
Heartbreak might flip to hope: will this GT Heritage Version see a 3rd life?
There have been loads of tales of unimaginable supercar comebacks by way of cautious restoration. Street & Observe studies that “the injury is proscribed to the entrance third of the automobile;” nevertheless, “the hit was substantial sufficient to set off a number of airbags and disable the automobile.” With out insurance coverage, that restoration goes to price fairly a fairly penny.
The injury isn’t fairly, however hopefully, somebody will be capable to tackle the mission and produce this 2006 GT Heritage Version again to life. There are already loads of feedback on the unique Fb publish from gearheads concerned about adopting the damaged little automobile.
Lesson realized, youngsters: at all times be taught to drive stick in your buddy’s previous beater automobile—not in your brand-new-to-you $700,000 supercar.
RELATED: Uncommon Ford GT Heading to On-line Solely Public sale
