http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=19373

R.I.P.

Mechanical failure?

Take care out there, folks.

yeah RIP

I'd like to see some more pictures of that car. I've always figured Porsches were some of the safest "supercars" to crash in.

Public liability anyone? Crash driving a prototype car and it's an almost certain fact a wheel fell off.

I heard it went under a safety guard or something like that.

Seeing it was a convertible, it wasn't that strong.

Yup, it wedged under the safety rail. There is another photo showing the car from the front, with the rail pushed all the way up against the front seats. The driver wouldn't have stood a chance. You'd think that Autobahns would have better contrived safety rails.

Here's the pic:
http://www.faz.net/m/%7B51181C ... 3B1E4658334%7DPicture.jpg

ummmm.... ouch.

Quote from samjh :

Yup, it wedged under the safety rail. There is another photo showing the car from the front, with the rail pushed all the way up against the front seats. The driver wouldn't have stood a chance. You'd think that Autobahns would have better contrived safety rails.

Here's the pic:
http://www.faz.net/m/%7B51181C ... 3B1E4658334%7DPicture.jpg

:cry: Wow! Now I understand... No way he survived that. Bad to hear that such a car crashed. R.I.P. porsche and driver.

That armco looks seriously dodgy, if a car can go under it like that.

Rest in peace.

Quote from samjh :

Yup, it wedged under the safety rail. There is another photo showing the car from the front, with the rail pushed all the way up against the front seats. The driver wouldn't have stood a chance. You'd think that Autobahns would have better contrived safety rails.

Here's the pic:
http://www.faz.net/m/%7B51181C ... 3B1E4658334%7DPicture.jpg

God dam! That's a very badly designed 'saftey rail'.

Quote from samjh :

Yup, it wedged under the safety rail. There is another photo showing the car from the front, with the rail pushed all the way up against the front seats. The driver wouldn't have stood a chance. You'd think that Autobahns would have better contrived safety rails.

Here's the pic:
http://www.faz.net/m/%7B51181C ... 3B1E4658334%7DPicture.jpg

what the....?! ouch

Quote from samjh :

Mechanical failure?

No, too fast driving.

Simple, but stupid

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

God dam! That's a very badly designed 'saftey rail'.

If you hit it with 250km/h+ no freaking safety rail can do anything right.

Quote from baSh0r :

If you hit it with 250km/h+ no freaking safety rail can do anything right.

Depends on the angle of attack.


In any case, the rail itself looks pretty high. I suppose that's the optimal position for a sedan or SUV?

Damn!
Probably died on impact... christ that looks bad!
R.I.P !

Quote from MAGGOT :

Depends on the angle of attack.


In any case, the rail itself looks pretty high. I suppose that's the optimal position for a sedan or SUV?

I wouldn't call a 911 'lower' than a normal car, driving position wise. The idea of a saftey barrier is to stop cars crossing over to the other side in the event of a crash. This means they have to be low enough to not let them slide underneath, but high enough to stop them flipping over. Ideally, the barriers should not have a gap at the bottom of them, as this kind of thing will happen.

Don't they have test tracks?

Quote from DratsaB :

Don't they have test tracks?

No test track can simulate the wide open roads.

Maybe, but you have to wonder, what are they really gaining from driving on the open road as opposed to the many varied types of test tracks (some of which are designed to be like the open road) and runways (I'm guessing that Porsche do have the monetary resources to test on a runway or something similar) available?

rip

and for the guys that wanna see a pic from the front:
http://static.autoblog.nl/imag ... sche_testrijder_crash.jpg

if you ask me , there is noway how porsche can improve that,
saidly enough it looks like bad luck.

rip for the drive

Seen the images...no way he could've survived that.
R.I.P.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

I wouldn't call a 911 'lower' than a normal car, driving position wise. The idea of a saftey barrier is to stop cars crossing over to the other side in the event of a crash. This means they have to be low enough to not let them slide underneath, but high enough to stop them flipping over. Ideally, the barriers should not have a gap at the bottom of them, as this kind of thing will happen.

It's not about driving position, it's about centre of gravity and the ride height. The nose of the porsche is lower than the more 'conventional' cars the barrier is designed for.

It wasn't a speed test, it was a reliability test and seen as its going to be a road car, the best simulation would be to drive it on the road not a test track.

Quote from MAGGOT :

The nose of the porsche is lower than the more 'conventional' cars the barrier is designed for.

Agree , but looking at the pictures i think the car hit the barrier while going backwards/sideways.
Left front is undamaged. And the barrier is bend that way.

http://www.faz.net/m/%7BB5B58B ... 9D9F9E20486%7DPicture.jpg

Quote from samjh :

Yup, it wedged under the safety rail. There is another photo showing the car from the front, with the rail pushed all the way up against the front seats. The driver wouldn't have stood a chance. You'd think that Autobahns would have better contrived safety rails.

Here's the pic:
http://www.faz.net/m/%7B51181C ... 3B1E4658334%7DPicture.jpg

Look at the front wheel, the spokes have been ripped off!

Quote from M.Mos :

NFS S2 Licensed

I think you're in the wrong forum

Quote from M.Mos :

Agree , but looking at the pictures i think the car hit the barrier while going backwards/sideways.
Left front is undamaged. And the barrier is bend that way.

http://www.faz.net/m/%7BB5B58B ... 9D9F9E20486%7DPicture.jpg

Yup, looks like.