Back in the 80s and 90s, supercars weren't nearly as quick as the hyper machines we have today, and over the years, the power levels and capabilities of these machines have exploded. The one thing that hasn't kept up with this growth in performance and capability is driver skill. It still astounds me that they allow anyone with a driver's license to buy a modern supercar, with the result usually being a very expensive pile of twisted metal after only a few hundred miles. Take ex-supercar owner Robert J. Guarini who recently crashed his extremely exclusive 2006 Heritage Edition Ford GT. The car was bought at auction for $704,000 and only saw a few miles on the road before meeting an untimely death.
This rare Ford supercar was a Gulf Oil Heritage edition, of which only 343 cars were ever produced. When sold, this GT had a mere 2,147 miles on the odometer, and featured modifications such as Penske Racing suspension and a Corsa Performance exhaust. Under the hood, this piece of American history packed a Ford Performance 5.4-liter V8 engine producing 550 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. Power would be sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission when the engine was still in working condition. Performance figures include a 0-60 mph sprint time of just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of close to 220 mph.
These numbers read more like those of a race car than a vehicle one can drive on public roads, and the owner of this deceased GT quickly found out that you need to show some respect to cars with this much power.
According to reports, Guarini lost control of his Ford GT when he downshifted outside his housing estate in Boca Raton, Florida. The sudden loss of control caused Guarini to hit a palm tree. According to the official police report, Guarini told cops that it was his inexperience with manual cars that led to the accident, but he later told Road And Track that the crash was caused by old tires and slippery conditions. He also claims that the accident actually happened when shifting from first to second gear. "I don't want people to think I was racing at 90 mph. I was going 35 mph" he revealed.
Facebook user John Peddle managed to snap a few pics of the car, which has seen extensive damage to its front right corner. Guarini received a citation for driving with a suspended license and for operating an unregistered vehicle. The motoring world should seriously consider special supercar licenses to keep people like this from destroying our automotive history.