An FBI agent assigned to move a rare Ferrari wrecked it during a short drive in Kentucky, and its owner is now suing the U.S. Justice Department, which has refused to pay $750,000 for the car.
For practical purposes, that's really the whole story.
But there is this very tantalizing detail:
...FBI agent Fred Kingston was to move the Ferrari from a garage in May 2009. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Hamilton Thompson said Kingston invited him on a "short ride."
"Just a few seconds after we left the parking lot, we went around a curve and the rear of the car began sliding," Thompson said in an email released to Motors Insurance Co., the dealer's insurer.
"The agent tried to regain control but the car fishtailed and slid sideways up onto the curb.How fast does the F50 go from zero to 100MPH?
I'll bet it's in "just a few seconds."
3 comments:
The F-50 is a full-on racing car; only 349 were made for "public consumption." It has the Formula 1 Ferrari engine that has an estimated output of 750 horsepower. While there are no official (factory-released) numbers available for the car's performance, enthusiasts estimate a 0-60 time of about 3.4 seconds and a 0-100 time of 6 seconds.
My guess would be that the agent shifted to second gear (it's a six-speed) after a "soft" launch and then mashed the gas pedal down. Unless you're accustomed to or trained to handle 750 horsepower (and around 500 lbs./ft. of torque), that shift to second gear with full application of throttle will teach the inexperienced a couple of hard lessons in physics: one, regarding coefficient of friction; two, the physics of inelastic collisions.
This story made me laugh, because I like cars.
The F50 will do 0-100 mph in six seconds flat, and a quarter mile in about twelve seconds or so. However, the agent also should have known that Ferraris are known for having some of the best brakes around.
However, it wouldn't even be necessary to go crazy fast in a car like that to get it out of control very quickly. If you're a federal agent used to driving American sedans and SUVs, I'm not sure you're really prepared to handle a Formula One-inspired 4.7L V12 that puts out more than 500 hp. Get too quick on the gas in a car like that, and you'll be spinning before you get anywhere near 100 mph.
Still, I'm sad, because the F50 is a beautiful car, and Ferrari only made like 350 of them.
My guess would be that the agent shifted to second gear (it's a six-speed) after a "soft" launch and then mashed the gas pedal down
Exactly what I thought, and based on the GUmmint's refusal to release records on the incident, ....
Oh, well.
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