Filed under: Sports/GTs, Etc., Mazda
The Mazda RX-7 was not meant to climb trees
Here's a recipe for buyer's remorse: mix one red 3rd-generation RX7, a clear Sunday evening, a 2-lane rural road, and a curve. Then add the sudden application of 255 turbocharged horses, a berm, a tree, and a brand new owner.
There was no word on the driver, but the airbag went off (do they protect against trees?) -- and one assumes he made it out all right. In a bittersweet moment, the hitting the tree kept him from hitting the house just beyond the tree. The pictures tell the story.
Thanks for the tip, Evan!
[Source: Third Eye Concept]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
roadside observer 3:43PM (4/13/2007)
Further proof that like drinking and driving, idiots and sports cars don't mix.
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evlmnky 3:44PM (4/13/2007)
Way to destroy a beautiful FD...schmuck!
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BLS 3:50PM (4/13/2007)
I love how the shadows from the trees make it look like a deflated vinyl balloon.
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DriftPunch 3:50PM (4/13/2007)
At least the Sunroof can be salvaged...
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Juan 3:53PM (4/13/2007)
How about a "WARNING: Graphic Image" before we see the carnage? I think I'm going to cry now. Poor FD...
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zach 3:55PM (4/13/2007)
It's a shame such a cool car was destroyed, but people who drive like pricks on residential streets deserve to have sh!tty things happen to them.
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Typesbad 3:55PM (4/13/2007)
Maybe the Mazda just got a little excited. I had a dog that did this all the time.
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Drewboy 4:07PM (4/13/2007)
From Autoblog: "There was no word on the driver, but the airbag went off (do they protect against trees?) -- and one assumes he made it out all right."
From the article they're quoting: "Incredibly, the driver had only minor injuries."
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Tool 4:09PM (4/13/2007)
I owned a 3rd gen RX-7 and I almost killed myself several times, no kidding. It had so much power that it was really a dangerous car but utterly thrilling when those twin turbos kicked in.
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Aki 4:12PM (4/13/2007)
Don't be hard on the driver, he was only coming out as a tree-hugger.
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Ian 4:43PM (4/13/2007)
Makes my FD even more rare and valuable.
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Bryan 4:51PM (4/13/2007)
Driver must be related to Waltrip...destroy a Toyota but please leave the Mazda alone.
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Timothy Auhll 4:54PM (4/13/2007)
Is this Michael Waltrip's other car?
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Chris 5:51PM (4/13/2007)
Bet the owners of that house are glad that tree was there, otherwise that a-hole may have been in their living room. I live on a country road that has a long straightaway that people like to race on. A few years ago a kid ran off the road in his Integra and hit a big maple tree in someone's front yard , they estimate he was going 120 when he hit. The car literally tore in half and the entire front clip was probably 200 yards out into a field while the rear of the car was stuck on the tree. You only get one shot at life, and trees tend to be pretty stubborn.
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Brent 7:22PM (4/13/2007)
Let me be the first to say it: "That'll buff right out" :D
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Jake 7:42PM (4/13/2007)
#10 - *rimshot* Nice.
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chris 8:07PM (4/13/2007)
It seems pretty clear from the photo that the airbag went off.
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Prat 8:10PM (4/13/2007)
The tree wasn't even fazed. Solid as a rock
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Mason Hill 1:41AM (4/14/2007)
High performance car + low performance driver = disaster.
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mikomi 9:39AM (4/14/2007)
I think this guy/gal was pretty damn lucky.
This reminds me of a video I saw a few years ago of a teen driving his first ride with his girlfriend. It was a used Acura Integra/Honda Integra I think circa 1996 (?) and well, he hit a hilly part of a country road at an angle at a high speed, launched at an angle, thus landed at an angle. He lost complete control as the car swerved and ended up flipping over a few times and ended up on it's roof. Outcome: 2 dead.
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