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]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
roadside observer @ Apr 13th 2007 3:43PM
Further proof that like drinking and driving, idiots and sports cars don't mix.
evlmnky @ Apr 13th 2007 3:44PM
Way to destroy a beautiful FD...schmuck!
BLS @ Apr 13th 2007 3:50PM
I love how the shadows from the trees make it look like a deflated vinyl balloon.
DriftPunch @ Apr 13th 2007 3:50PM
At least the Sunroof can be salvaged...
Juan @ Apr 13th 2007 3:53PM
How about a "WARNING: Graphic Image" before we see the carnage? I think I'm going to cry now. Poor FD...
zach @ Apr 13th 2007 3:55PM
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.
Typesbad @ Apr 13th 2007 3:55PM
Maybe the Mazda just got a little excited. I had a dog that did this all the time.
Drewboy @ Apr 13th 2007 4:07PM
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."
Tool @ Apr 13th 2007 4:09PM
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.
Aki @ Apr 13th 2007 4:12PM
Don't be hard on the driver, he was only coming out as a tree-hugger.
Ian @ Apr 13th 2007 4:43PM
Makes my FD even more rare and valuable.
Bryan @ Apr 13th 2007 4:51PM
Driver must be related to Waltrip...destroy a Toyota but please leave the Mazda alone.
Timothy Auhll @ Apr 13th 2007 4:54PM
Is this Michael Waltrip's other car?
Chris @ Apr 13th 2007 5:51PM
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.
Brent @ Apr 13th 2007 7:22PM
Let me be the first to say it: "That'll buff right out" :D
Jake @ Apr 13th 2007 7:42PM
#10 - *rimshot* Nice.
chris @ Apr 13th 2007 8:07PM
It seems pretty clear from the photo that the airbag went off.
Prat @ Apr 13th 2007 8:10PM
The tree wasn't even fazed. Solid as a rock
Mason Hill @ Apr 14th 2007 1:41AM
High performance car + low performance driver = disaster.
mikomi @ Apr 14th 2007 9:39AM
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.