Porsche test engineer killed in autobahn crash
A Porsche test engineer was killed on the autobahn early Friday morning during a round-the-clock test while at behind the wheel of a next-generation 911 Cabriolet prototype. The 25-year veteran tester was part of a three-man driving team that operated in shifts around the clock.While the cause of the accident is not yet known and the victim has not been named, what is understood is that the 51-year-old driver's car slid under the center guardrail around 2:40 am on the A5 autobahn between Frankfurt and Heidelberg. Porsche spokesman Dirk Erat says that the car was not taking part in a high-speed test, as those are not carried out on public roads. Thanks to everyone for the tips.
[Source: Bloomberg]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
porcupine 11:40AM (2/13/2009)
:(
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Tim 4:51PM (2/13/2009)
I guess that means that the round-the-clock test was not a success.
Thoughts go out to the family left behind.
Axel 11:49AM (2/13/2009)
Breaking news. Someone died in a Porsche, on a part of the autobahn without speed limits during winter time with temperatures below zero celsius.
Sad news - but as cool as autobahns are (I should now - I drive on them 5 days a week in my 5-series) - this kind of #$%@ happens everyday. Yet even with those high-speed parts the autobahns are a pretty safe place to drive fast. Everyone should try it once :-)
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Kitko 1:08PM (2/13/2009)
These things happen. OK, this guy was from Porsche, but you have news about people being killed in accidents pretty much everywhere.
The sad thing is Bloomberg is picking on it because the guy was from Porsche. But Bloomberg declared Steve Jobs dead recently so I'm not really surprised....
BTW, I don't think the autobahn between Frankfurt and Heidelberg is derestricted... but there are two sperate stretches of autobahn and I can't speak for both.
sledge 3:39PM (2/13/2009)
@Kitko
Actually it is derestricted: http://www.autobahnatlas-online.de/Limitkarte.pdf (blue shows no speed limits)
smokeonit 5:24AM (2/14/2009)
the A5 Frankfurt-Heidelberg, and the A6 Darmstadt-Mannheim without speed limit for many kilometers, there are short stretches that have limits... but @ weiterstadt there's no limit!
dsharp23 11:53AM (2/13/2009)
RIP
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catchmyshadow 11:54AM (2/13/2009)
a few pictures:
http://www.globalmotors.net/911-prototype-testing-goes-wrong-fatal-accident-on-the-autobahn/
the news said the accident happened at ~140 mph
very sad...
condolences to his family, RIP
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Ayle 12:00PM (2/13/2009)
Wow! Looks like he got killed on the spot... Why wasn't the guard rail reaching all the way down?
Franz 12:05PM (2/13/2009)
Damn... horrible accident. I lost two friends in a similar accident a few years ago. My condolences go out as well.
tom 12:16PM (2/13/2009)
That's terrible.
Why is the guard rail too high there?
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tom 12:16PM (2/13/2009)
If they had concrete barriers, I would dare to say that this wouldn't happen.
dap7298 12:20PM (2/13/2009)
Poor guardrail designed coupled with a car with a very low profile traveling at an exceptionally high rate of speed = a very bad Friday the 13th :(
nagmashot 12:25PM (2/13/2009)
the driver did highspeed testing as reportet in German news....
The Autobahn A5 is very popular for all car manufactors to do long distance high speed testing, up to 5lanes, long straight parts, no speed limits over long distance, this road hold since 1938 the record for the fastest ever driven speed on public roads in the world with 432km/h or 268mph, the crashed 911 Cabrio prototype was followed by a Porsche Panamera Prototype, the second driver was able to pass the crashing Cabrio without hitting it (slipstream testing?).
The guard rail is low enough for normal cars and most parts of the A5 have since years a masive concrete crash barrier in the center between both directions. Unfortunatily for the test driver the Porsche nose is so low that the car went under the gurad rail and lifted it because of the high impact force because of the high speed. At the part with concrete center guard he would have only totaled the car...
I am only 2km away from the A5... the best place for high speed adrenalin junkys
My condolences to the testdriver family....
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MajorGeek 12:48PM (2/13/2009)
"Porsche spokesman Dirk Erat says that the car was not taking part in a high-speed test, as those are not carried out on public roads. "
RIP
EhWilson 1:27PM (2/13/2009)
Sad to hear.
But look at the bright side: Atleast Porsche's next boring car design is catching the media's attention.
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CarbonBlack 2:58PM (2/13/2009)
My condolences to the family!
To the engineer,
Thank you for all the work you did to make the world of fast/fun cars a better place!
RIP
-Nick
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Steve 5:06PM (2/13/2009)
My condolences, I'm sorry to hear.
But maybe NOW is the time to walk away from Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive cars Porsche...
O_o
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pmgpmg 1:45AM (2/14/2009)
"Porsche spokesman Dirk Erat says that the car was not taking part in a high-speed test, as those are not carried out on public roads. "
Well, the following picture really show a prototype, see the black tape used to attach the rear bumper and hide the (?) rear wing:
http://www.globalmotors.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/next-generation-911-fatal-crash3.jpg
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pmgpmg 1:58AM (2/14/2009)
See first picture, rear car part:
http://www.globalmotors.net/911-prototype-testing-goes-wrong-fatal-accident-on-the-autobahn/
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