Monterey 2009: Ferrari 250 TR gets airborne, makes friends with tire wall

While many events during the Monterey car week simply involve parking classics on a golf course, we can appreciate the fact that many vintage car owners are willing to put their priceless automobiles on a track. While the Monterey Historics do everything they can to promote the safety of both cars and drivers, there is never a guarantee that accidents won't happen. We were reminded of that fact this weekend when a 1958 Ferrari 250 TR completely lost its brakes before Laguna Sega's Corkscrew, caught air while going through the gravel trap, and came to a stop only after hitting a tire wall.

This particular TR, owned by David Love, has been a regular at the Monterey Historics and other vintage events for more than 15 years, so it was especially tough to see it get banged up. From what we've heard, Love was shaken up but is okay, and the car can be repaired.

We happened to be at the Corkscrew, camera in hand, when the 250 TR went off course, and were able to capture Love's off-track excursion. If you can handle seeing a beautiful, multi (multi) million dollar Testa Rossa getting damaged, then check out the entire sequence of photos in the gallery below.

Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.