Porsche Factory Test Driver Killed

[URY914]

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9090213....production-911

A 51-year-old died in Germany this morning following an accident involving a Porsche 911 cabrio prototype. The victim, a Porsche engineer, was driving the car on the A5 Autobahn when he lost control and slammed into a guard rail.

The one-car accident happened at 2:45am just past the Weiterstadt exit on the motorway. Photos of the scene show the sports car wedged under the barrier, with the rail making contact near where the driver's head and torso would have been.

A spokesman for Porsche said the engineer "was one of the most experienced test drivers." The company representative confirmed that the car was a camouflaged cabrio covered with foil to mask parts of the vehicle's appearance. He also noted that, although it did not rollover, the convertible does not have the same resilience as a coupe.

Police and fire department personnel responded to the scene from nearby Darmstadt. The public prosecutor there has taken charge of the ongoing investigation. The location of the accident was midway between Frankfurt and Heidelberg, in the German province of Hessen.

It is not yet known what caused the accident. Witnesses say the driver, who has worked for the German company for 25 years, was driving a prototype of a new Porsche 991 model at a high rate of speed. That stretch of road does not have a speed limit. He was being followed by a second Porsche testdriver in a camouflaged four-door Porsche Panamera prototype.

That driver successfully evaded the crash, and escaped unharmed. Although the accident did take place at an unusual hour, both drivers were working on a 10pm to 6am shift. An initial damage estimate is said to be several thousands of Euro.

Source: express.de and fr-online.de and faz.net


Its a sad day at Porsche, our thoughts go out to the test drivers family

There is a picture of the car if you follow the link.

[Dantilla]

Very sad.

[URY914]

Link fixed:

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9090213.013/porsche-test-driver-dies-testing-pre-production-911

[Moses]

What kind of bizarre guard rail is that? Looks completely unsafe.

[euro911sc]

Ugly...

"Porsche said he was part of a road endurance test in which three drivers drove the car non-stop in shifts around-the-clock."

-m

[Doug&Julie]

Very sad.

I'm amazed at how a car can slide under a guardrail? Something is not right there..

[mjshira]

Rip.

[naparsei]

There are many types of cars that would not have ended up under the guardrail. But that car is:
1) lower to the ground than average
2) rear engined
3) front slopes up

it's a bad combo in this case. Nevertheless, it's my biased view that Porsche makes one of the safest cars on the road.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by naparsei

There are many types of cars that would not have ended up under the guardrail. But that car is:
1) lower to the ground than average
2) rear engined
3) front slopes up

A low-tech K-rail might have saved him.

[DasBoot]

Porsches are responsible for a few more deaths today:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-0213hit-and-run.pg,0,1745592.photogallery

Ban all Porsche!

[sand_man]

That's a grisly looking scene! How very sad...

[Patrice911]

What date is it today? Friday the 13th.... can it be the cause?????

[911-GuardsRed]

Wow.. and no, it's not because of the 13th, grow up lol.

[JohnJL]

Yikes. What a tragedy. Looks like he went quick if that's any comfort. Of all the ways to go its one of the better ones.



Carbon fiber wheels? Those spokes look to have shattered. Maybe just mag?
Damage to right rear seems to indicate a spin. Porsche likely had the thing all wired up and logging so they should be able to figure out what led to this.



It was quite cold there last night, it was snowing just north of there in NRW so ice and visibility could have contributed.

At least he'll never hear the line from Pineapple Express: "You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos, motherf#*$r! "

[Jim Garfield]

Whoever is responsible for the guardrail should be held accountable. There should be no scenario imaginable that would allow a car to go under the guardrail like that.

[Rob G]

My condolences go to his family and all the people at Porsche. What a shame.

Rob G

[mmn710]

Is this that older guy whose in the videos where he drives the GT2 and the new 2010 GT3??

[Emission]

Very tragic.

When the guard rail allows the vehicle to wedge itself underneath... it is unsurvivable -- I don't care what kind of car it was. Simply unbelievable, especially when you consider a "normal" guardrail impact would have been a glancing blow.

[alniki]

I feel sorry for the driver and his family.

Also a reminder for us motoring fans and may be a revelation for sports car manufacturers to develop cars of more driving fun than power and speed.

[jh225]

Wow!

Very sad.

At least he didn't suffer.