How would you like to own that bill?

[Autoban]

Here is a link to an article of a Journalist blowing the engine on a 917 and now owns the bill for the repair.
Mark Hales owes $174,000 for Porsche 917

[redturbo911]

That sucks but hey if thats the agreement then stick to your word and pay up. Man that has to hurt....

[E Sully]

Would like to know more details, but I sure wouldn't want to pay that much for a couple of laps.

[SiberianDVM]

Unless there is a rev counter that shows he over-revved that engine on a missed shift, I'd say Hales got hosed. "You bend it, you mend it" sounds like he should pay for a shunt, I'm not so sure about a blown engine.

[ivangene]

hell my SSN isnt THAT long !!!

I guess you have to haul me off to jail

note to self: dont drive a 917....even if offered!

[group911@aol.co]

Turns out the engine was less than half the bill. Auto Journalist Sued For $174,000 After Destroying A Rare Porsche's Engine

[Porchdog]

He would have gotten off much cheaper if he had just paid.

From Piper's description and the fact that he lost - I'm assuming that he really was at fault here.

Kind of rich for my blood. I don't think anybody is going to give me the key to their 917 anytime soon anyway.

[ivangene]

Originally Posted by Porchdog

Kind of rich for my blood. .

yea, the more I thought about the title of the thread the more I thought...."I couldn't own that bill....heck I doubt I could afford to even rent it"

[mpetry]

At least according to the stories I've read, if you missed a shift on these things you blew the engine. Piper and Redman blew several engines back in the day and in an interview at Goodwood Piper talks about "making damn sure the thing was in gear". Interesting that the lawyer's bill was more than the engine rebuild !

[monovich]

Lawyer takes fees from suit and buys self a nice used 911.

[matt gineo]

He shouldn't have let the Journalist or anyone else drive it period if he couldn't afford the repairs! Don't play if you can't pay.

[DaddyGlenn]

If you spend more on your legal fees than is at risk (cost of engine) it is not about the money, it is about principle.

[KTL]

I would think that even though it's a race car which can/should handle the abuse of driving hard, the driver would want to exercise some caution considering the value of the car and its age?

Sure it's gotta be fuchin awesome to drive a 917. But I know i'd be rather tentative and deliberate in anything I did while driving it. My point being, even though the trans popped out of gear, shame on the guy for driving it so hard that he didn't leave a bit on the table to avoid an unforeseen problem? Pure speculation and easy 20/20 hindsight observation on my part, I know. But I still think when taking a ride in something like this, you gotta be VERY cautious. Most race cars are temperamental and the 917 most certainly fits that description.

Sucks to be him! Nyah nyah you blowed up a 917...........

[John1180]

Should have both been big boys and split the rebuild cost!!

[redturbo911]

Well said.

Originally Posted by matt gineo

He shouldn't have let the Journalist or anyone else drive it period if he couldn't afford the repairs! Don't play if you can't pay.

[Spenny_b]

Chris Harris's piece on the matter, from PistonHeads...plus the additional commentary from the forum

[jamesnmlaw]

UK47,000 for the repair; UK50,000 for his own barrister + UK63,000 for Piper's barrister. I don't think this was about the money - more likely a rich-man's pissing contest of "You ruined my car because you're a bad driver" v. "I ruined your car because your car was a bad car."

If you borrow my '69 911t and the engine blows, you just bought yourself a rebuild. I didn't make you borrow the car.

UK judge probably got it right as Hales borrowed the car for his pecuniary gain (commission for the story, etc.). Probably each state of the US has some interpretation of this matter and I'd guess that common law precedent would center around that old law school case about the farmer borrowing another farmer's stud bull and the stud bull dies during the bovine equivalent of in flagrante delicto. Borrowing farmer gets the bill.

Each states' statutory law? Who knows? Politicians shouldn't be allowed to make law.

Hammurabi has spoken.

[RWebb]

Similar issues went thru my mind when someone let me drive a GT-2 on Mulholland a few years ago. I drove it like an old granny.

This will be an interesting situation to follow.

BTW - I'd never NEVER let a "journalist" drive my car!

... well, ok, if Jenks rose from the dead - that'd be an exception

[Bob Kontak]

http://www.leeds-solicitors.com/piperhales.pdf