California impounded after 231km/h test

"Financial Review motoring writer Rod Easdown was allegedly clocked doing 231km/h in a 110 km/h speed zone in the West Australian Wheatbelt.

Police have impounded the supercar for seven days."

Full story here:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/shattering-ferrari-impounded-after-231kmh-test-20090714-djir.html

Hope it's not a repost.

 

LOL. What's the old saying...any press is good press?

I especially like this quote from the article:
"He may have just put his foot down momentarily to see what the acceleration is like. Five minutes later you're sitting on the side of the road being booked ... it can happen really quickly."

 

Impounding the car makes absolutely no sense. Maybe they should impound every car that car do 230KM/H.
Fine and ticket the driver.

 

I'm waiting for a certain someone to say this proves the California is not a Ferrari....

 

C'mon...don't jinx us. He's been awfully quiet lately!

 

LOL!!!

 

They do in Australia.

If this car was not actually owned by Ferrari the car would be crushed/destroyed or taken off the owner, especially if this was Sydney. They have found fining drivers or even taking driver's licenses away won't stop idiots reoffending, but if they remove the car and crush it ... problem solved!!! and a very expensive lesson to the wanker driver. Street racing in particular is NOT tolerated at all in Australia, and fair enough.

There are race tracks in Western Australia ... aren't there? Use them!
Pete

 

First, I am not a street racer.

I would think that professional Auto Journalists would go to a track if they want to do speed tests. DUH!!!

This must really be the most moronic group of Auto Journalists ever! Especially if they are Aussies and know the laws and still don't give a damm.

In the USA, the cars are not crushed. Just look at treatment of the equally or even more dangerous driving behavior of Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and

Al Gore's Pruis driving son. None of their cars were crushed. But maybe they should have been. Or maybe just the drivers! That way a nice car can find a new owner!

 

All good points.

Most of the "street racers" (and please note I never meant you were one) in Australia are not necessarily intelligent people from middle to lower incomes, etc. They put all their money, it appears, into their road car and because they have low self-estem are too scared to take it on a race track like a real man and thus we have overly serious traffic light GP's. Does not happen every day but every now and then some innocent family is obliterated by one of these wankers in an enormous crash.

Thus while I also like to have a little laugh behind the wheel or on my m/c and I might tease other drivers I never, ever race on the road ... and thus once little bit of careful fun is over it's completely over. These guys instead use both sides (sometimes) of the roads and once a race is on, red lights or any other traffic rule is completely ignored.

Therefore if they survive, and unfortunately too often these people do, only the innocent appear to suffer, then removing their beloved car that has had near their total income for the last 5 years invested in it CRUSHED is IMO far too light a sentence, but then I'm sure they also have to serve manslaughter terms as well.

Personally I'd like the RTA (Road Transport Authority) to follow New Zealands lead and ban modifications to road cars over certain limits. In NZ you are not allowed to run tires wider than so many % of original and to have more than x % more power, etc. ... or atleast that is what it was like when I lived there, because I had a cars modifications certified (when the law first came in ... this was ~ 20 years ago).

After all if you want to modify further ... go racing properly on the track!
Best
Pete
ps: I wonder if I got caught doing 231 in a 100 zone whether I would be locked up immediately?. Does anybody know if this journo is receiving special treatment? ... I do hope not!

 

Honestly, when I read about Australia and speed limits I just laugh, just imagine the frustration of having a Ferrari but having to sit at 80km/h most of the time...

Me, I beleive in driving at a speed that appropriate to the road, weather conditions, traffic conditions.

 

So do I, but these guys that race on the public road are causing the problems. In this case 231 km/h probably was not dangerous also but we cannot have different rules for some ...

Also I wouldn't care if the speeding driver was the one that got killed everytime ... it is the 6 year old child (for example) in the other car that gets to me!
Pete

 

Not sure what you mean by racing. I thought he was caught speeding, not racing? Was there another car involved? I've seen no mention of it.

 

Who in this group has NEVER exceeded a limit of some kind! Really

 

Driving over the speed limit is one thing. Driving 140MPH+ on public roads is just plain crazy and a menace to all.

 

plenty of people drive these sort of speeds in europe all day long. I'm sure in the states it happens too. I honestly don't know why the 'driving at 140 on a public road will kill' flag is raised all the time. If a motorway (highway) is virtually empty, the visibility is good and you're driving a very quick car are you telling me you don't push it? 140mph isn't that quick on an empty, straight road. Hell, even my mom drives those speeds from time to time!

If the road where the car was impouded was one of those endless long roads where they used to test cars (up until a few years ago these roads where all unrestricted) I don't think it will have been too dangerous.

If it was a crowded road though, you absolutely shouldn't do it.

 

In America, it's illegal and dangerous. If you're mom can drive at 140 MPH and not kill herself or anyone else, that's fine. But in the US, it's a recipe for disaster. I don't think you would want that, would you?

Look... if you want Ferrari's BANNED from the US market, go ahead and have a series of 140MPH crashes of them with SUV's filled with kids. You'll see how long they are still allowed for sale here or speed limited to 100 or some other stupid political "solution".

 

No, you don't understand. ALL so-called automotive journalists are idiots. They all think they're Mario Andretti.

 

You speeding!?!?!?!?! NO CAR FOR YOU!!

-G.B.

 

Its only dangerous when the driver can't handle the car. If there's traffic, you shouldn't do it and people with sense generally don't (look at those street racing in russia video's for example. Thats incredibly stupid).

Anyways, if you have the road for yourself to whatever speed you're comfortable with. If that's 90, do 90, its 140, do 140.

 

PAPPY was that you??!

 

You have to understand the location before you can make these sweeping statements. Yes I agree with you EXCEPT this was in Australia. The driving standard and license obtaining process is pathetic thus the average driver in Australia is way below (and I mean way, way, way below) the ability and understanding of a European driver.

Correct, but this was (for Australia) massive speeding, so in my books reckless.

All the time, but there is a time and a place AND a sensible limit. You're driving a flash new red Ferrari ... going that fast you are asking for trouble with the police ... driver = idiot, as he knows the laws in his own country.

Pete

 

LOL! Guess he got sick of the 348!!!

 

Lol! I wish!!

 

In the Northern Territory of Australia, they used to have an open speed limit up until 18 months ago.

They have now set the speed limit to 130 kmh (80 mph) and I am pretty sure they said that putting a speed limit in place has not affected the crash/fatality rate there. It didnt make a difference, so I think they were talking of removing the imposed speed limit and have an open speed limit again.

I drove through there last year. I was a good boy and sat on the speed limit of 130 kmh on the highways. You obviously slow down when in town. On the highway, I did 130 kmh and I was passed like I was sitting still by EVERY car that came up behind me.

Some drivers must have been doing 200 kmh I reckon!

 

OTOH Pap, maybe they'll keep lowering it to 100 or 80 kph until the fatality rate does drop! At least that's the way it would work around here....