back to article German prangs dad's £275k supercar

German cops are investigating whether a 20-year-old may have been doing a tad over the 50 mph speed limit when he pranged his dad's £275k, 225 mph Gumpert Apollo. The driver failed to negotiate a bend near the town of Brokdorf, 50 miles north of Hamburg. He and his 19-year-old female passenger walked away from the crash with …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Good job too!

    ...One less of those eyesores on the roads.

    1. Dapprman
      Thumb Up

      Actually

      One of those is on my lottery win list of purchases.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    in fairness...

    its looks more stylish after the crash... what a fugly car, but then again i suppose a mid life crisis car should be like that...

    Fail, because buying one of those was a fail.

  3. MrT
    FAIL

    Two good points...

    - the passenger safety cell did a good job there, very impressive

    - the lad's managed to improve the looks of the car; the Apollo has all the style of a train-wreck when factory-fresh

  4. Steve the Cynic
    Happy

    He didn't prang it that completely

    at only 50 mph. 150 might be more like it.

    Still, it's a testament to the quality of the engineering that the passenger compartment wasn't as mangled as the engine compartment, but I'll bet that once dad found out, our young fellow *wishes* he'd pranged it hard enough to kill himself.

    1. Captain Scarlet Silver badge
      Boffin

      but

      The drivers door did flew off meaning protection in that area was nil

      1. TeeCee Gold badge
        Grenade

        Re: but

        Spaceframe construction. The doors (and pretty much all the bodywork panelling) are decorative when it come to crash protection. Usually designed to come away in one piece too, rather than breaking up and chucking bent bits into the passenger cell.

        It's infinitely better in a crash than a stressed monocoque with extra bits (like bars in the doors). Put it this way, if yer really "safe" production car gets five Euro-NCAP stars this thing would get about eight or so[1]. Of course, to measure that we'd need a scale that actually covered what *can* be done in terms of crash safety and the mass production car industry lobbyists would never allow that to happen.

        [1] Or should. I suspect that in the wacky world of the safety nazis it would get marked down for not having enough airbags or something equally as irrelevant in a properly built vehicle.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Wrong

        @Captain Scarlet the drivers door offers no real protection. It's the structure of the cabin that offers the protection. Noticed that big sill and low roof line? Clearly not.

    2. JC_
      Stop

      150mph is Faaasssstt!

      The difference between 30mph and 60mph may not seem much, but going from 60mph to 120mph is a huge difference, and at 150mph everything is happening really, really fast. Fast enough that it's scary (on a motorbike, anyway).

      If he crashed at 150 on a public road it's almost inconceivable that the car wouldn't have rolled and been a lot more messed up than it is.

      The grumpy old man in me says "throw the book at him". The younger man says "bad luck".

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: 150mph is Faaasssstt!

        You're not wrong... I've accidentally (and honestly, it was accidentally) wound my bike up to those regions on a UK motorway. It was very early morning, the road was empty, and I was happily cruising along eating up the miles, I had originally settled at somewhere between 80 and 90mph.

        The miles, time and scenery go by, and suddenly up in the distance I see a dot... Oh look, some actual traffic... Next thing I know I've shot past it!

        Having the scenery blur as you pass it at 80mph is very much the same as how it blurs at 150mph... The blur from passing a car which you think is traveling roughly the same speed as you, and not 80mph *slower* is somewhat different!

        I had to take the next exit and have a breather!

        Anon for obvious, license preserving reasons!

        1. Dapprman

          think that was bad ..

          I was doing a track day at Silverstone. Was doing ~120 mph and accelerating down Hanger Straight when pheasant decided to walk out on the track in front me me, far enough away that if we both carried on our present courses I was going to hit him, deadly to him, expensive to me. Just swerving to avoid could have resulted in a serious roll (and breaking would have me moving under less control in the same direction).

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Thumb Up

        Good job

        "The difference between 30mph and 60mph may not seem much, but going from 60mph to 120mph is a huge difference"

        That's right. The difference between 30 and 60 is 30 and the difference between 60 and 120 is twice that.

        Well done.

        1. JC_
          Thumb Up

          Good Job, Too!

          Anonymous Coward 9.01 - "That's right. The difference between 30 and 60 is 30 and the difference between 60 and 120 is twice that.

          Well done."

          Thanks for pointing that out, anonymous coward, your anal-retentive personality has enlightened us all!

          My point is that a doubling of speed does not equal a doubling of how scary it feels. But you knew that already, right?

          Hugs and love...

    3. Aaron Em

      Oh, I doubt that

      Tell you a secret from my own high school days about the kids whose parents are rich enough to let them drive around in cars too expensive for anyone in town ever to have heard of before?

      There's never -- and I mean not *ever* -- just one car like that in the garage. Two is trying far too hard; three is still a bit parvenu; six or seven, plus an antique motorcycle or two, is just about right.

      I'll just about guarantee you that a) the car was part of a collection, and b) the car was insured up to the eyelashes, especially if he was letting his 20-year-old drive around in it. In fact I'll even wager a fiver on c) it was the car the guy liked least, which is why he lent it to the *offspring* he liked least, in hope of seeing both problems solve themselves.

      1. TheRobster
        Thumb Down

        Assumption

        You are assuming, of course, that the father knew about his son using the car, it's not unheard of for delinquent offspring - especially those who want to show off to 19 year old bints - to just take things.

  5. Ralph B
    Badgers

    Finally Some Good News for Sony

    This story makes a pretty good argument for restricting idiot offspring to a Playstation & Gran Turismo.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Investigating?

    "German cops are investigating whether a 20-year-old may have been doing a tad over the 50 mph speed limit when he pranged his dad's £275k"

    Investigating what exactly.. The car is a total wreck, I would be investigating whether he was doing over 150mph

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Evidence

      I'm sure the rozzers are well aware that he was exceeding the speed limit, but in order to prosecute they need a little thing called evidence. A prosecution won't stick unless they can get evidence of how fast he was going.

  7. Arnold Lieberman
    Coat

    !!!!!!BAN THEM!!!!!!

    Someone think of the children!

    Mine's the one with the rolled-up Daily Mail in the pocket.

  8. Stratman
    FAIL

    title

    I can see why the rozzers aren't sure if he was exceeding the limit. It looks like a low speed prang to me.

    1. M Gale

      To be fair..

      ..you don't have to prang a car hard to fuck it up completely. They are designed to fall apart around you these days, so you don't become one with the metal framework. 50mph into a sufficiently solid barrier will really ruin your day, and you'll be thankful for crumple zones when you wake up in hospital.

      1. SirTainleyBarking
        FAIL

        Agreed

        Witness the Audi TT that slid into the back of my 20 year old Landrover's Towhitch. I was stationary at a junction, he hit sheet ice, but probably wasn't doing more than 5-10mph when he tapped me.

        Once I could actually see the back bumper, after I'd brushed off all the busted German Plastic, He'd cost me 10 minutes of my day.

        He'd lost the bumper, headlight, and kinked his bonnet, so I suspect the cost was much more for him.

        1. Mayhem

          heehee

          Yes, I have fond memories of a teen in a rice rocket pranging into my old Series III in wet conditions. Towball went right through his nose and punched clean through the radiator, then the bounce knocked it clear again. I think in total I lost about half a sq inch of paint on the bumper, but on the bright side he cleaned the rust off my towball. His car was ... not so lucky.

          Poor guy was all like 'don't you want my insurance details' and was stunned when I simply asked 'why? you didn't hurt anything'.

          Passive safety on those things was great, although I definitely wouldn't want to hit something solid at speed.

  9. Maty

    aaah

    Appropriately enough, Schadenfreude is a German word.

    1. Lord Raa

      Well

      They say that "Schadenfreude ist die beste freude" in certain German speaking parts of the world.

  10. Frederic Bloggs
    Thumb Down

    Top Gear

    4 - 1 on an honourable mention on the next Top Gear...

  11. TRT Silver badge
    Alert

    iIs it any wonder...

    Kids are quoted so much for car insurance.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13055623

  12. Neil Cooper
    Stop

    What a moron

    I mean the father, for not being able to guess what would happen if he let a teenager drive such a car.

    1. CatNinja

      Err you are assuming he knew

      Perhaps boy was trying to impress girl and "borrowed" the car without Dad's say so.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      You're assuming...

      ... that the father even knew he was driving it.

      Mine's the one with a copy of Ferris Bueller's Day Out in the pocket.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Happy

        Smite thee oh space of demandng title text!!

        I had to laugh reading this one :) What a great film although winding back the odometer is just one of the many jobs the kid will need to do on the car :)

    3. Paul RND*1000

      I'd be surprised if...

      ...the father knew anything about this before the cops arrived on the front doorstep.

    4. Shades
      Troll

      Thirteen...

      ...Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty.

      Which one of these does not belong?

  13. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    Now that's why you wear a seatbelt!

    Still need some new underwear though!

    1. Monkey Bob
      Go

      Which streak do you think is the biggest?

      The tyre rubber on the road or the brown streak up the seat backs?

    2. Graham Bartlett

      Re: Now that's why you wear a seatbelt!

      Certainly will need some new underwear. Army-issue armoured stuff, for when his dad kicks his arse big style.

      1. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

        Re: Re: Now that's why you wear a seatbelt!

        "Certainly will need some new underwear. Army-issue armoured stuff, for when his dad kicks his arse big style."

        Too bad he is unlikely to play cricket, he could then put his box to good use

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      Yeah man...

      ...the skid marks in his and his gf's underwear must have been enormous.

      Mine's the one with a matching pair of his & her's underwear in the pocket

  14. Peter Simpson 1
    FAIL

    I'm sure the young lady was impressed

    Right up until the point where she had to phone her parents for a ride home.

  15. laird cummings

    Grounded...

    The lad won't be allowed out of his room 'til he's 40.

    1. LateNightLarry
      FAIL

      Grounded...

      I'd say it's more likely that Dear Old Dad will boot him out of the house the day the law says he is an adult... while Mumsey will make sure he's not out in the cold ...

      Fail, because the kid is being set up to fail in life, no matter how much money he's got. He's too stupid to plan for the future.

  16. The Alpha Klutz

    broke?

    or made it better?

  17. Luke McCarthy

    I wonder if she was still impressed

    after the crash...

  18. Turtle

    Yes but...

    Yes, that's all very nice but was the girl impressed?

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Good News/ Bad News

    Good -- Dad, you won't have to worry about that expensive maintenance and the insurance renewal.

    Bad -- Did I tell you about the good news?

  20. Anonymous IV
    Dead Vulture

    Insurance?

    I'd be really interested to know just how much is the insurance on a £275K car for a 20-y-o.

    Over €1M, perhaps?

    He WAS insured. Wasn't he? Or was his father fronting...?

  21. Stevie

    Bah!

    Does it come in anything other than orange?

  22. Trev 2

    Did the door actually fly 100 feet?

    Need to know if the door actually flew 100' down the road in which case a high speed crash would perhaps be likely, or did it actually fall off, someone nicked it and then dropped it after realising it's gonna look pretty stupid on their banged up Ford Fiesta?

  23. Andy 115
    IT Angle

    After the crash the driver's door ended up 100ft (30m) away...

    ...I bet the lad and his bollocks were separated by a similar distance when his dad found out!

  24. M Gale

    Famous last words...

    ...of any boy racer:

    "Here, watch this!"

  25. Richard Scratcher
    FAIL

    0 to 62 in 3 seconds!

    £275,000 to £0 in about the same time.

    1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

      Ouch ... the how to blow half a million job.

      Err ...... is it not a more eye-watering +£275,000 to -£275,000 in about the same time, Richard Scratcher.

  26. RFC822

    @Aaron Em

    > at 150mph everything is happening really, really fast. Fast enough that it's

    > scary (on a motorbike, anyway).

    It's pretty scary in a car too, even one that's well capable of it (Porsche 928S4).

    I've had a lot of experience of driving at 100mph+, but it's astonishing how much faster everything happens at 150mph. I have extreme respect for those who have driven at 200mph (and lived to tell the tale).

  27. Xelandre
    FAIL

    Could have done better

    Brokdorf is also home to nuclear power facility, which are quite "popular" over here.

    That lad could have killed three birds with a stone: (a) remove himself from the gene pool whilst (b) driving this pathetic German virility surrogate into the (c) containment building.

  28. Robert E A Harvey

    title

    Boys will be boys. At least everyone is still beathing.

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Time for a nose job

    Daddy should rearrange juniors face for him.

  30. Winkypop Silver badge
    Joke

    I clicked on the news link...

    ....but I'm having trouble working out which is the *before* image and which is the *after*....

  31. Patrick R
    Flame

    What's the difference ?

    All of you (or us) commentards would just crash normal cars, boozed on a friday evening. But still throwing the stone, it's just a habit.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      All?

      Sorry, you might be stupid enough to drive when "boozed up" but don't tar us all with your brush. I have never, ever, driven when "boozed up" in over half a million miles. And I never would. I'm sure there are plenty of other commentards in the same boat.

      And as for driving somebody else's car like an idiot, never done that either. Of course I've driven my own cars and bikes like an idiot, but I wouldn't be daft enough to do it with somebody else's pride and joy. Nobody (not even stiggles) can get into an unfamiliar car and give it the beans from the off safely on a twisting public road.

      Have to say, however, that I have seen a reversal of this situation. A young bloke from down the road came home to visit his parents last year on his newly aquired hyperbike. Dad wanted a ride. The son advised him to be careful, given how fast it was. The dad replied that he was used to big bikes having owned a CB900F back in the eighties. He got about a mile from the house before he stacked it. Ho hum.

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    £275k super car

    <sigh> he just wrote off the cost of our house

    beer as thats what I'm crying into

  33. tangerine Sedge

    All is right in the world....

    Boy steals dads car, shows off and has accident. This is the nature of boys (whether Gumpert Appollo or Ford Model T) since cars were invented. This just demonstrates that all is right with the world!

    P.S. Shame the Gumpert got written off, of all the 'super cars' this is the one I would have....

  34. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Cars don't have a pilot

    They have a BMW behind the wheel

  35. Justin Clements

    Whats with the comments about looks?

    The Apollo isn't designed to be pretty, it's designed to be very fast.

    This isn't a posing car, this is a driving car.

    1. MrT
      Troll

      But it's the exception...

      You can have good looks and high speed - Of the 220mph+ supercars, this one's the pug of the bunch.

      Bugatti Veyron

      SSC Ultimate Aero

      Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo

      Koenigsegg CCX

      McLaren F1

      Ones yet to go on sale:

      Aston Martin One-77 (220mph at Nardo)

      One-offs or modified:

      Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina

      Sportec 996 GT2 SP650 (for one - Ruf 911's are also no slouch)

      Brabus Bullit

      Of all of those, it's only the Apollo that leaves me wanting to scratch my eyes out.

      If 220mph+ isn't important, I'll take a McLaren Mp4-12C... Heck, I'll even take an Ascari A10, recycled Peugeot 206 headlights included.

      Troll icon, because even they look better than a Gumpert Apollo.

  36. Graham Bartlett

    @SirTainleyBarking

    Back in the 90s in my old Cavalier, I did that myself. Braking coming up to some stationary traffic in town, I hit what was either black ice or dropped oil. The following 10s went "brake - it's sliding - release - brake - it's sliding - release - brake - it's slidng - release - brake - I'm not going to get out of this - foot down, hold it and wait for impact". Impact wasn't more than 10-15mph. The Seat Ibiza in front was superficially not too badly off, although of course it's structural bodywork so it cost a bit to repair. But it made a right mess of the Cav's wings and bonnet. The Cav radiator was mounted a good foot behind the bumpers, and the front had been pushed right in until it touched the rad, which was slightly cracked but useable.

    I was young, had no money, and only had TPF&T insurance. Find a convenient empty industrial estate, one end of a tow rope around a lamp post, other end around the pushed-in metalwork, reverse slowly, and repeat until it's pulled back out again. New rad and bumper from a scrappy, and everyone was happy. It's not like the Cav was ever that pretty anyway!

    1. Gerry Doyle 1

      Same here, only no supercars...

      Same long slide, but in a 1985 Corolla hatchback, same very low speed impact, though out of the corner of my eye I could see herself bouncing forward in the seatbelt and the kids in the back doing the same. Anyway, the bonnet crumpled up as it should do, in overly dramatic fashion, wing and headlight went in too, and it was the Garda that 'helped' bend things back that did for the radiator with a crowbar.

      The car in front seemed to have little other than a kink where I had hit it.

      I cobbled mine back for 250 quid, bonnet, lights, washer bottle, radiator, wing while the other one claimed off her insurance and charged 2,500 to my insurance company.

      Boys will be boys though - when I was in school a friend 'borrowed' his brother's Fiat 500 and it was only when I questioned his driving ability that he admitted he had never driven before. I let myself out at that point - once he managed to stop. I heard later he drove it into his front door trying to park it - those brake and gas pedals are so close together on a tiny Fiat and when you combine that with big wide 70s brogues...

      While we still don't know what befell the German kid, your man's brother kicked the living shit out of him.

  37. JeffyPooh
    Pint

    "Papa, darf ich das auto leihen?"

    Somebody beat me to the "It's looks better now..." joke.

  38. Nick Pettefar

    eltiT

    If it's anything like my old RX7-3 then he may have touched the throttle whilst the steering wasn't pointing completely forwards. Oops! I almost wrote the bugger off a couple of times. Bloody scary! My ZZR11 is a pussycat in comparison. Purrrr......

  39. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    He should get a Volvo...

    His dad, not the lad. 225mph from 650PS? Gumpert need to chat to Volvo's aerodynamicist! They can get 230mph from 215PS - see http://www.volvocars.com/uk/all-cars/volvo-v60/details/pages/technical-spec.aspx for more details! And you can get the shopping in the back.

  40. Z80
    WTF?

    It's on the Internet, it must be true.

    0mpg around town in that '230mph' Volvo isn't quite so impressive though.

  41. Mips
    Jobs Horns

    That's what you call..

    .. a Clarkson moment

  42. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Nah, its not too bad

    Bit of t-cut and it'll be fine

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