Fast and Furious Star Paul Walker (all around car guy) Dies in Porsche Accident

[C_stripes]

Isn't it crazy how much stock was held just by Paul Walker? I also think it's cool how everyone is saying how he was such a great guy and very modest about it. I think a lot of other stars should take note. How many stars do you hear are so hard to work with, or fans say they are complete ass holes, yet you hear complete opposite about Paul. As has been mentioned in here before, even in his interviews he comes off as a layed back, fun to be around guy. I hope they can carry on with the fast and furious franchise. I really enjoy it just for the cars and the fun. I feel bad for his family, friends, co workers, and fans. He has left big shoes to fill.

[mopar0166]

Isn't it crazy how much stock was held just by Paul Walker? I also think it's cool how everyone is saying how he was such a great guy and very modest about it. I think a lot of other stars should take note. How many stars do you hear are so hard to work with, or fans say they are complete ass holes, yet you hear complete opposite about Paul. As has been mentioned in here before, even in his interviews he comes off as a layed back, fun to be around guy. I hope they can carry on with the fast and furious franchise. I really enjoy it just for the cars and the fun. I feel bad for his family, friends, co workers, and fans. He has left big shoes to fill.

I CONCUR! 

[polywideblock]

Isn't it crazy how much stock was held just by Paul Walker? I also think it's cool how everyone is saying how he was such a great guy and very modest about it. I think a lot of other stars should take note. How many stars do you hear are so hard to work with, or fans say they are complete ass holes, yet you hear complete opposite about Paul. As has been mentioned in here before, even in his interviews he comes off as a layed back, fun to be around guy. I hope they can carry on with the fast and furious franchise. I really enjoy it just for the cars and the fun. I feel bad for his family, friends, co workers, and fans. He has left big shoes to fill.

  very well said 

[1974dodgecharger]

My car topped out at 140 this morning.......

[472 R/T SE]

Isn't it crazy how much stock was held just by Paul Walker? I also think it's cool how everyone is saying how he was such a great guy and very modest about it. I think a lot of other stars should take note. How many stars do you hear are so hard to work with, or fans say they are complete ass holes, yet you hear complete opposite about Paul. As has been mentioned in here before, even in his interviews he comes off as a layed back, fun to be around guy. I hope they can carry on with the fast and furious franchise. I really enjoy it just for the cars and the fun. I feel bad for his family, friends, co workers, and fans. He has left big shoes to fill.

Well said Mr. sripes.  Lots of male fans liked him cause he was so down to earth. 

An interview of him when he made the movie with Jessica Alba Into the Blue. 

"Come on, dude, you know what I'm looking at. I couldn't take my eyes off that ass. I'm sorry. She's beautiful. And she's such a pain in my ass, too. But that's what I love about her. She's the kind of girl you just want to have angry sex with for the rest of your life because it's just that good."

There was also a out take from the movie where Walker feigned grabbing her ass under water.


Just goes to show he could have had almost anyone he wanted. 

[Fred]

My car topped out at 140 this morning.......

And then what?      

[A383Wing]

My car topped out at 140 this morning.......

MPH or KPH?

[1974dodgecharger]

thats why I need NOS...two bottles exactly even though amateurs dont use NOS.

[Baldwinvette77]

"i don't have any cash, but i do have the pinkslip to my car" ... we're quoting pauls character right?

[JB400]

It looks like this Porshe isn't for the faint of heart
http://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2013/12/03/jay-leno-also-struggled-with-the-porsche-that-killed-paul-walker/

Even Leno had a hard time with it

[myk]

It looks like this Porshe isn't for the faint of heart
http://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2013/12/03/jay-leno-also-struggled-with-the-porsche-that-killed-paul-walker/

Even Leno had a hard time with it

Like any dedicated performance machine, be it a car, aircraft, firearm, racing boat, whatever; there's little to no tolerance for errors of any kind.  I remember a viral-youtube 'vid of a 'Lambo that spun out and maybe even crashed as it made a turn from a complete stop; people laughed and goofed on the driver/owner for months but you know what?  A car with that kind of power IS that easy to lose control of, even from a complete stop.  People need to take this stuff seriously; I realize the driver of the Porsche was a "professional racer," and all, but still...

[1974dodgecharger]

some cars are not forgiving at all though myk I think thats what the article was about this porsche does not forgive you one bit everything has to be dead nuts on 100% and everyone is not 100% perfect.  Even with respect to this car the car is still dangerous (based on what I googled and read  )

The only car thats most forgiving with such power is the GTR thats out there.  That makes amateur car drivers look like pro drivers.....

It looks like this Porshe isn't for the faint of heart
http://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2013/12/03/jay-leno-also-struggled-with-the-porsche-that-killed-paul-walker/

Even Leno had a hard time with it

Like any dedicated performance machine, be it a car, aircraft, firearm, racing boat, whatever; there's little to no tolerance for errors of any kind.  I remember a viral-youtube 'vid of a 'Lambo that spun out and maybe even crashed as it made a turn from a complete stop; people laughed and goofed on the driver/owner for months but you know what?  A car with that kind of power IS that easy to lose control of, even from a complete stop.  People need to take this stuff seriously; I realize the driver of the Porsche was a "professional racer," and all, but still...

[Ghoste]

Like I mentioned, I've driven a few of them and they aren't for the faint hearted.  Not a hydrogen bomb on wheels either and if the guy Paul was with was a pro, he should have been up to the car.  Even pros die though.  The only ones who know exactly what happened won't be telling us any time soon unfortunately.

[Mike DC]

 
I recently read that only about 1/4th of the Carrera GTs built are still in one piece today.  Not sure if it's true but that would be a hell of an impressive wreck rate. 


What's so unmanageable about that car?  Yeah all the cars of its type are tempermental but this one seems to draw a lot of flak.  Drivers say warnings like, "It's a street-legal racecar" as if a racecar was a terrifying thing to them.  Why does it spook pro wheelmen?    

The engine's in the middle, the suspension is stiff, the body is lightweight & low to the ground, and there's a crapload of power.    That's a recipe to get hurt for sure, but its not unique to the Carrera GT. 

It occurs to me is that everyone is used to driving full-on racecars in full-on racetrack conditions.  Perfectly smooth pavement, etc.   The Carrera GT lives in the real world.  Is that a part of what gives it the bad rep?  Gravel/dust on the road, uneven pavement, etc? 

Or maybe a suspension geometry thing?  You'd think Porsche would have that base covered.  



I've wondered if Roger Rodas got into trouble because he was running the car under its tuned speed.  You can't set a chassis up to truly be happy at 170mph and still have it just as happy at 70mph.  Everything is gonna be too stiff for lower speeds.  Modern hi-tech shocks can be adjusted on the fly but springs & sway bars generally can't.  And the aerodynamics mashing the car against the pavement at high speeds aren't helping much at 70 either.  I would expect the handling to be worst if you were running it above the speed where the tires aren't even being tested, but far below the really high speeds the car was designed for. 
   
   

[Ghoste]

My experience with them is that the cltuch is on or its off.  Period.  The engine has a very narrow and peaky powerband, it likes a lot of revs and it doesn't like the lower speed operation.  If you are accustomed to driving Porsches, it is NOT like other Porsche engines the way it responds.  Not atypical of other supercars it has a very limited driver fit.  I'm thin and just under six foot and I felt comfortable in the car but anyone taller shorter or wider would not be.  Its very light and reacts quickly, I found you had to think ahead of where you want to be.  From a stop, you need to think ten feet ahead because at that point where you think the clutch should be engaging you aren't going to feel it, you are suddenly going to be about 6 feet from where you started.  The faster you go in it, the further ahead of the car your mind needed to be.
This is true of most supercars and should be of all driving anyway but the Carrera GT seems to react quickly with little to no seat of pants indication.  If any of that makes sense.

[JB400]

If this is a car that can hardly be driven by the seat of the pants, it would seem to reason that drivers that do a lot of sims would have better control over this car.

[472 R/T SE]

I read that any kind of bumps in the road like persay a city street really made the car unmanageable and the professional drivers' that have driven it say it shouldn't be on the streets.

I see the new FF6 trailers mention that a portion of $$ will be donated to Paul Walker's charity.   

[Ghoste]

They are very very low to the ground so any bump tends to throw them around.

[HeavyFuel]

clearly i've been cheated and lied to... and when you say first gen skyline , do you mean the one from the 50's ? or the early 70's.... or?

I guessing Nissan GT-R ....tough car to get ahold of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Skyline_GT-R

[Mike DC]

 
Ghoste -

I get what you mean about no seat-of-the-pants feedback.  IMO that's a big problem with these really uncompromised vehicles.  As the engineers have gotten better at making cars grip they have also closed up the leeway between gripping and sliding.  The traction becomes much more of a on/off switch than it once was.


I was once reading about Colin Chapman & Lotus's efforts in F1 back before the cars & tracks were tamed.  There was a story about them adding some anti-dive & anti-squat into their top driver's suspension for the first time.  After testing it out the driver came back into the pits demanding that they get rid of those effects so he could feel what the car was doing again.

Most uncompromised cars seem to suffer from this anymore.  Anything about the car which contributes to a gradual loss of traction gets targeted for elimination in favor of making the car continue to stick longer . . . right up until it completely lets go.

[Ghoste]

You know, I've had that discussion with a friend but only regarding tire technology and how young drivers today don't know the car is out of control until its past the point of getting it back but you are right, its the whole car that has been moving towards that goal.  Never really thought of that before.

[polywideblock]

so does the old Porsche mantra" slow in ,fast out" still apply to these new models?  had people ask what I mean 

[Ghoste]

Maybe if you gear down enough, the thing likes rpm's up so you can't let it lug in a high gear.  It will accelerate like crazy in it's powerband.
Not exactly a new model though, they made them around 2004 and only built just over a thousand of them as I recall.  They used a V10 for power so they certainly sound or perform like other Porsches.  All the same, I'm just saying it deserves respect but I don't know that I consider it a widowmaker or as unpredictable as the 959.  (I think it was the 959 wasn't it that would swap ends if you didn't stay in it during cornering?)

[C_stripes]

No doubt that there was probably some horseplay. But I think that dragging this on about if it was the Porsche or the driver is ridicules. It sounds as if about every person that's driven one says they are 'unforgiving' or a 'handful'. I am going to say that it may have been a combination. But really, I think it's disrespectful to drag the thread on about it...

[Ghoste]

I think it became more of a discussion about A car not necessarily THE car.  No one was really talking too much about the accident specifically.