When getting into a high-powered vehicle, you’re well advised to familiarize yourself slowly and drive within your limits. However, not everyone heeds that sage advice. It appears one such driver has come to grief in Switzerland this week, piloting a Porsche 911 GT3 directly into a local river.
The incident took place on the Limmat River in the municipality of Schlieren, some 5 miles northwest of downtown Zurich. Authorities were called to recover a Porsche that had wound up in the river on Monday evening.
As reported by Swiss outlet 20 Minuten, the incident occurred less than a mile from Porsche Center Zurich. Witnesses believed the vehicle may have just left the dealership, either on a test drive or just after sale, though this remains unconfirmed at this stage. “The driver accelerated like he was crazy,” a witness told the outlet. When the driver lost control, the vehicle slid into the river, which is wider than usual thanks to recent heavy rainfall. “They were extremely lucky because the vehicle almost rolled over and then probably landed on its roof in the Limmat,” said the witness.
[UPDATE:Â According to a spokesperson for the Porsche Centre Zurich, it’s a coincidence the accident happened so close to a dealership:
Bad news travels fast around the wolrd… A Porsche 911 has indeed landed in the Limmat near our site in Zurich Schlieren. This is of course a great pity for such a great car.
But this accident is in no way connected with the Porsche Centre Zurich. It is not a company car, nor is it a customer vehicle that was previously at our centre for repairs, servicing or has been sold before the accident.
It is an unfortunate coincidence that the distance between the scene of the accident and our garage is so short.
So there you have it. The car just happened to land in a river down the street from a large Porsche dealership and service center. – MH]
@videoreporter_nico Am Montagabend (03.06.2024) kam ein Porsche nach einem Selbstunfall in der Limmat zum stehen. Die beiden Fahrzeuginsassen (23&17) blieben bei dem Unfall unverletzt. #unfall #porsche #limmat #zürich #zh #schlieren #schliere #szene #szeneischzüri #szeneisch #schweiz #switzerland #news #for #foryou #foryoupageofficiall #foryoupage #für #fürdich #fürdichpage #viral #tiktoknews #aktuellenachrichten #aktuellenews #news #blaulicht #blaulichtreport #blaulichtfilmer #feuerwehr #police #polizei #car #water #wasser #bergung #nauornever
The vehicle in question appears to be a 992 model GT3, with retail prices starting somewhere in excess of $184,000 in the US. With 502 horsepower on tap from its naturally aspirated flat-six, the GT3 will do zero to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds with the PDK transmission, or in 3.3 seconds with the six-speed manual.
With that kind of power on tap, it’s easy to see how the driver may have come to grief. Fat tires can only do so much, after all. Chlosterstrasse—the road alongside the Limmat—is also remarkably narrow, with no guard rail or barriers between it and the river. It would take only a small mistake to end up in the drink, and that appears to be precisely what happened. According to witnesses, tire tracks were visible on the road, suggesting significant acceleration prior to the crash.
At the time of writing, Zurich police were still investigating the matter. As per Nau.ch, the 23-year-old driver and the 17-year-old passenger were reported as not injured in the incident. Video of the aftermath shows over five emergency vehicles responding to the incident from both the police and fire departments, as well as a large crane.
Suffice to say, flooring it in a powerful supercar is better done on the track than on a narrow riverside corridor. If you really must put your foot down, consider learning how to control your vehicle first.
Image credits: Ecletica Sol via YouTube screenshot
I recall a black Testa Rossa, obviously new, turned the wrong way around on a side street in Manhattan with the bumper ripped off.
I’m happy with my underpowered little car.
And here I thought I couldn’t lose any more respect for the driver.
I suppose it’s possible I’m making bad assumptions here, but we’re all thinking the same thing, right?
The very first Challenger Hellcat sold in Colorado was wrecked less than an hour after leaving the dealership. Torch even wrote the story about it on the old site. It was on a road I know quite well, Riverdale, Rd. The road at that time was more suited to motorcycles and smaller, nimble cars. But even 10 years ago when it happened, traffic was making it a bad prospect.
The real question is how many speed camera tickets it racked up in the 100 yards or whatever, knowing Zurich’s propensity for them
Was there a cars ‘n’ coffee nearby?
Not a Mustang
Sometimes you need to say “No” to the testosterone.
What’s the German word for schadenfreude?
Interesting – this is somehow both sploosh and not-sploosh.
My takeaway here is that the Swiss are so efficient they can get through the news in 20 minutes.
Thinking the same thing and then I recalled the conversion that Euro-minutes are actually longer than American-minutes
Because they are metric minutes
There are 2.54 metric minutes in an Imperial minute
Wait. But that means, unless American minutes are shorter than Imperial minutes, then metric minutes are shorter than Euro minutes?
I’m confused.
One of the problems we’re seeing is that persons with a positive credit line and limited driving experience can get themselves into vehicles with power ratings that used to be the preserve of the top tier professional race drivers. Many of these power wagons also lack the handling to go with the power. Ongoing incidents at places like Cars and Coffee are an example of this. Recipe for disaster.
It’s not uncommon to see brand new Chargers and Mustangs high centered up on center divides or hoplessy stuck in the landscaping next to the roads around here. So many people who buy and drive these have no sense, no skill, and certainty no business behind the wheel of a car with that much power.
I worked for a shop that modified European cars in the late 80’s I remember a few 930 Turbos owned by NHL players that were absolutely scary with bigger turbos and the like- I remember one that the player complained the clutch was too heavy- I tried to drive it into the shop and it was absolutely impossible to push the pedal down so he wasn’t kidding
Add to the ever growing don’t drive like an idiot on roads or parking lots file.
Porscheophiles are going to hate me for this, but given its Volkswagen roots, my first thought was, did it float?
Tom Cruise did it better.
Chlosterstrasse being remarkably narrow somehow seems appropriate.
You should see Chlosterethra.
Oof, no thanks.
Pretty sure that’s a Lambo, dude.
Are there pelicans in Switzerland?
“What’s the Swedish equivalent of “Son, you done goofed””
There are 3 official languages in Switzerland, but none of them are Swedish.
This was near Zurich, where they speak Swiss German.
This happened with a Dutch report about bicycles calling everything “Danish,” too. Where’s the Autopian globe? It’s time for some geography.
Oh darn. It’s been a decade since I last conflated Sweden and Switzerland.
Days since Sweden and Switzerland conflated on The Autopian: 0
Twenty three year old driver, 17 year old passenger: No mystery what was going on here. Fools rush in …
I’m older than both of these fools added together. More money than sense.
Yeah that explained it in one sentence.
I have a friend whose family owned a Honda-Suzuki dealership. Evidently, the first three Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycles they sold all crashed within a mile of the dealership; one in the lot, one leaving the lot, and one at the first light after the dealership.
The joke was that they all were sold with Bungee cords, because they all snapped back to the dealership…
I can believe it. Too many first time buyers/riders get the most powerful bike they can afford, then promptly stuff it.
And, unlike a car which takes you with it, unless you’re experienced and prepared for it, a powerful bike can launch right out from under a rider.
It doesn’t even have to be particularly powerful! All it takes is a whiskey throttle at the wrong moment. I remember it happening to me on my 50cc MB5, right into a dumpster. And I saw a fellow student do it on a Rebel 250 at the MSF class I took.
I remember my friend teaching me to ride a motorcycle on a CM 250. Once I could reliably get it in and out of gear, he said “now give it just a little tug on the throttle.” I did so, and It definitely had some scoot to it. He then said “Now you have some respect for this machine.”
Of course, he then got on the bike, gave it a little throttle, and promptly lost control, jumped a curb and almost crashed into a dumpster. I said “What were you doing??” He said “I don’t know….” I think he was so shocked he couldn’t think straight…
Everyone – EVERYONE- who has ridden a motorcycle more than once has done this. Sometimes just once. I’m pretty sure it’s in the Bible, somewhere in the back.
“If thou doest ridest a motorcycle, thou shalt at least once whiskey throttle into yon dumpster. Thus saith THE LORD.”
Revolutions 4:10
There are two types of riders: those who have been down, and those that are going down.
Once you go down once, then you’re good.
Hopefully because you’ve learned your lesson and don’t ever do again what you did to cause it.
I’ve never done the whisky throttle, but I did something equally dumb: I had a brake disc lock without the handlebar cord, so I forgot it was on. Got on the bike, started up, moved 2 inches, then fell over in front of my house.
The only time I ever rode my GL1000 in shorts, I was pulling into my parking space at the complex, sneezed VIOLENTLY (inside my full face helmet, of course), and reflexively pulled the brake lever. Hard.
The fork turned and I fell over. Got a GIANT burn on the inside of my unprotected leg from the exhaust pipe.
Guess what I never did again?
Well, I must be doing it wrong, cause I’ve never managed to punt myself in to a bin of any sort.
Still time I guess…
Like my early experience with RC planes and helicopters.
Until I put in the proper effort to learn, my first flights typically lasted no more than 10 seconds.
I wonder which can go from perfectly pleasant to utter disaster more quickly? I will say I’ve crashed many more planes than motorcycles though.