Too much power in the rain.
After seeing a report on WCYB in Virginia about a classic Ford GT 40 Mk II crashing on I-26 in Tennessee we all held our breath, hoping that it wasn’t an original GT. It turned out to be a bittersweet situation for automotive enthusiasts because it thankfully wasn’t an original, but it was a well-executed, $150,000 replica.
According to the original owner, he had been coming back from a car show at Borla in Johnson City, TN when he encountered a flooded section of road after a cloud burst on Interstate-26. The driver had driven the car in the wet before and had deep tire tread on his tires for wet conditions. The driver slowed down but lost traction to all four wheels and ended up hit the guard rail at a slow speed.
Here’s his post on GT40s.com:
“Me….After attending a car show at Borla in Johnson City, I crested a hill on I-26 in the wet after a cloud burst and found a what looked like a river fording running across the banked road. I had slowed a few minutes before in the rain. I have driven the car many times in the rain without any indication of hydroplaning. Tire tread was deep. I was running 45-50 when the front wheels lost traction three times. The final time, all 4 wheels lost traction and the car started toward the the guard rail …drivers side. The impact wasn’t anything, but the fiberglass gave. It was nothing of a hit. Not a scratch or bruise. Just that sick feeling….I restarted the car and moved into the guard rail as I didn’t want to meet a Kenworth tractor.
The structure is unharmed, no broken glass. The replacement parts hunt is on. A front nose, radiator, two rims, and maybe a rear clip if the one can’t be fixed.
Not a scratch an the steel tub.
NO ticket (violation) was issued. Can’t say enough about the help offered by the Tennessee HP.
The slop of the road and heavy rain fanned across three lanes of highway. Where I crossed was at narrow part of the fan….the deepest. Maybe 1-2 inches deep. I recovered 2 times, but the 3rd I became a passenger looking at the guardrail coming up through my left window and thinking this isn’t going to be pretty. The car did well protecting me. Only wish I’d done the same for the car.
Oh, the tanks had just been topped off with Shell V gas at $3.19 gallon.
The water was just to deep for 40mph or maybe 20mph. When you crest the top of the slope that is what I found there. I’m an old helicopter pilot. We are a pessimistic lot who anticipate the worst and that something bad is going to happen. That is why I don’t get excited during a crisis. My life experiences have been widened.
Just sick….but we buy big fiberglass parts and go forth. Some of the peoples comments on the new story are typical and funny. Don’t drive it, or no I didn’t go looking for rain and it was a sunny morning when I started out.”
Although the Ford GT Mk II replica didn’t hit the guard rail hard, it did suffer damage to many of its fiberglass parts. Thankfully, the structure wasn’t damaged. The owner did not suffer any injuries, wasn’t ticketed by police, and the car was valued at $150,000. He is now searching for replacement parts to bring the car back to life. We wish him the best of luck!
On a scale of 1-10, how bad is this accident in your opinion? Leave a comment and let us know!
