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Watch a rally legend lose control of the Porsche 918 Spyder

Even the best get it wrong or suffer from bad luck every now and then. Take Walter Röhrl, a German rally driver with a knack for making cars go very fast while making it look incredibly easy, who recently suffered a bit of a prang.

Rohrl had been taking the £1million Porsche 918 hybrid to its limits when a momentary loss of grip caused the tail end to slide out and the car to head towards the barrier at 125mph.

The 918 is then seen going sideways at a speed that would cause most people to soil themselves, but Röhrl reacts quickly and keeps the car going straight as opposed to backwards at speed into metal.

Unfortunately there is nothing the German rally champion can do as the car eventually ploughs into the barrier with enough force to be alarming to watch, damaging the 918 fitted with the Weissach Package, which adds unpainted carbon weave, 41kg in weight reduction and magnesium wheels to the standard car.

Speaking after the crash, Röhrl blamed something debris for the crash. A loose translation of the video says: “I’m 100 per cent sure there was something on the road. There’s no reason why the car should have let go, on the previous laps it was like child’s play going flat out.”

It is unclear if all driving aids such as ABS and traction control were switched off and if the car was modified in any form beyond the standard production spec.

The Weissach package helps the 918 lap the Nurburgring three seconds faster than the standard car, making it a tempting option for those with a spare £60,000 – and reportedly a quarter of buyers go for it.

The video is terrifying for a number of reasons, chiefly the entry speed into the corner, the cost of the damage knowing production of the car has ceased and the fact he nearly almost saves the car. Almost.

Watch the 918 destroy the Carrera GT in a drag race.

Update: Sadly the YouTube video has been removed for copyright reasons. New video found.

 

Video: Walter Rohrl crashes Porsche 918 Weissach

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