Oops: Journalist’s Son Crashes $180k Porsche Press Car

Posted on 26. May, 2010 by PB in 911

What happened in journalist Peter Cheney’s garage was any parent’s nightmare. Peter Cheney is an automotive journalist who writes for the Globe and Mail, a Canadian news publication. Peter frequently test drives automobiles and writes reviews of his experience driving the cars. Recently, Cheney was given an opportunity to take home a Porsche 911 Turbo, valued at $180,000. Cheney was supposed to keep the car for a few days so that he could write a full review of the luxury automobile’s performance and handling. Ideally, he was supposed to return the vehicle in one piece. Instead, Peter came home to find his garage in shambles and the Porsche badly damaged.

Before: Porsche 911 Turbo (Credit: The Globe and Mail) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/car-life/cheney/globe-journalists-son-crashes-180000-porsche/article1574334/?cid=art-rail-cheney

Cheney’s son Will, 18, apparently decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and test drive the car himself. The Globe and Mail reports that Will often brought friends over to the family garage to look at whatever car his father was reviewing at the time. When the Porsche Turbo appeared in the family garage, Will just couldn’t resist climbing inside for a closer look. Apparently, Cheney’s son had no intention to drive the car anywhere. Although numerous commentators have compared this event to the famous car crash scene in the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Will was arguably not actually trying to go for a joy ride - he just wanted to listen to the radio.

So, he turned the car on and never expected what would happen next. Instead of the radio turning on, the engine of the car roared to life, and the car shot forward and ploughed straight into the garage door. As soon as Peter returned home, Will confessed. I personally, would have fled the country, but Will must have been fairly confident his dad would be lenient. Fortunately for Will, his father didn’t ship him off to boarding school or bury him in the backyard. He may very well have been saved by the fact that during the moments after the incident, Peter Cheney was more concerned with making sure that the garage got fixed so that the car did not get stolen during the night.

After: A damaged Porsche 911 Turbo. (Credit: The Globe and Mail) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/car-life/cheney/globe-journalists-son-crashes-180000-porsche/article1574334/?cid=art-rail-cheney

Once the car was examined by a qualified mechanic and the family contractor came to look at the family’s garage, it was determined that Cheney’s son had caused about $14,000 worth of damage to the Porsche Turbo and the family’s home. Porsche’s insurance took care of the damages to the car, and Cheney’s home owner’s insurance took care of the damage to the family’s garage. Porsche did not allow Cheney to pay their insurance deductible, which he volunteered to do. A representative from Porsche even sent the family a picture of a Porsche that had been totalled in a test run, in order to make the family feel better about the incident.

Will’s punishment is that he will have to pay the home insurance deductible, which came to about $750. On the plus side, however, the young Mr. Cheney will be able to tell his coevals that he took a spin in a genuine Porsche. Few eighteen year olds get the chance to say that. Will’s dad is also making him take driving lessons later this summer, so that Will can learn to drive a stick shift and learn how to avoid crashing into garage doors in the future.

Guest Contributor: Design 911 – Porsche Parts, spares and accessories supplier based in Essex, UK.