Well, about 10 days ago, my 1990 Turbo II was involved in a roll-over accident. I've put off posting this because I wanted to see the car and find out for sure if it was irrepairable. It's sitting in my driveway now. It's really a shame, it was a beautiful car. I bought it 8 months ago with 43,000 ORIGINAL miles on the clock, flawless interior, and nearly flawless exterior. The car flipped over after I ran through a patch of debris on the road of a decreasing radius turn, causing the back to swing out 180 degrees, and the left rear wheel to hit a raised enbankment, in turn causing the car to roll onto its side, across the roof(crushing my hand in the process), over to the other side, and then finally settle on the roof. I consider myself extremely lucky that I didn't lose my hand. In fact, it didn't even break. I checked out of the ER about 90 minutes after I checked in, with a badly bruised and scraped, but otherwise OK hand. I've included some links to pics of the damage. Insurance has decreed it totalled, and I agree. The current plan is to a buy a GTUs or a GTU(sans sunroof) and do an Infini conversion with my new "parts" car. Wish me luck I've come to really enjoy this forum and you guys, so of course I'll continue to post and update on this project. Just thought I'd share the grief of losing another truly beautiful TII on the road. Sorry guys...


http://www.mindspring.com/~stevecobb...C/DSC00118.JPG
http://www.mindspring.com/~stevecobb...C/DSC00119.JPG
http://www.mindspring.com/~stevecobb...C/DSC00120.JPG
http://www.mindspring.com/~stevecobb...C/DSC00121.JPG
http://www.mindspring.com/~stevecobb...C/DSC00122.JPG
http://www.mindspring.com/~stevecobb...C/DSC00123.JPG
http://www.mindspring.com/~stevecobb/Wrecked%20FC/Steve's%20Hand.JPG
http://www.mindspring.com/~stevecobb/Wrecked%20FC/Steve's%20Hand%202.JPG

Steve

 

Damn steve, this just happened outta no where. Well atleast your okay. Hope your future plans work out well.

 

god damn man. Well at least you're okay bro. Call me up in you need any help on the Infini conversion. You know where I live. Just come on by whenever.

- Kevin

 

Wow, im impressed how well the car withstood rolling over! Couldve been much worse, but I know that still sucks. Sorry to see that.

 

Are those stock Lexus rims I see? Hmm that gets me thinking... spacers?

 

whoa , looks like a sweet car...sry to hear, but i'd suggest u put in some roll cages for your next project hahaa....another rotary down...everyone lets have a moment of silence.

 

*sniff sniff*..

well at least I got to ride in the car once before it went to rotary heaven...

*sniff sniff*

i remember the ride like it was yesterday...

*sniff sniff*

aw dammit.. I'm gonna go drive my TurboII around now..

- Kevin

 

DAMN! Well at least you are alright, thats the main thing. Im sorry to hear about your accident man. Hey.. you wanna sell any parts off that car to help pay for that infini conversion on the new car? If not, i understand. Again, sorry to see such a beutiful car go down.

 

At least you are OK, sorry to hear about the car. Good luck on your new project.

 

Sorry about your car. Glad here your okay ... the tradegy here is that; someone took damn good care of this car and took pride in it. They had it for 12 years and you managed to deystroy it in only 8 months. ... Some of you people have just got to be more careful There is no excuse for a one vehicle accident.

 

Yo,


Steve, I replied to your PM and I've got the next two days off. If you're still stuck up in Sacto, let's hook up. Bummer about your rig, the Street is a harsh mistress. Stupid crap in the road can really ruin your day.

Rpeck - I'd rather see all RX-7's destroyed in one car accidents while being driven like they should - as a sportscar - then being puttered around or being babied.

Yeah, it sucks that another TII is dead, but it died an honorable death, as opposed to being rear-ended by a stupid bitch with a celphone in one hand, a Starbucks cup in the other. Cut him a little slack, I bet he feels worse about it than you do.

Look at it this way: we lost a TII, but we look to gain an Infini IV. I think that's pretty sweet.

KS
1989 GTUs "Steve, I hope it wasn't the...you know...hand."

 

RarestRX, I agree with most of what your saying they should be drove like a "sports car" but they should be drove under safe operating conditions or contolled conditions if your going to be hot rodding. Thats why they make drag strips & race tracks. They clear any debrit off those roads for a reason.

Contrary to popular belief a posted speed limit is not the speed limit. The speed limit is; as fast as conditions allow you to drive safely up too the speed limit. In rain slow down, in snow/ice slow down .. I know debrit on the road is very hard to accomidate for as opposed to weather conditions. But thats why I say controled conditions are the best way to be safe. What you guys do with you cars is up too you of course. Its sad to see another one go .. but its a delight to hear that he was okay, thats the important part. My worry is the "other driver" What if someone would have been commin in the other lane when he spun out? what if a person was on the shoulder riding a bycicle .. I don't know about you but I would not be able to live with myself if I caused a preventable accident that killed someone and I lived.

I don't know the details of your accident .. so I can't really judge if you were driving like a idiot or just driving like a "sports car" but... it seeps to me it would take a pretty damn unsafe speed to flip a RX like that.

G luck with the new ride.

 

Rpeck, go drive. I just finished a nice long drive down the pacific coast. Hwy 1 rocks. The day I drive my 7, or any sports car, easily on that road, is the day I drive it over the freaking edge. Should our damn mortality issue prove impossible to solve, I hope to die either working at my desk, or better yet, in an extreamly wild, firery, single car accident where it was just the slightest mistake that resulted in my catastrophe.

While it is a shame that such a beautiful machine has died, it is a greater shame that so many beautiful machines never get to live. Closed course means limited potential for fun. I'm not saying that its less fun, but I sure as hell enjoyed Hwy 1.

 

Glad you made it,rx7's are out there to re-do again and and again, you R NOT.... Peace,
Benny

 

Yo,


kristopher_d, well said:


"While it is a shame that such a beautiful machine has died, it is a greater shame that so many beautiful machines never get to live."

That is my new favorite Forum quote. Bravo!

KS
1989 GTUs "I hear ya!"

 

I to like your quoting of Kristpher_d, RarestRX. I am a person who has had a car die on the road. It was the only time I ever drove the speed limit on that road and boom, it happened, I too lost it in a road "hazzard" I didn't see the gravel and was trying to stop for a light that just clicked right through yellow in a split sec and went red. I didn't flip, but if the pole wasn't there to stop me I would have. I was doing 55mph when I started to slow down. The ironic thing is that I was leaving school that day and it was the first time I had ever flirted with a girl in the presence of the car. I crashed on the way back to school. Jealousy.
Glad your OK bro. hit me back if you ever need to talk.
regards,
Charles

 

I have drove Hwy 1/101 from Bodega Bay into Oregon many times, better never in one of my RX's I take that ride on my bike .. its truely unreal ... Don't get me wrong i'm sure its fun in a sports car .. but its the best on a bike

 

Alrighty kids, let's keep the Safe Driving Lecture out of this thread.

Steve, Duuuuuuude. My heart dropped when I read your post. I know how much you love your 2nd girlfriend. Let me know if there's anything you need, from an extra hand or a ride. drop me an e-mail and I'll hook you up with my number.

RIP to the HKS FC.

-Greg

 

OMG man that I feel so bad for you. I wish that there was something that I could do.
I love your idea for converting a GTU.

I dont if you want to sell any parts but if so let me know. I dont know if you remember responding to my post about S5 front lips but if yours is ok I would love to give you some money for it.

Well with all that said I am REALLY glad that you are ok. Keep your head up man!

 

WOW!

Yes, RX-7's are safer than people think .

I always prided my car in the fact that an extreme turn would cause my car to 180 or skid off before she ever rolled... but those enbankments...

Glad you're ok, best of luck.

 

Hey Gang,
Rpeck, I half agree with you. I always told myself, if I wrecked my car I'd be really pissed at myself, it was such a nice car, and it probably belonged in a museum. But, a museum isn't what it was designed for. I'm not a stupid kid who hit his NOS button and flipped his car on the free way. I'm a 22 year old amateur road racer who's been doing this for close to 3 years now. I'm an SCCA member, I participate in events when I can, and when I can't, I drive mountain roads for kicks. Am I sorry I flipped my TII? Yes. Would I do it again if given the chance? Absolutely. Cars flip on tracks too. So while I'm truly sorry about the car, I won't apologize, it died a somewhat noble death in my mind, and that keeps me content.

Steve

P.S. The turn, as I said, was a decreasing radius, right hander, low speed, I estimate my mph at the time my tires slipped out to be around 35. I knew the road very well, it was one of the first I ever drove for skill. My tires were in good shape, probably could have used a 4 wheel alignment, but that didn't cause the accident, it just didn't help me avoid it once it happened. My car would have spun off to safety if it weren't for the slight raise in the shoulder that's there to guide rain-off from the road.
P.P.S. ALL parts from the car will be going on the new car. I might sell off some of the old body pieces that are still in good shape when I get around to it. Thanks for the support guys, especially my local guys who have offered everything from rides to helping me out with the new car, it means a lot to me, and I appreciate it.

 

The Infini conversion is an excellent idea. Buy some 16 or 17" BBS rims, get the paint code for the greenish/black paint and drop the drivetrain in. I hate seeing RX-7's leave the road, especially my car's brethren, the S5 TII's. At least it went out in style...

 

sorry to hear about that. good luck with the project

 

This really sucks.. I'm sorry.. this kinda hits close to home... I almost lost my new 7. It was almost me writing the email you did...

I have a 87 base with around 87K miles on it and it's pretty damn cherry. Everyone loves this car. Well I'm not a kid either, I'm 28, but I think I saw one too many episodes of Initial D...


Two days ago it was 4:30 in the morning and I had just dropped my girlfriend off at work. I was in the business area of Rancho Cordova, off of White Rock Road and it was deserted. It was cold outside and I don't think my 7 has ever run as good as it was this morning.

I started out by bending a few corners and letting the rear slide around.. kid stuff... I decided I wanted to try a full drift. I knew a nice big curve was around the corner..

I sped up, downshifted and threw the car sideways.

I couldn't believe how easy it was to slide this thing like that. I was in a full drift, wheels screeching, rpms blazing.. wow this was cool

And then I have no idea what happened. Oil? Water? Sand? my first drift? I don't know..

My predictable and easy to drive 7 lost it. I didn't start to spin slowly.. all of a sudden the back of the car started to go in front of me I was able to correct it but it over corrected and then started to spin in the other direction.

The car would grip, loose it, over correct, loose it.. I was too busy driving to be scared but I felt I could loose my precious car any second.

I must have been sliding for 150-200 yards with minimal control. I used every ounce of my skill to correct the car and slow it down. I ended up at about 30 degree angle stopped about 15 feet from where my car would have been wrecked had I hit.

I love to drive and drive hard, but this scared the crap out of me..

Once again I am very sorry about the loss of an amazing 7..

 

Sorry to hear about the crash, and the key thing is that your ok. Good luck on the next rx7 project.