Paul Walker crash: Why Porsche Carrera GT was known for speed, difficult handling

New Delhi: The 2005 Carrera GT in which Paul Walker and Roger Rodas were killed in on November 30 was a limited-edition, high-performance sports car produced by Porsche between 2004 and 2007 that sold new for about $450,000.The high-powered 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, has a history of being difficult to control. The sports car is capable of reaching 100 mph in just under seven seconds. Two major factors that make Carrera GT tricky to control is that the engine is placed in the middle and there's no electronic stability control to correct slides or help prevent losing control.This beast is equipped with a 5.7 litre, 40 valve V10 engine which was designed by Porsche in 1992 for the Footwork Formula 1 team, but was later shelved until 2004 when the Carrera GT was born. This engine can produce up to 605 horsepower @ 8000 rpm and 435 pound-feet of torque @ 5750 rpm. All this leads to an instantly powerful machine that makes sound similar to that of a race car engine. And still, even after a decade it went on sale, the GT's mighty 605bhp power output makes it one of the most powerful road cars ever constructed.Another significant drawback of Porsche Carrera GT is its low clearance, which makes it hard to drive on regular streets. Jeremy Clarkson, co-host of BBC's Top Gear television show, said during his review of the car that you need to be awake to drive this fast. “It really isn't an easy car to control. The clutch is brutal, the power is savage and the handling ... you really are on a knife edge. You Make a mistake, it bites your head off.” Also since it is a supercar, it's been designed to go fast. It can consistently get close to blistering speed, for which you'd need both a racetrack and time to learn the car's habits properly.Porsche claims the GT can blast from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds, and from 0-100mph in just 6.9 seconds. Those numbers reflect the car's ability to shrink even the longest straights.Preliminary investigation into the Rodas-Walker crash indicates that speed was a factor. However, it has not been determined how fast Rodas was driving.Given the extreme level of performance that the car has been designed to deliver, the truth is that it should be treated with a corresponding degree of respect. Even experienced drivers like Anthony Hamilton, father of Formula 1 racer Lewis, have crashed Carrera GTs. No doubt higher the limits are, the bigger the risks when you overstep them.