$700K Ford GT Wrecked Because The Driver Didn’t Know This Key Driving Skill

A Ford GT valued at more than $700,000 was totaled by the vehicle’s owner when it was crashed into a palm tree in Boca Raton, Fla., because the driver was “unfamiliar” with the manual transmission.

Images of the crashed sportscar on the sidewalk were posted on social media by a Florida resident.

The owner and driver of the car, Robert Guarini, 50, told police that he was “unfamiliar with how to drive stick shift,” and had lost control of the Ford GT when he was shifting the gears, a police report obtained by Road & Track indicated.

However, Guarini maintained that the crash was actually a result of old tires, muddy pavement, and fresh detailing on the car. Guarini told Road & Track, “I don’t want people to think I was racing at 90 mph. I was going 35 mph.”

The crash caused multiple airbags to go off and the vehicle was disabled as Guarini shifted the car into second gear from first, he told the news outlet.

The wrecked sportscar was a 2006 Gulf Oil Heritage Edition Ford GT, which Guarini reportedly bought at auction for $704,000 in April.

Details on the car, according to the Barrett Jackson auction website, said it had 550 horsepower and could hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. Top speed of the GT was 220 mph.

The car had 2,147 actual miles at the time of the auction, Barrett Jackson said.

Guarini was issued a citation for driving with a suspended license and was given a warning for operating an unregistered vehicle, but he contended that his license suspension was due to a clerical error, Road & Track said.

The car was not insured, according to police, but Guarini told the news outlet he had an umbrella policy that covered the GT.