Mark down Scion FR-S crash number three. This one happened before its owner had even put tags on the car.
Perhaps seeing a car that many new owners are doing their damndest to fling around corners in the ultimate RWD drift isn't much of a surprise (blame Chris Harris). What's interesting is how we found out about this wreck. The dealership the car came from told a prospective FR-S buyer.
Specifically, they told a customer who also happens to be a Jalopnik reader when he emailed them asking how often they get new FR-S models in. Along with an email telling him how long he'd have to wait for a manual, or if he was really desperate, automatic model, came pictures and a little description of the ill-fated hoonmobile.
We've already had our first FR-S accident. This owner has 30+ years of driving experience and this was not his first or third rwd car. The FR-S as we all know is a very balanced car but when it bites it can bite really hard and this is an example of what could happen. Having all the stability aides ON doesn't make you less off a "driver" or make the car less fun to drive. You can have all the seat time in the world with rear wheel drive cars, attend numerous track days,…. but it's the one time it snaps (oversteers) and you can't recover is the one you will never forget. The impact broke the connection of the left rear trailing link arm to the suspension. The impact occurred to the right rear wheel which deployed the side curtain airbag but the energy was so severe that it broke the left rear trailing link. The car is less than a month old and hasn't even received its plates yet which takes 4-6 weeks.
Similar to the last FR-S wreck we reported, this one also involves the rear suspension. Oversteer is a bitch. Will we see more of these hucked cars with damaged rear ends? Only time will tell.
This makes me wonder how many other highly anticipated first model sports cars ended up in a similar fashion. (Hat tip to Arturo!)
Photo credit: Kearny Mesa Scion