According to a media gossip page, Dan Neil, the Pulitzer-winning auto reviewer for the Los Angeles Times, spun out while testing a Mercedes SLR at the Virginia International Raceway, reportedly in the rain. According to Fishbowl LA, Neil, who admits to being over-anxious during the test drive, missed a brake set-up and unweighted the half-million-dollar Merc onto the grass. No word on damage to the car, though a mud-clogged undercarriage was probably the least of it. In case you're the type who tallies the reasons why journalists shouldn't accept corporate-sponsored press junkets, you might as well add "high-profile embarassment" to the list.
[Update: We're not complete bastards. Check out some of DN's elegant prose, and the only explanation of "torque" that matters, here.]
Dan Neil Crashes Sexy Sports Car [Fishbowl LA]
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Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren: The Making Of [internal]