Where will it all end? In a ditch, probably, or else in the dock. Next month Porsche will be in court in America accused of failing to provide adequate training to a man killed while driving in a 205mph Porsche Carrera GT.
The lawyer acting for the man’s widow is Craig McClellan, who has form when it comes to holding makers to account: in 1981 he acted for the widow of a passenger killed in a Porsche 930. The jury found the Porsche was too dangerous for the average driver to handle with no experience and awarded $2.5m to the plaintiff.
This time McClellan is arguing there is a design defect with the Carrera GT that makes it “tail happy”, and that the car is too difficult for the average driver to handle at high speeds without instruction — claims that Porsche vigorously denies.
The trial date is set for next month and there will be testimony from expert witnesses that design faults make the Porsche inherently difficult to control. However, it will be McClellan’s argument that the German company should be held responsible for the level of training his client’s husband was given that will be watched most closely by other supercar makers.
“It [the car] is defective if the risks of its design outweigh the benefits,” said McClellan from Germany last month, where he was in meetings with Porsche representatives. “If its power and handling characteristics make it too dangerous for the average driver without training or instruction, then it is defective. Porsche should be liable because it sold a defective vehicle.”