Jerry Seinfeld in car accident

Quadrax

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Classic fiat engineering > Jerry Seinfeld

Seinfeld Unhurt After Hamptons Car Wreck

COMEDIAN Jerry Seinfeld had a lucky escape when the brakes failed on his classic 1967 Fiat BTM and the coupe rolled over.
According to ethe New York Post, Seinfeld cheated death in the East Hamptons when the brakes on his vintage Fiat failed and the car flipped over.

Miraculously, the comic walked away "without a scratch," wife Jessica told The Post.

"He was a little shocked when he walked in and it started to dawn on him what happened," she said. "I was extremely relieved and grateful and I'm feeling very lucky that nothing happened."

"It could have been a lot worse, obviously, and thank God it wasn't. He's fine," she said.

The dramatic accident occurred at 7:40 p.m. Saturday on Skimhampton Road in East Hampton, said East Hampton Police Chief Todd Sarris.

Seinfeld was alone in the vehicle, driving north toward Montauk Highway.

"The brakes went bad," Sarris said. But Jerry kept his head.

"He had to pull the emergency brake," which Sarris said still failed to halt the two-door vehicle as it headed into traffic on the highway.

Seinfeld then cut the wheel to the right and "the car rolled over" and stopped yards from the intersection - just short of other vehicles.

The 1967 Fiat BTM rolled onto the passenger side, then the roof, and finally came to rest on the driver's side.

"His actions probably avoided a very serious accident," Sarris said. "I think he was a little shaken up, with justification."

Police rushed to the scene, but the comic did not require medical attention.

The accident was chalked up to mechanical failure. Seinfeld had not been drinking and no summonses were issued, Sarris said.

A friend following Seinfeld in another car drove him to his nearby East Hampton mansion.

The banged-up car, which was dented on all sides as well as its roof, was towed to a local garage and later back to Seinfeld's estate, sources said.

Jerry brushed off the whole thing.

"Because I know there are kids out there, I want to make sure they all know that driving without braking is not something I recommend, unless you have professional clown training or a comedy background, as I do. It is not something I plan to make a habit of."

Seinfeld is an avid car collector. He is believed to own 47 Porsches - making him one of the world's largest collectors of the German sports cars. None of them has ever belonged to actor Jon Voight.

While Jerry owns numerous Porsche 911s and Boxsters, he used the plainer and utilitarian Fiat to get around - not that there's anything wrong with that.

In 2004, he completed work on a multimillion-dollar garage on West 83rd Street to house his prized cars. The renovation of the two-story building took five years following complaints from neighbors.

His favorite vehicle is a $700,000 Porsche 959 - of which only 269 were built. Unfortunately, the vehicle is not road-legal in the United States so Seinfeld uses it only for exhibition purposes.
 
Ah, i messed up. The article i quoted is from a local source. The AP story i linked to doesn't have the funny bits at the end.

Adelaide Now article
 
But does anyone know what a Fiat BTM is? I haven't been able to find anything on this car...

No never heard of it.
Most likely it was a Dino coupe. Looks like the original reporter screwed up and the rest of the media has just copied the mistake. :?
 
I'm impressed by his quick thinking and reflexes. Even though I'm not a big fan of his comedy I'm glad his OK :)
 
lol @ the Jon Voight remark

I never knew he had a Fiat, I thought he only owned Porsches
sad to see a classic go though (even if it's "just" a fiat)
 
I guess you actually had to watch his show to get any of the jokes in this article.

Would it not have been better to start downshifting and using engine compression to slow the car? It's hell on the clutch, but better than rolling the car. Once you get down to first gear you just shut off the motor and let the compression stop you.
 
Damn, for a second after reading the title I thought he was gone... phew. It would've been quite a coincidence since I just started rewatching some old Seinfeld eps (certain episodes never seem to get airplay in syndication, so there's a bunch of episodes I've never seen).
 
Hahaha good one No Boss :lol: I'm sure he's okay though.
 
I guess you actually had to watch his show to get any of the jokes in this article.

Would it not have been better to start downshifting and using engine compression to slow the car? It's hell on the clutch, but better than rolling the car. Once you get down to first gear you just shut off the motor and let the compression stop you.

It may have been, but this is the first time I've ever heard of that technique...
 
It may have been, but this is the first time I've ever heard of that technique...
Really? Engine braking is one of the first things I learned about when I started driving. Doesn't sound like Jerry had enough room though. I'm glad he's alright, but it's a shame he was driving that Fiat, not a Civic or a Taurus or something :lol:.
 
Yeah, that was my impression as well. He went to go stop at a stop sign before a major street / highway and realized his brakes were out, so he rolled it. You can't stop with engine compression in that short of a distance.

It may have been, but this is the first time I've ever heard of that technique...

You basically use the engine to slow down the car by shifting down a gear. The resistance of the engine slows the car. I'm sure (hope) you've done the same thing while going down a long hill rather than riding the brakes.
 
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