Local Hotelier Crashes "Ultimate American Supercar" Because He Was "Unfamiliar" With How To Drive Stick
BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) — A Boca Raton man crashed his newly purchased $704,000 Ford GT into a palm tree Friday evening because he was "unfamiliar" with driving manual transmissions.
Robert Guarini, 50, a resident of the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, crashed his 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition into a palm tree near The Boca Raton.
Guarini just purchased the 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition from a recent Barrett-Jackson auction for $704,000 when the show was in Palm Beach County at The South Florida Fairgrounds last month.
According to an accident report submitted by Boca Raton Police Department, Guarini was driving home from The Boca Raton when he reportedly lost control of the car after downshifting. Guarini told police that he was "unfamiliar on how to drive stick shift".
Guarini told Police he left the vehicle and got a ride home by Royal Palm Security because he left his cell phone which he needed to call a tow truck. When Police arrived, Guarini was not at the scene. Police spoke to Guarini over the phone. Guarini's wife showed up at the scene to show Police the vehicle's bill of sale as it was not yet registered. From the report, it is unclear if Guarini ever showed back up to the scene.
According to the accident report, The driver "operated MV in a careless or negligent manner". The officer also marked the driver's condition as "unknown".
Guarini was cited for driving with a suspended license (without knowledge, of course) as well as a warning citation for driving an unregistered motor vehicle. The investigating officer did not suspect drug or alcohol use as contributing factors.
Below is a rendering of what Police believe happened to the Ford GT during the single-vehicle collision. The officer noted that there was no obvious property damage.
Below is a copy of the archived listing from the Barrett-Jackson website listing the car, with the same VIN number, as sold for $704,000 at the recent auction in Palm Beach County:
See the latest reports on Boca Raton car accidents impacting local traffic and commuters.
