Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Lotuses, and Maseratis… Dream cars on the roads. The AIADA newsletter reported that auto makers are turning out a new breed of supremely fast sports cars that sell for upwards of $250,000 and share many characteristics of purebred racecars.

Unfortunately, a growing number are ending up wrapped around trees.

The California Highway Patrol reports that the total number of accidents involving Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Lotuses, and Maseratis rose to 141 last year, an 81% increase from 2002.

A story in the Wall Street Journal illustrates the point; in March, a 39-year-old driver caused an international stir by crashing a Bugatti Veyron — an extremely rare $1.5 million turbocharged missile with a top speed of 253 miles per hour.

On the way to an M.B.A. class near San Diego one recent morning, Nasar Aboubakare lost control of his new 550-horsepower Ford GT and wrenched it over a lane divider. “The car is like a wild animal,” he says.

To compound matters, people notice when you damage a $150,000 automobile. After Mr. Aboubakare’s accident, several passing motorists snapped pictures while one leaned out the window of his pickup truck and shouted: “What an idiot!”

source: autochannel