What's The STUPIDEST Thing You've Done Behind The Wheel That Made You Feel AWFUL?

Though it seems everyone on the internet knows everything, the reality is that everyone makes stupid mistakes. Really stupid mistakes.

If you're a tinkerer or if you are like me and hopping in and out of all-new cars on a frequent basis, you're bound to have a mishap. It's just a degree of how bad and in the words of a good colleague I use to work with, "It's not how bad you mess up, it's how quickly you fix it."

After seeing this clip of a YouTube car nut, Marchettino, having a rather bad mishap with a Ferrari 458 Speciale, it reminded me of an awful mistake I made last year.

I had a press fleet Chevrolet Corvette lent to me and I have to say it was an utter blast. While I never thought I'd be a fan of the Corvette, the C7 generation has my attention. After putting the targa top to use multiple times — taking off the roof and reapplying it — I decided to spend my Saturday night with my sister and her husband. I arrived to her home and put the top on. I noticed she was in the window, got my stuff and headed inside. The night was great. A few hours went by and it's time for me to head home. Hop into the 'Vette and all's swell. That is until I get around the block onto the main road and hit about 45 mph. There's a sudden WHOOSH and I look up to notice the removable hard top is gone. Then, I hear a distinct scraping noise. The top had hit the roadway shiny side down. After a handful of expletives and quickly pulling over I had the freshly scraped top in my hands. I forgot to lock the several clasps and I officially joined the Corvette "Flying Roof Club."

So, I can feel for our YouTuber in this instance. He didn't latch the hood and voila. After hitting speed the hood flips up, smacks the windshield and now a 458 Speciale needs both a new hood and windshield. I have to feel for the guy.

That said, let's hear it, Spies! What's the STUPIDEST thing you've done behind the wheel that made you sick to your stomach?


My camera was still running the moment I broke my mistake my friend R3 Wheels' Ferrari 458 Speciale. A erroneous closing of front bonnet has caused its sudden opening as I took off with the result of smashing the windshield.

W208 - 4/26/2016 6:42:46 AM

+1 Boost

While it didn't happen behind the wheel, I once put up my liftgate to my wagon, and decided it was far easier to hang a carabiner, with key fobs and an important RSA electronic token, on the support shock while packing for a road trip. Once all was packed, I celebrated my packing prowess by energetically closing the gate.

The crunch, bang, pop that came shortly thereafter set in motion a series of events that made my wife call into question my emotional and psychological stability.

The end result: had to request a new company computer with built in RSA token, one still functioning key fob and a lift gate that only a lumber jack could admire when propped up by a 2x4.

absent - 4/26/2016 8:28:00 AM

+1 Boost

Drifting my CLS63 on unknown road.
In the middle of the drift hit a very deep (15")pothole with my right rear wheel.
That was expensive.....

MDarringer - 4/26/2016 8:52:11 AM

-4 Boost

A young toy boy with the GTR his benefactor companion bought him was having trouble beating me around a road course. He got pretty torqued about it to the point that he hatched a plan for me to hot lap it with him in the seat next to me. I thought he was being magnanimous and letting me drive the GTR. I did a few laps to learn its moves and then hot footed it.

He was memorizing the speeds I was entering curves with so as to do the same. Sure enough, he went out after me and immediately smashed up his pretty GTR rather well.

There is no substitute for formal training behind the wheel.

TomM - 4/26/2016 10:58:40 AM

+2 Boost

While not behind the wheel - this was truly stupid - When I had my Mercedes 450sel 6.9 - I was driving in Texas when I was stopped by a Trooper - because he was interested in the car - not because I had done anything wrong. He "begged" me to let him try driving it - and I could follow him in his cruiser. AND when I relented and finally did - there was a half hour that I was sure I would never see the car again. AND I was illegally driving a police cruiser as well. I did finally get to him - he had stopped at the side of the road with a grin on his face and just said "wowee".