While we obviously can’t rule out this being a genuine accident, the fact that all those cameras were there, plus this guy having a history with making a show out of destroying his cars, all just screams “staged” to us, which it probably was.
The video's title translates directly into “Mixed Pedals,” which has been known to happen and can be especially dangerous when it comes to high-powered electric vehicles like the Porsche Taycan. However, in those cases, the car is usually seen speeding off at an alarming rate because people tend to step pretty hard on what they believe is the brake.
In November of last year, we saw someone crash their Taycan in a driveway, and you can re-watch that debacle right here. As you can see, the car really took off thanks to that instant torque, and pedal misapplication was the likeliest culprit, even though it’s difficult to say for certain.
Well, guess who lit his car on fire a month prior to that Taycan crash? None other than this fella, Mikhail Litvin. He was allegedly so dissatisfied with reoccurring issues on his Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ 4-door that he decided to drive it out to a field, light it on fire and upload the carnage to YouTube.
What are the odds that someone with more than 6 million followers will accidentally crash a Porsche Taycan Turbo S inside a Porsche dealership while all the cameras are rolling – and from multiple angles, mind you.
However, even if this was staged, it raises a variety of questions. Did he actually get permission from Porsche to do this? We feel like that would be a tough sell on his part, no matter how many million views he’s likely to get on the clip (it’s up to nearly 2.3 million after only a few hours).
Without the dealership’s consent, he would have had to make sure that he can execute the stunt safely without hitting any bystanders. It’s also “convenient” that he didn’t crash into any parked cars, as the damage to the fully electric sedan doesn’t seem all that bad. It’s also interesting that the driver side airbag didn’t go off.
The Turbo S is the flagship spec of the Porsche Taycan range, with a price of $185,000 in the U.S. (excluding the destination charge and other fees). At its best, it puts down 560 kW (750 hp) and 774 lb-ft (1,050 Nm) of torque, allowing you to hit 60 mph from a standstill in just 2.6 seconds.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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