mid the COVID-19 lockdown, an incredibly rare Gemballa Porsche Carrera GT owned by Ben Chen, one of only 25 produced in the world, has crashed on the streets of NYC.
Gemballa GT wrecked in NYC
The already rare supercar was reportedly joy-ridden through Manhattan crashing into multiple parked cars, leaving a trail of damage rendering the car a complete write-off. Initially reports believed the car to be stolen but it turns out the driver, Benjamin Chen, a well-known supercar owner was behind the wheel and has a history of crashing expensive cars and is seen in videos taken of the crash.
The brutal aftermath
A summary of the NYPD arrest report from the drive which states that Chen was the driver and was arrested for reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle impaired by drugs. Here’s the statement in its entirety:
“On Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at approximately 0730 hours, officers responded to a motor vehicle collision in the vicinity of West 44 Street and 11 Avenue, within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct. Upon arrival, officers observed a 33-year-old male operator and sole occupant of a 2014 Porsche Gemballa Mirage GT conscious and alert. Further investigation revealed that the operator of vehicle #1 struck the rear of a parked unoccupied vehicle #2 and fled southbound on 11 Avenue in his Porsche The motorist proceeded to strike vehicles #3, 4 and 5 that were also parked and unoccupied in the vicinity of West 44 Street where his vehicle came to a rest. The suspect was taken into custody at the scene.
The following individual was arrested and charged with the above incident:
- Chen, Benjamin
- 33-year-male
- [Address redacted]
- Charges: Operating a Motor Vehicle Impaired by Drugs and Reckless Driving“
This incredibly rare car will make quite the insurance claim as rebuild costs of this particular vehicle will most likely far outweigh replacement value.
Gemballa tuning company specializes in customized luxury cars and is based out of Stuttgart, Germany, home of the Porsche brand. No doubt that the loss of this particular car will increase the value of the other 24 Gemballa GT’s that were created.
With only 1,272 Porsche Carrera GT’s on the planet, every unit is one of the many crown jewels of car collectors the world over. Sadly this incident means there is one less Carrera GT on the planet.
Below is a video of this car pre-crash. Sad to see such a ‘gem’ wrecked by a seemingly careless owner.
Sadly, this isn’t the first car to be totaled at the hands of this driver. Not long ago one of only three manual Lamborghini Murcielago SV’s was crashed by the same guy.
Back in 2013, Ben crashed a McLaren MP4-12C during a rally just outside of Mount Vernon, Texas.
Are these cars that difficult to drive or does the driver simply have a heavy foot? Hard to say, but it would seem this may not be the last car we see crashed by this driver. Yikes!
