Test Porsche in fender bender
Luxury vehicle in Yellowknife for cold-weather testing
Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Friday, December 13, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Social media was all a-twitter with the presence of at least five unmarked Porsches on Dec. 10.
What appears to be a costly fender bender occurred at the intersection of Old Airport Road and Franklin Avenue around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday, when a Porsche prototype currently undergoing cold weather testing collided with an SUV. - photo courtesy of David Thurstun |
This is not the first time the high-end luxury automobiles have been spotted undergoing cold-weather testing in Yellowknife.
"We do winter testing up there quite often, between Yellowknife and Whitehorse. There's no question it's a great place to be able to put the cars through the paces in the cold weather," said Dave Engelman, media relations manager for Porsche Cars North America Inc.
"We take how our cars perform very seriously. Even though they may be, quote-unquote, sports cars, we want to make sure they will function as intended at any temperature."
The sports cars were last spotted in Yellowknife in December of last year.
This year's tests do not seem to be running as smoothly as in the past.
One of the Porsche prototypes was involved in an accident at the intersection of Old Airport Road and Franklin Avenue around 5:40 p.m.
"The Porsche was behind another vehicle making a left hand turn at a solid green light ... and basically was struck by a Lincoln Navigator travelling straight through the intersection," said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Marc Coulombe. "Unfortunately, it was the driver of the Porsche who was in the wrong."
Patrick Saint-Pierre, manager of public relations for Porsche Cars Canada, said he was aware of the accident, which involved a Porsche Macan, but declined comment on the damages to the vehicle.
"Although we can't discuss damage involved in a test vehicle, you will be happy to know that all occupants were, thankfully, uninjured."
