Those old enough to remember the 1977 James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me” will likely recall an iconic scene, where Bond’s Lotus Esprit S1 sports car emerges from the sea and rolls onto a sandy beach before speeding away. In Cebu, a Nissan GT-R managed to do the exact same scene, only in reverse.
Actual video of NIssan GT-R rolling into the sea (Credit: Ace Cortez via Facebook)
The incident happened during the first day of the Burning Rubber Cebu Invitational Drag Race 2022 held at South Road Properties, a reclaimed area just off the coast of Cebu City’s southern district. As expected of an event for gearheads, it was not unusual for the occasion to draw participants, accompanied by their respective machines. One of these was the ill-fated GT-R, with a white body color that contrasted well with the deep blue hue of the coastal waters.
According to witnesses, the GT-R’s owner parked the car but failed to engage the parking brake after shifting the transmission to neutral. As luck would have it, the sports coupe was resting on an inclined area which sloped down towards the water. Without as much as a parking pawl or chock to hold it in place, the GT-R promptly rolled backwards into the surf. The hapless car managed to float momentarily before sinking, and a rescue team was mobilized to retrieve it, aided by bystanders.
This is one Godzilla that's not likely to roar again for a while
While they did manage to get the car back on dry land, the owner will have to come to grips with the damage resulting from the GT-R's immersion in seawater. We’re talking about a complete overhaul of the interior, electronics, and mechanicals, not to mention the bodywork. Of course, this is assuming that anything about the car can be saved at all, or else the owner would be better off just buying another GT-R.
Nissan’s ‘Godzilla’ may be renowned for its long list of accolades, but those feats shouldn’t take the place of having presence of mind, whenever and wherever you park your car.
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