It is no secret that car tuning can be very addictive, but you always have to remember about things less obvious and exciting than dyno records and drag strip times. One of these is the need to keep you brake system up to par with your drivetrain – which the owner of this 1964 Mercury Comet neglected, to frustrating results.
A bit of perspective first. The driver put 23 years of his life and multiple hundreds of thousands of USD into perfecting this build. Much of it was poured into maximizing the kick of the on-board Chevrolet V8.
The supercharged mill has 10.3 liters of displacement volume and slams the wheels with 1,318 PS (1,300 hp / 969 kW), pretty much mandating a carefully maintained racing-grade braking system. When do you think did the owner of this car upgraded the brakes the last time? Apparently, 17 years ago.
The consequences can be seen right here in the video. Having hit a public road and accelerated to a high speed, the owner suddenly discovered that the brakes ceased to work altogether. Moments later, he and his passenger rammed into a minivan in front.
Luckily for everyone under the circumstances, they were hospitalized with only moderate injuries. The same could not be said about the Comet, however, which looked like it could be a write-off.