Another chilling instance of reckless driving leading to serious crashes has emerged from Mumbai. A speeding Porsche 718 Boxster, allegedly racing a BMW at midnight, rammed into a road divider and nearly got totaled. This occurred on the Western Express Highway, near Jogeshwari. The Porsche driver was severely injured in the incident, and the BMW driver was later detained by the police. A video showing the aftermath has now been shared online.
The clip shared on ANI’s official X (previously Twitter) handle shows the wreckage of a Blue Porsche Boxster. The impact seems to have given it severe damages. The driver's side seems to be the most affected. The front right wheel has been damaged and dislocated. The right fender and driver door, too, have been mangled.
This video seems to have been captured soon after the crash, as the indicators are still functional. From how the wheels (and axles) have been disfigured, the crash seems to have done much damage to the car’s underpinnings.
The Boxster’s airbags deployed on time and likely helped in reducing injuries to the driver, identified as a 22-year-old Neo Sonks. According to reports, he suffered severe leg injuries. The car reportedly had two people inside at the time of the crash.
This crash occurred at around 2:30 am. The Porsche (with a number plate that reads ‘DN 09 Q 1777’) was going towards Andheri Lokhandwala. Eyewitnesses say that Sonks was driving his Porsche at a high speed, likely racing a BMW (reportedly driven by his friend), when it lost control and hit the road divider. It was reportedly carrying a speed of over 150 kph at the time of impact.
Jogeshwari’s senior police inspector Iqbal Shikalgar said that Sonks lost control trying to dodge a pothole, and this eventually made him crash. Thankfully, no pedestrians were hurt in this incident. The inspector further stated that a case has been registered against the Porsche driver under sections 125 (b), 281 of BNS, and sections 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
The Porsche flipped multiple times and was completely destroyed in the crash. Passersby rushed to the scene, and offered help to the victims. They were soon taken to he hospital and the police was also informed. The cops took the BMW driver into custody. They are now checking CCTV footages from the place to confirm if the two cars were involved in a street race. The crash left debris on the highway and disrupted morning traffic to some extent.
Authorities have already raised concerns over the rising number of luxury and sports car owners engaging in street racing in the city. Recently, two sports cars (from Mercedes and BMW) were seen racing with each other on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, when they crashed into a cab. Following the newest Porsche crash, the Mumbai Traffic Police has intensified night patrols and issued strict warnings against the practice.
Regardless of how expensive your car maybe, you should always drive at a safe (recommended) speed on public roads. Forget street racing, even overspeeding is illegal! More importantly, it puts the lives of many at risk and could potentially cause damage to nearby vehicles as well. Officials have now asked citizens to report any such case promptly.
The Porsche involved in this case is a 718 Boxster that was launched in India in 2017. Back then, it had an ex-showroom price of Rs 85.53 lakh. In 2022, the carmaker brought the more performance-focussed 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 to India, with an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.5 Crores. In August 2024, Porsche India discontinued the 718 lineup and even delisted it from the official site.
The 718 Boxster had a mid-engine layout, and came with a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that made 298 bhp and 380Nm of torque. It takes just 5.1 seconds to do the 0-100 kph sprint and has an electrically limited top speed of 275kph.