If you've spent any time around race cars, you know they make very poor road cars. Race cars are generally designed to go fast on a closed track, and that singular focus makes them terribly compromised for morning runs to Starbucks. The rigors of racing put race cars through much more difficult situations than road cars, so you need to be sure every single component is checked thoroughly before going back out at full speed. Sometimes, though, looking over a component and taking a slow test drive are not enough to protect you from worst-case scenarios.

The YouTube channel Rich Rebuilds found this out the hard way earlier this week. They purchased a thousand-horsepower Cobra Daytona replica with a parachute and a roll cage, which is an interesting start for just about any racing endeavor. A thorough overview of the engine bay showed a loose throttle cable and a transmission fluid leak. But the car's engine ran its aggressive side pipes spit flames. The team felt confident taking it out for a quick test drive, so one of their crew went out with a 360 degree camera sitting out of the driver's side window.

According to the video's creators, the Daytona's throttle stuck open seconds into the drive, sending the car into nearby trees. The crash prompted the driver to ride in an ambulance to a nearby hospital, which was not enough to deter him from continuing to both film and narrate.

Although the driver is seemingly okay after the hit, the car was damaged significantly. A minor rear impact and major front impact left the car visibly crushed in multiple places, leaking fluids from every corner. This crash is a great reminder of why shakedowns exist and why they should be conducted on closed courses with safety personnel close by. Your standard two-lane is no place for a thousand-horse rocket with a questionable throttle cable, let alone a busy road at near-freezing temperatures.

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