Video: Carjackers Steal Porsche 718, Realize They Cannot Drive Stick, Give Up

A Porsche 718 owner in Maryland was reportedly the victim of an attempted car-jacking last week. The alleged thieves likely would've gotten away with the convertible, had they not stalled multiple times thanks to the car's manual transmission.

According to Fox 5 DC, the would-be thieves pulled in front of the driver's car and threatened him with a gun in Bethesda last Sunday evening. The victim was then reportedly pistol whipped as he ran back into a nearby store, but escaped serious injury.

Dashcam footage from the car shows multiple assailants exiting the back of a Nissan SUV before threatening the owner. One of them then presumably gets into the driver's seat of the car, where he stalls repeatedly. Just before the video ends, another person gets out of the back of the Nissan and starts to move toward the driver. The would-be thieves then fled, leaving the car behind.

While they may not stop every carjacking, manual transmissions remain an effective anti-theft device. Add in a dashcam and this particular victim not only still has his Porsche, but also has footage to show exactly what happened. While that may not be quite as exciting as a carjacking that turns into a shootout when the would-be thief realizes they cannot drive the car, this Porsche driver's simple preparation and choice of transmission won the day.

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