Okay, so this video happens to be a Dallas auto auction security guard and not a valet per se, but the idea is the same: Kid gets to drive a car from A-B. Takes the long, sideways way 'round. Everyone gets in trouble.
We had a friend in high school who was a valet for a small, but pricey restaurant in a New England vacation spot. Claimed he burned a Viper's tires to cords while the elderly owner was enjoying his chowdah. Trouble is, the guy could barely drive his 5.0 Mustang without careering into a marsh. No way he drove a Viper without dying. But without a video camera handy, well, it was our sense against his word.
That's where this guy comes in. You can brag all you want to your buddies that you screwed around with someone else's 638 horsepower Corvette ZR1, but unless there's video, who can truly say you did or did not. Maybe he just videoed the boss tossing it around? That base, too, is covered by the best part of this video-- the driver exiting the car, throwing his hands in the air and finger-gunning the camera.
The guard has been fired and the Corvette's owner--Woodhouse Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge near Omaha, Nebraska.-- is pressing charges.
( Jalopnik via Corvette Blogger )
felonious says:
12:18 PM, 08/30/10
That idiot deserves all that he gets from this. I totally lost sympathy for him after he got out of the car. (Side note, I think he looks like Star Wars Kid.)
tmanz says:
01:04 PM, 08/30/10
Star Wars Kid, that is too funny. He does look like him.
The new thing of documenting your stupidity cracks me up. "make sure you get a good shot of my face in this so don't turn the camera off till I get out of the car like an idiot".
Doing stupid things can be fun but to avoid being caught you have to just enjoy the moment, not try to create a trophy to show everyone. But then again as always if you are doing something stupid mostly to show off you were always an idiot.
lmbvette says:
01:34 PM, 08/30/10
This is why whenever I am forced to valet my car (CTS-V) I always make note of the exact mileage and set one or both trip computers. I don't even drive my car like that because tires are too darn expensive! ;-)
brn says:
03:50 PM, 08/30/10
Except for the camera, it'd be hard to resist.
robert4380 says:
04:00 PM, 08/30/10
Why can't manufacturers implement a simple "valet mode" or something where if a key with a different chip inside of it is used to start the car then the car is limited to 10 miles per hour?
mrryte says:
06:55 AM, 08/31/10
@tmanz-
Blame YOUTUBE for turning nobodies into overnight celebrities by recording outrageous behavior. :-/
As a former valet supervisor; I've had to deal with young kids anxious to reenact their favorite Fast & Furious scene. And if the vehicle was pricey/prestigious enough, I would either keep it on the drive or park it myself. Even had a few drivers that didn't even know how to drive a manual.
agnh says:
03:05 PM, 08/31/10
robert4380,
There have been several cars already that have come with "valet" modes. The original 1990 ZR1 required a separate key that could allowed you to switch between 250hp and 375hp. From 1993 on it was 300hp and 400hp.
The latest generation M5 could toggle between 400hp in valet mode and the full 500hp.
My personal opinion, if you're going to have a valet mode, make it a real difference. In the case of the latest ZR1, how about 200hp to 250hp in valet mode? That would sure as hell keep Johnny Lightening the Valet Parker from wrapping your new car around a telephone pole. Or your teenage son decides to play NHRA when he finds the keys while you're out of town.
With todays technology, how about three settings? 150hp for the valet parker and your teenager, 400hp for your morning commute, and the full enchilada for when you're facing an open road.
bimmerjay says:
05:48 PM, 09/ 5/10
"The latest generation M5 could toggle between 400hp in valet mode and the full 500hp."
That's not a valet mode, the car defaults to 400 hp all the time and by pressing the 'Power' button (or M mode if you choose) engine output increases to 500.