[imagesource: Family handout / PA Wire]

Zef Eisenberg was determined to set a speed record unmatched by any Porsche.

The millionaire thrillseeker wanted to prove that his custom Porsche was “the world’s fastest” by tackling four British short-distance racing records at Elvington Airfield in York, UK.

This is despite the fact that the speed record would not be recognised officially and would only provide the 47-year-old with “bragging rights” for social media.

The day he set out to make this all happen, in October 2020, something went iffy with the car’s parachute, causing it to spin out of control at more than 320 kilometres per hour.

The Porsche then burst into flames and Eisenberg died in the fire:

The crash and what led to it have been replayed in a coroner’s court in Northallerton as an inquest into the accident unfolds, per The Telegraph:

Eyewitnesses told the inquest they believed Eisenberg had hit his brakes a moment too soon, meaning that the rear parachute had not been properly deployed to slow the vehicle and keep it straight.

His Porsche 911 then lifted off the ground and rolled several times at high speed before bursting into flames. Eisenberg died at the scene from multiple injuries, the inquest was told.

The founder of the Maximuscle fitness nutrition company, who also holds a number of high-speed records, had been in a close call once before in 2016.

Michael Pittwood, who was overseeing the record attempt, explained that what Eisenberg did was essentially meaningless:

“We all love bragging rights, but bragging rights do not have a bearing on national British speed records.”

Graham Sykes, a race marshall who was parked by the runway in a van to observe the attempt, described his view of the crash:

“I saw the parachute deployed and the rear end of the car appeared to lift and go right as if air had got under the car.

He tried to correct by steering left but the car hit the grass. In my opinion, he got the braking and parachute sequence wrong.

He has applied the brakes before the parachute has deployed. Without the parachute fully open, there was nothing to stop the car spinning.”

Sykes said he couldn’t recount how many times the car rolled due to the crash’s speed.

They ran towards the flaming vehicle with fire extinguishers and the safety ambulance arrived within seconds, but it was all too late.

As one person describes the speed racer, he was “one of those characters who would not be told. Once he had something in his head, he would not be swayed.”

Some would argue he died doing what he loved.

[source:telegraph]