Ex-Gizmondo exec trashes Ferrari

Stefan Eriksson's million-dollar car hits pole at more than 100mph in street race; mysterious driver flees scene, no major injuries sustained.

Carmageddon

See it »
Screenshot Index »

When Tiger Telematic's Gizmondo was announced in 2004 as the next handheld that would challenge gaming powerhouses Nintendo and Sony in the portable market, many analysts felt like they were watching a car crash in slow motion.

Yesterday, one of those involved in the handheld's production witnessed his own car crash, on quite the opposite end of the spectrum from the figurative reference.

According to news reports, Stefan Eriksson was in a red 2003 Ferrari Enzo when the car, estimated at a value of 1 million dollars, slammed into a pole on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, doing approximately 100-120 miles per hour. Less than 400 of the pricey cars were made, two of which are owned by actor Nicolas Cage and singer Britney Spears. The car is a thing of lore among gamers who like driving games, and it has been featured in several games, including Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham Racing 2 and 3.

Swedish newspaper The Local reports that the Enzo was street-racing with a Mercedes Benz SLR, valued at over half a million dollars. Eriksson's car lost control and split in two after it smashed into a streetside pole, scattering debris hundreds of yards up the windy road. Miraculously, there were no major injuries.

Gamers may remember Eriksson as the Gizmondo executive who left the company after it was discovered that he may have had ties with the Swedish mafia.

When police arrived on the scene, they found Eriksson bleeding from the mouth. Eriksson told officials that he was not driving the vehicle, and the man behind the wheel, who Eriksson knew only as a German man named "Dietrich," had fled the scene. Eriksson reportedly had a blood alcohol content level of .09, just over the legal limit of .08.

Both airbags deployed, but blood was found only on the driver's-side airbag, leading officials to question the existence of Dietrich. Some reports indicated police may use DNA testing to determine if the blood is indeed Eriksson's.

"Maybe the 'driver' had a friend who picked him up. Maybe he thumbed a ride," Sheriff's Sergeant Philip Brooks told local reporters. "Maybe he was a ghost."

As for the figurative crash? Gizmondo Europe went bankrupt after the handheld failed miserably in retail. Its future in the US remains uncertain.

85 Comments

  • xatman911

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 12:18 pm PT

    That only leaves 399 cars in the world.

  • mjc0961

    Posted Oct 25, 2006 7:45 am PT

    How the hell did Britney Spears, of all talentless hacks out there, get one of these cars?

  • Hellraiser3899

    Posted Oct 1, 2006 9:43 pm PT

    DAMN YOU DIETRICH!!!!

  • stickman699

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 7:37 pm PT

    ha ha u suck, you are unworthy of the enzo

  • thebuft

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 11:53 am PT

    sucks for him,he'll never afford another

  • jknight15

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 11:51 am PT

    Shame...........it was a nice car aswell

  • Gunitsoldier91

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 10:22 am PT

    now y would u wreck a car that amazing...

  • Aggie1295

    Posted Apr 27, 2006 7:46 pm PT

    I didn't know the Swedes had a mafia.

  • bl1ndz0r

    Posted Apr 27, 2006 3:05 pm PT

    How there can be a swedish mafia if there is no crime there?

  • R3last

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 2:07 pm PT

    There's a saying, " God looks after Children and fools..." I think that sums it up really.

  • ulrikz

    Posted Feb 28, 2006 1:59 am PT

    I never even heard of the swedish mafia, and I have lived in Sweden for as long as I can remember.

  • MSE369

    Posted Feb 25, 2006 10:53 am PT

    hahahaha LMAO....soo funny....Woww maan im thinkin hee got drunk aftter finding out that the company is brankrupt and street race'd with 1 good driver that whooped his ass! ..i feel bad for wastin an enzo though..wat a dumba$$..

  • ssj4_2004

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 12:43 pm PT

    Yeah, blame the german kid....

  • miguelpalazzo

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 9:59 am PT

    Maybe it was not his day to die... However, he crashes a damn nice (and expensive ) car. Maybe he wanted to pay out another car with Enzo's insurance, who knows... Anyway, Eriksson is an idiot. Does anybody would eventually let someone drive HIS car by someone who is a "dude"? I don't think I would let even my parents drive it, haha.

    Final thought: "Dietrich" WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

  • soulessjay

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 9:27 am PT

    Wow that's just sad.

  • jaefrmbk2k

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 9:20 am PT

    in the year 3000 everyone has a Ferrari to trash. too bad you'll be dead before you get your Ferrari to trash. you should've been from the year 3000 like me.

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:28 am PT

    I wonder if Dietrich really exists. *lmao*

  • Daverix88

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:12 am PT

    I didn't know there was a mafia in my country..

    haha vad sjukt =P

    Maybe I should look on the TV-news... which almost never do =D

  • Manaburn

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 6:40 am PT

    Oh yes, and... Swedish... mafia? LOL! I funny that funny as well.

  • Manaburn

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 6:38 am PT

    "seriously do you blame the guy? he lost everything, people who loose their whole forturne so quickly tend to react in crazy ways.?
    ****************************************************************************************
    Are you ******* kidding me? Did you miss the part where he was DRUNK, speeding, and driving a one million dollar car? If he were really hurting for cash, he'd have totalled his Kia, not a car that rare and expensive. He could easily sell it for what it's worth being so uncommon, if he 'lost everything' ..so uh... he's not hurting or losing out on a luxurious life obviously. Even still it's obvious he doesn't make good decisions at all (trashing that amazing vehicle drunk, obviously lying to police, the GIZMONDO!), so I have no pity for him. Whatever he loses is his own doing, as seen here. Seems he's well enough off to me though. Even if he did lose a 'fortune' (obviously not the case) so what? Rocky bounced back in Rocky V, so can this rich turd basket. Maybe if he had MORE to lose, instead of a GD fortune, he'd shape it up like every day people and get his act together. How anyone pities a person in this guy's situation is beyond me.

  • minu_lord

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 5:56 am PT

    Since he trashed Gizmondo why not trash his Ferrari. REMEMBER THE GIZMONDO COMERCIAL : '' Nobody told the bumble bee that it can't fly, but he's flying anyway ''. '' Looks like nobody told the driver that he can't crash his Ferrari into a pole but he did it anyway '' .

  • beesbreck

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 4:17 am PT

    waaa poor car!!!

  • automaticsnake

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 2:59 am PT

    lol 1 MILLION thats crazy..... how in the world he get the money when gizmondo in backrupcy........

  • billywhizz100

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 1:15 am PT

    Umm yeah, that was MY car. I lent Mr Erikkson the money to buy the car in May last year not from Joe Macari as reported but from another dealer in Banstead Surrey UK. Problem was Stefan left the country and took the Enzo with him, which he wasn't allowed to do. He then promptly stopped paying for it and that crash yesterday cost us £300k. He also had an SLR on finance with us and that is currently also being repaired by the insurance company with £150k of damage to. Perhaps he needs some driving lessons.

  • KiLLer_ba

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 12:58 am PT

    Yea, I saw this on the News yesterday, the car was mess up real good.

  • gmrgirl68

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 12:23 am PT

    seriously do you blame the guy? he lost everything, people who loose their whole forturne so quickly tend to react in crazy ways.

  • TryMe01

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 11:54 pm PT

    hopefully he wasnt hurt...

  • TryMe01

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 11:53 pm PT

    awsome!

  • Smoke2Much

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 10:53 pm PT

    Mama Mia ! that's gatta hurt the wallet! ,"But it wasn't me it was the one armed man!" What a fool!

  • Argama7

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 10:06 pm PT

    LOL! I'm going to print this news!

  • Kfoss

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 8:00 pm PT

    wHaaa NOT FAIR!!!!! looser!! why would you crash a million dollar car!!! WHY!! *sadness*

  • OPOLO

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 7:53 pm PT

    Wow - I saw the video clip on this crash this morning online - LOL

  • switch941

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 7:22 pm PT

    How surreal. I work my ass off and i'm starving and can't pay the rent, and this clown trashes a million dollar car. sweet.

  • The_Fat_Zebra

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 6:37 pm PT

    LOL Dietrich did it!!

  • cyprus646

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 6:35 pm PT

    HAHAHAHAHA 1st his crappy handheld fails now he crashed a 100 thousand dollar car ah man wats next his mansion blows up :-)

  • slow-pc

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 6:19 pm PT

    That was great... I love this type of news once in a while. (not that he got hurt but everything else)

  • WarhawK-harris

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 5:26 pm PT

    Talk about pathetic. A former executive with possible ties to the mafia takes a few too many drinks, destroys a perfectly good car, and blames it on an imaginary German friend. This is absolutely priceless. You just can't make this kind of stuff up. Excuse me while I catch my breath from laughing so hard. LOL

  • RagnarokPhoenix

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 5:23 pm PT

    Damn, he just lost something worth a cool million. Now I'm skeptical about letting my brother drive one of these.

  • vaejas

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:40 pm PT

    "...and split in two..." How come our games can't have damage models and collision physics like that?? Very glad for no major injuries. Proof that rich people shouldn't play GTA? ^__^

  • mrimkeit

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:38 pm PT

    what an azz!! He deserves to be beaten for trashing an enzo. He could have given that car to anyone here and it would have been better than crashing it!!

  • akito12

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:37 pm PT

    Only the most undeserving people are the ones who can afford million dollar cars. I can clearly see how much he liked his enzo, letting some german guy race it for him illegally. I wonder how he got such an exclusive car in the first place.

  • i_love_my_ds

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:35 pm PT

    this is the funniest and most pathetic story ive ever heard about anyone on this site. u never kno he might be telling the truth. nah

  • carlrs15

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:22 pm PT

    The swedish mafia, huh? Oooh, scary.

  • troytheboy

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:21 pm PT

    Just hilarious! but completly stupid

  • joeamis

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:16 pm PT

    what a friggin JACK@33

  • pacobelus

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:15 pm PT

    i watched it on the news yesterday, it was like looking at a homicide, i don't really care for the enzo, but there was like no salvagable part left.

    one thing to note, the local papers said the passenger side air bag didn't go off, most new cars wont go off if someone isn't in the seat.

    all i have to say is i hope he didn't just get the oil changed, because it costs like 12k for that.

  • Loconel

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:02 pm PT

    Makes a good plot for a spy movie LMAO

  • WildTurkey00

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 4:00 pm PT

    That poor, poor car.

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 3:52 pm PT

    Dayum! A Ferrari Enzo?!? Nice insurance payments there...

  • Zeke129

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 3:25 pm PT

    I like how Gamespot chose Carmageddon as the featured game.

advertisement

Related Content

Matches based on text similarity.

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!

Related Game

Carmageddon Boxshot
Carmageddon

Game Stats

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Related Games

Site Blogs