# Parisian, out on the town, leaves Porsche in no-parking zone. French police blow it up. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 26, 2016, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640 "2016-12-26T08:38:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/1 "2016-12-26T08:38:56Z")
A few nights ago a Parisian, aged 25 and identified only as Olivier, was having a good time in a night club in St Germaine de Près. At closing time, Olivier realised he was blotto, so he decided not to drive his £90,000 Porsche. He left it behind and took a cab. Good for him - one less drunk on the roads. Except … he left his Porsche illegally parked in a no-parking taxi zone with the flashers on, apparently so it wouldn’t get hit by someone who didn’t appreciate its Porschiness. And then … the taxi company who have the parking zone alerted the gendarmes, who in turn were suspicious about the flashing lights. Were they perhaps a sign that the Porsche was rigged as a car bomb? So, only one thing to do: attach a controlled explosive device to the hood of the Porsche and boom. When Olivier arrived, his Porsche was a wreck and the police apparently gave a Gallic shrug. Œufs, omlettes etc. Que voulez-vous? Oh, and they told Olivier it was his responsibility to have the remains of the Porsche removed, at his expense. > **[French police blow up £90,000 Porsche in terror fear](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3966670/French-police-blow-90-000-Porsche-terror-fear-playboy-illegally-parked-outside-Paris-nightclub.html)** > > The 25-year-old, named only as Olivier, was out on the town in the upmarket St-Germain des Pres area of the French capital last Thursday when disaster struck his Porsche Carrera S. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/2 "2016-12-26T09:34:01Z")
They did exactly what they needed to do, considering the situation in Europe. Tough _merde._ ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/3 "2016-12-26T09:47:08Z")
OK, Note to self: French police are SERIOUS about proper parking! Do not park illegally in France. Good travel tip. Thanks for the heads up Northern Piper. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/4 "2016-12-26T10:46:03Z")
Better article in the [Daily Telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/23/paris-man-leaves-porsche-taxi-rank-go-nightclub-returns-find/) has at least bothered to include a photo of the actual car rather than a stock photo of some arbitrary Porsche. It has also added 44% to the car’s value, increasing the schadenfreude. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/5 "2016-12-26T13:28:39Z")
Dunno, about France, but I believe in the US, the insurance company would also be off the hook, calling it “an act of war, declared or undeclared”. Furthermore, whether or not the vehicle was “legally parked” would be irrelevant to the thing. Even if legally parked, if some authority suspects it is a weapon of mass destruction for any whimsical reason, tough merde. Considering the situation, you know… ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/6 "2016-12-26T13:32:51Z")
LOL suck it Oliver. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/7 "2016-12-26T13:32:56Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > increasing the schadenfreude. We may have already reached peak schadenfreude already. He drives a Porsche. He parks like a douche. He’s French. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/8 "2016-12-26T13:54:42Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Except … he left his Porsche illegally parked in a no-parking taxi zone with the flashers on, apparently so it wouldn’t get hit by someone who didn’t appreciate its Porschiness. > > And then … the taxi company who have the parking zone alerted the gendarmes, who in turn were suspicious about the flashing lights. Were they perhaps a sign that the Porsche was rigged as a car bomb? So, only one thing to do: attach a controlled explosive device to the hood of the Porsche and boom. Perhaps an overreaction by the authorities, but I have no sympathy at all for jerks who think they can supersede all traffic laws merely by turning on their hazard lights. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/9 "2016-12-26T14:33:54Z")
Not uncommon for this sort of thing to happen. Serves him right, he should have planned his night out better and taken a cab into town as well. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/10 "2016-12-26T15:20:18Z")
People who fail to plan ahead are worse than Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/11 "2016-12-26T15:52:39Z")
It was clearly marked as a blow-away zone. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/12 "2016-12-26T18:32:12Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > People who fail to plan ahead are worse than Hitler. As are 25 year olds with $100,000 sports cars. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/13 "2016-12-26T18:58:21Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > People who fail to plan ahead are worse than Hitler. So are people who watch them do it and do nothing to stop them. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parisian-out-on-the-town-leaves-porsche-in-no-parking-zone-french-police-blow-it-up/775640/14 "2016-12-26T18:59:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It was clearly marked as a blow-away zone. 😃