York: Daredevil millionaire took his hand off the wheel at 244 mph and died

An entrepreneur has crashed his supercar at 244mph while attempting to deploy a parachute, an inquest has learned.

Zef Eisenberg, 47, had tried to prove that he had built the world’s fastest Porsche and achieved a record “flying mile”.

He died at Elvington Airfield near York on October 1, 2020.

The Porsche 911 Turbo took to the air and covered 500 meters before coming to a stop.

Mr Eisenberg suffered “multiple traumatic injuries” and coroner Jon Heath recorded one mishap.

He did so after hearing that the millionaire braked incorrectly and then deployed the parachute, causing the car to become unstable and take off.

Mr. Eisenberg had asked for the parachute to be attached as part of his own bespoke design, the inquest learned.

The entrepreneur had to take his left hand off the steering wheel of the converted road-legal vehicle to operate a lever to deploy the parachute.

Motorsport UK’s Jamie Champkin – the organization that gave Mr Eisenberg approval to take on the challenge – said the car hit the ground nose-first.

He told the inquest: “The car blew up very quickly, it flew 513 meters before coming to a stop.

“Once it is airborne there is no friction other than air friction to slow its speed in any way.”

He added: “Our estimates were that it was probably still going 150mph, maybe 250mph, but it hit the ground and our very simple calculations would suggest an impact force of up to 37,000 pounds or that 218 times Mr. Eisenberg’s body weight.

“This incident was not survivable in this context.”

Mr Heath said he would produce a report urging Motorsport UK to look into regulations on chassis strength to which wiring harnesses are fitted – although it was not a factor in Mr Eisenberg’s death – in hopes of preventing future fatalities .

Steve Gardner, who was a collision investigator with North Yorkshire Police at the time, said an alternative way to deploy a parachute was to use a button mounted on the steering wheel, but it was not mounted on the vehicle.

“The movement to deploy the parachute was quite large,” the former traffic official said.

“It was a lever that had to be pushed forward.”

Mr. Gardner noticed a minimal but noticeable twitch on the steering wheel seconds before Mr. Eisenberg lost control.

The millionaire had completed 10 trips across the airport that day, and analysis of the vehicle revealed no defects in the brakes, tires or aerodynamics.

Relatives who joined the investigation raised concerns from afar about whether he was buckled properly with a six-point seat belt attached to the car at five points.

In 2016, thrill-seeker Mr Eisenberg survived Britain’s fastest motorcycle accident at the same airfield when his turbine-powered motorbike failed to stop at the end of the runway.

Although he survived, he had to learn to walk again after breaking bones in his legs and pelvis.

The multimillionaire businessman made his fortune in north London from Maximuscle Fitness brand protein powder, which was later sold to pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline before moving to the island of Guernsey.

He presented the ITV show Speed ​​Freaks which focused on extreme car design, building and engineering.

Mr. Eisenberg’s family recognized him as a “true genius with unique talents.”

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