FHP: Service station owner wrecks Porsche at 164 mph

Ma'am, looks like your car needs a little work, after all.

An auto shop owner in Sanibel totaled his customer's Porsche when he took it out for "diagnostics," hitting speeds as high as 164 mph and flipping the car on a road shoulder, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Kenneth R. Kasten, 50, escaped without injury from the crash, which occurred on a curve by the Sanibel Tollbooth around 6 a.m. The 2008 Porsche Boxster suffered $50,000 in damage. It came to rest upside-down on the shoulder of McGregor Boulevard, east of the toll booth.

Kasten was charged with willful and wreckless driving and leaving the scene of a crash.

According to reports, the car's owner dropped the car at Kasten's shop, Sanibel Shell, for service on Wednesday. She was aware he had driven the sportscar home for diagnostics, the report said. She didn't know about the wreck until notified by at trooper.

When discovered, the car was thought to be stolen. Kasten was later found at the toll parking lot at 11:30 a.m., according to the report.

He was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, according to the report. Alcohol was not believed to be a factor.

■ Read NBC-2’s report.

© 2010 marconews.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.