Ride Me

Paul Walker wasn't the first to allegedly experience mechanical issues inside a Porsche Carrera GT -- TMZ has learned, the car company was sued over a deadly 2005 crash involving the same vehicle ... and it paid dearly in a massive settlement.

According to the lawsuit, two men (a driver and his passenger) were killed on a California race track while driving a 2005 Carrera GT ... hitting a wall at over 100 MPH while trying to avoid another car on the track.

The family of the passenger sued practically everyone involved in the accident for gross negligence -- and won $4.5 million in a giant settlement ... $350,000 of which was paid by Porsche.

The lawsuit alleged the GT didn't handle correctly on the track -- and according to the attorney for the victim's family, Craig McClellan ... sworn testimony from several Porsche experts confirmed a major design flaw with the GT is it doesn't have a Porsche Stability Management system.

We're told the PSMS uses a computer to correct the car if the rear end loses control -- and it is now required by law.

For Porsche's part, the company denied liability -- saying the car fully met federal safety standards at the time -- but it still paid its portion of the settlement to avoid further litigation.

It's unclear if Roger Rodas' Carrera GT had been fitted with a PSMS -- but McClellan says ZERO 2005 Carrera GTs (like Roger's) came off the assembly line with the system.

PSMS or not, it's worth noting the car has been a HUGE legal pain in the ass for Porsche. So far, Paul's family hasn't filed a lawsuit.

Paul Walker would NOT have been cool with Roger Rodas pushing the Porsche Carrerra GT to dangerous speeds the day they died ... that according to Paul's father.

Paul Walker Sr. says he's heard all the rumors about his son being into street racing -- but insists that's simply not true, because ... "He did not ever want to hurt anybody."

In the clip, Paul Sr. does admit his son loved going fast in cars, but only under specific conditions .. which he describes.

2:35 P.M. PT -- The coroner tells us the autopsies on both bodies are now complete ... but we're still waiting to find out the exact cause of death. The findings could be announced later today. Story developing ...

We may soon know the exact cause of Paul Walker's death ... TMZ has learned the coroner's office will begin the autopsy shortly.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the autopsies on Walker and Roger Rodas will be completed today. We're told the coroner also hopes to make positive ID on both bodies ... which was delayed because dental records were needed.

Walker and his racing partner Rodas were killed Saturday when the Porsche Carrera GT they were driving in crashed into a pole. Witnesses on the scene say it appeared both men burned to death when the car exploded in a fireball.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Jay Leno knows firsthand the danger -- and the thrill -- of driving a Porsche Carrera GT -- similar to the one that Paul Walker died in -- because he lost control of one while driving at 182 MPH!!

Leno climbed behind the wheel of a 605 horsepower, V-10 GT back in 2005 ... trying to set a speed record at Talladega Motor Speedway. Cost of the car at that time -- $448K.

MotorTrend reported that Leno was gunning it -- going faster than 180 MPH -- when he lost control of the Porsche and spun out ... spinning across the track five times before hitting the infield grass.

Amazingly ... Leno managed to avoid hitting any walls .... and there was hardly a scratch on the car.

Pro driver David Donohue -- who was present that day -- told MotorTrend Leno took his foot off the accelerator because he got too close to a wall, which caused the car to spin. He says it shows just how sensitive the Carrera GT is at high speeds.

Miley Cyrus ain’t exactly Hell’s Angels material … but she looked like a bad ass biker chick cruising through the mean streets of suburban Toluca Lake, CA on her sweet 3-wheel motorcycle.

As we reported ... the motorized tricycle was a gift from daddy ... Billy Ray dropped $24K on a 2013 Can Am Spyder with a customized paint job -- it's decorated with tiny M.C.'s all over it.

The sports car Paul Walker died in was so gnarly to drive ... Porsche WARNED its dealers, in writing, about letting just anyone drive the vehicle ... because it's hyper sensitive to road conditions.

TMZ obtained a copy of a memo sent from Porsche HQ to multiple dealers in the Midwest back in 2004 ... right before the $500K Carrera GT went on sale -- and it explains how ridiculously powerful the car is, but also that ... "this vehicle cannot drive over a Foster Beer can that is lying on its side."

In the doc, a Porsche exec says, "You need to be aware of what type of road surface you are on (dips; pot holes, seam heights, etc.)"

It's worth noting ... the road where Paul and Roger Rodas crashed is covered with reflective dots -- y'know, the ones you've probably driven over harmlessly thousands of times. Of course, you probably weren't driving the GT ... which some pro drivers have called "brutal and savage" and difficult to control.

Police are still investigating the exact cause of the accident, and, so far, have only said speed was a factor.

The exec's memo explains the GT is damn close to being a real deal racecar, but adds ... "This car has all the disadvantages of a racecar."

The high speed crash that killed Paul Walker and Roger Rodas caused a huge explosion and fireball that could be seen for miles ... and it was all recorded on a security camera that captured the precise moment of impact.

The footage was recorded from a rooftop camera in an industrial park next to the crash site. It shows the initial collision (on the right of the screen) which caused the Porsche to explode in flames ... moments before another, larger blast sends a fireball high into the sky.

What's also interesting -- there appears to be no other cars either immediately in front of or behind the Porsche at the time of the crash.

Paul Walker liked his cars fast fast fast -- in fact, he once boasted about hitting a top speed of 185 MPH -- and it wasn't on a racetrack ... it was on a freeway.

"The Fast & The Furious" star -- who died in a fiery car crash on Saturday -- made the revelation on GTChannel back in 2011 ... while taking a Nissan GT-R out for a test spin in Japan.

"The fastest I've ever gone is 184 to 186," Walker says on the video .... and then he reveals how fast he was clocked on an actual racetrack.

The site where Paul Walker died has become a danger zone ... with some fans paying tribute to the actor by doing dangerous burn-outs, donuts and other high speed stunts -- and now cops tell us they're cracking down before someone else gets hurt.

In fact, one our of own TMZ producers personally witnessed the exhibitions of speed at the crash site -- people roll up, burn rubber, and peel out in an effort to pay tribute to the late "Fast and the Furious" star.

This is the dramatic moment when a cop had to physically wrestle one of Paul Walker's friends away from the crash scene ... seconds after it became clear Paul could not be saved.

TMZ broke the story ... Paul's friends rushed to the scene -- one even grabbed a fire extinguisher and desperately tried to extinguish the flames.

When the fire dept. arrived they tried to pull Paul's friends away. One of Paul's longtime friends, a guy named Nute, was so overwrought with emotion, he punched a firefighter. We're told Sheriff's deputies put Nute -- and several other of Paul's friends -- in custody, but let them go when they realized the circumstances.

Cops now believe Paul and the driver of the Porsche may have been in a street race with another car at the time of the crash and are looking for footage and witnesses.

Cops are investigating the possibility that Paul Walker was in the middle of a high-speed street race with another car at the time he crashed and died this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... investigators have received tips that Walker and the man driving the Porsche, Roger Rodas, had been racing prior to the crash ... and the high speed may have contributed to the wreck that killed both men.

Sources say ... the area where the crash occurred has a history of being a popular street racing location.

We're told cops are on the hunt for video and witnesses that could prove another car was involved.

The exotic sports car in which Paul Walker violently died, crashed as a result of mechanical failure -- very possibly a steering fluid leak ... this according to sources closely tied to the auto shop where the vehicle was stored and maintained.

Sources connected to Always Evolving -- the shop co-owned by Walker and the Porsche driver Roger Rodas -- tell TMZ they saw evidence of a fluid burst and subsequent fluid trail before the skid marks at the accident scene.

The AE sources point to the fact there is a noticeable absence of skid marks until just before the point of impact. They say if Roger had lost control the skid marks would show swerving, but instead the marks were in a straight line. They feel this cements the theory the driver didn't have steering control.

Also suspicious -- the fire spreading so quickly in the front of the car. The sources say flames would be expected in the rear where the engine is ... but fire in the front reinforces their theory of a fluid leak of some sort.

We're told the $500,000 Carrera GT was NOT modified and was driven rarely so they believe any failure must be a factory defect.

Paul Walker fans have been heading to Valencia, CA in droves ... building out a massive vigil for the actor on the spot where he died.

Fans began to gather literally hours after the fatal crash on Saturday evening ... and by Sunday night, the memorial had grown exponentially ... with hundreds of flowers, candles, photos trinkets and letters.

As we previously reported, Walker's "Fast and the Furious" co-star Tyrese Gibson visited the crash scene yesterday ... and broke down crying when he arrived.

Paul Walker may not have ever gotten into the car that took him to his death if it hadn't been acting up moments before the crash ... TMZ has learned.

Paul showed up Saturday for a fundraiser at Always Evolving -- Roger Rodas' high end auto shop that specializes in exotic cars. Paul had a stake in the shop.

Sources connected to Roger tell TMZ when Paul arrived ... Roger was watching one of his employees try in vain to back the Carrera GT into the shop, but it kept stalling. Roger decided to take matters into his own hands ... told the worker to get out and took the wheel himself.

As Roger began to back into the garage ... Paul came up and said he hadn't driven in the Porsche yet -- so he jumped in the passenger seat and they took a 20 minute drive.

The fatal accident happened on the way back from that drive -- just 500 yards from the shop.

Paul's best friend from childhood, Nute, grabbed a fire extinguisher and was among the first to arrive on scene. We're told Nute frantically tried to extinguish the flames ... even though it appeared to him both men were already dead.

Paul Walker's body was burned so badly the coroner needs his dental records to identify the body ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the L.A. County Coroner tells us ... the bodies of Paul and his friend/business partner Roger Rodas are currently unidentifiable and their autopsies will be delayed until later this week.

We're told the coroner is waiting on both sets of dental records before proceeding.

Rodas -- who was driving the Porsche yesterday -- was friends with Walker for nearly a decade ... and Roger has been credited with helping Paul start his race shop.

The two also joined forces to create the "Reach Out World Wide" Foundation to help disaster relief in other countries -- and as we first reported ... the group was behind yesterday's fundraiser for typhoon relief in Santa Clarita.

Paul's rep says Roger and Paul were leaving the event when they wrecked.

Rodas was 38 years old.

Moments before Paul Walker took what turned out to be a fatal ride -- he posed proudly next to the exotic car that exploded on impact in the deadly accident.

Paul was photographed with the red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that belonged to his friend Roger Rodas. They were attending a fundraiser in Santa Clarita, CA.

We're told the photos and video were taken about 30 minutes before the accident.

As TMZ first reported ... Paul had put together the charitable event -- through his Reach Out Worldwide organization -- to support typhoon relief efforts in the Philippines.

Paul was the passenger in the Porsche when Rodas lost control and slammed into a tree. The car exploded, and the Sheriff's Department says speed was a factor.