Handling Big Toys with Care: Tips for Towing Exotic Cars
By Randall C. Resch
On January 18, 2025, a fully restored 1969 Porsche 917, chassis No. 917K-022, once owned and signed by actor Steve McQueen and now owned by Jerry Seinfeld, rolled onto the red carpet at Florida’s Mecum Auctions. Bidding reached $25 million, but the car failed to sell and was returned to storage.
Supercars and exotics traveling to and from events are typically transported by commercial carriers or towing companies. Regardless of the equipment used, low-profile vehicles present loading challenges. Even experienced operators must take precautions to avoid scraping bodywork, damaging undercarriage components, or chafing expensive rims with ratchet straps.
Transporting high-end vehicles is a specialty niche. Most are carried on flatbeds or commercial transporters, although unusual situations sometimes call for wheel lifts and dollies.
Vintage Ferraris, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis and Porsches may differ from race cars, but they share one thing: They can be a pain in the butt to load.
Give Me a Lift
Handling lowered vehicles requires operators to understand their equipment and accessories and know how to prevent dragging, scraping and other damage.
No two towers work exactly alike. Over the years, I’ve developed my own set of best practices for towing and transporting high-value vehicles:
Discuss the loading plan. Before starting, I explain my approach to the vehicle’s owner.
Prevent rollaways. Chock the tires at both the front and rear.
Document the vehicle. Take photos, especially when handling ultra-valuable vehicles.
Never start the vehicle. Don’t attempt to start a high-end car.
Protect the pavement. Position a section of carpet beneath the carrier’s tailboard to prevent scratching or gouging the surface.
Wear clean gloves. I use white tuxedo gloves for added presentation and to avoid touching the vehicle’s paint.
Use properly rated, soft attachments. Avoid J-hooks and chains. Soft straps help prevent dings and scratches to suspension components, particularly on cars of Concours d’Elegance quality.
Use an eight-point tie-down system. Soft tie-downs allow the vehicle to ride on its own suspension.
Avoid screw-in eyelets. Like the plague, I avoid bumper-pull screw-in eyelets and use soft straps instead.
Ramp gradually. Progressive ramping helps prevent the front end, rear bodywork and tailpipes from scraping.
Add protective padding. When needed, place 40- or 60-inch carpet-covered 2x4s atop the loading bridles to prevent rubbing and scratches.
Position the winch hook carefully. Turn the hook’s point downward to help prevent it from catching oil pans or plastic splash covers. Watch that it doesn’t snag the carrier’s tailboard as you winch the vehicle aboard.
Ease the tension. Once the vehicle is in transport position and fully secured, slightly loosen the winch line to relieve horizontal tension on the vehicle.
Prevent cable slap. Hang a child’s pool noodle over the winch line to cushion the cable and prevent it from striking the vehicle.
Ramping Up
Commercially designed racing ramps are excellent additions to flatbed carriers, but finding room to store them can be difficult. One inexpensive alternative is to cut 4x4 lumber into short sections with angled ends. Strategically positioned beneath the carrier’s tailboard, these pieces create makeshift ramps that are easy to store.
Twelve-inch sections of 2x6 lumber are also useful for stacking. When loading a lowered vehicle onto a wrecker’s wheel lift, place sections of 2x6 behind the front tires and back the vehicle onto them. Raising the front end can provide the clearance needed to get over the wheel lift’s crossbar.
For carriers and other equipment, keeping lengths of 2x4 and 2x6 lumber on hand gives careful operators additional options for ramping low-clearance vehicles. The process is a little like playing the children’s game “Stackers.”
Despite every precaution, damage can occur during loading. When a vehicle is extremely low or “slammed,” a towing company defending itself against a damage claim may argue that the vehicle was modified to sit lower than its original factory height.
A wheel lift’s crossbar typically sits three to four inches above the ground. A slammed vehicle may not have enough clearance to pass over it without contact. Although this argument may be a stretch, a judge with some mechanical understanding might consider the vehicle’s lowered stance when determining responsibility.
Signed Hold Harmless?
Many towers assume that a signed hold-harmless agreement protects them from claims arising from damage. Not so fast!
When presenting such an agreement, a company should fully explain to the vehicle’s owner the possibility that damage could occur during the work.
For towers providing towing and transport services to high-end customers, a signed agreement documents that the loading process and its potential risks were explained before work began.
If damage occurs and the owner subsequently files a claim, the agreement and the tower’s testimony can provide valuable evidence, particularly if the owner claims the risks were never discussed.
On the other hand, if a towing company advertises its services as professional and damage-free, shouldn’t the job be completed without damage? Ultimately, a judge will determine where responsibility lies.
Don’t expect a signed hold-harmless agreement to provide total protection against damage caused by the operator. This article is not intended as legal advice, but remember that handling exotic cars carries risks. Make sure your insurance covers potential mishaps.
Meanwhile, exotics like Jerry Seinfeld’s Porsche 917 are just playthings that must be handled with kid gloves. As a tower, don’t be freaked out. They’re just cars—with very, very big price tags.
Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired, veteran, California police officer, former tow business owner and industry advocate. As consultant and trainer, he authored and teaches tow truck operator safety courses approved by the California Highway Patrol. For 57-years, he has been involved in the towing and recovery industry. In 30-years, he has contributed more than 800-safety focused articles for American Towman Magazine, TowIndustryWeek.com and POLICE Magazine. He is a frequent seminar presenter and beauty pageant judge at tow shows. In 2014, he was inducted to the International Towing and Recovery Industry Hall of Fame, was the 3rd recipient of the industry's "Dave Jones Leadership Award," and is a member of American Towman’s Safety Committee.
Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.
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