This is the risk of using peer-to-peer rental services.

We know quite a few enthusiasts rent out their beloved cars using Turo or other peer-to-peer car sharing services, but a recent story out of Texas involving a new Toyota Supra highlights the risks. A high school automotive shop teacher from Illinois is accused of renting the sports car for his all-female group of students to race at The Texas Mile in Beeville, Texas recently.

Watch a guy crash his rental Corvette here.

Just in case you’re wondering, it appears that’s against the terms of service for Turo and the Supra’s owner is pretty upset, saying about $4,000 of damage was done to his car. It’s no wonder since the students pushed the Toyota to 160 mph during a mile-long land speed record attempt in Texas.

Things started out differently. The teacher and students had built a Chevy S-10 to break a land speed record at The Texas Mile. It’s the kind of thing plenty of enthusiasts dream about doing, so this was an exciting time for the teens. However, when they arrived in Texas a problem arose with their build that apparently couldn’t be fixed in time. And this is where the controversy and disagreement begin.

The owner of the Toyota Supra for rent through Turo claims the high school teacher didn’t disclose that the vehicle was going to be raced on a track. If the teacher had told him that, the owner says he wouldn’t have gone ahead with the rental. He realized something was off when he saw how worn the tires and brake pads were. After investigating online, he found photos of the group at The Texas Mile boasting about hitting 160 mph in what he says is his car.

How does the guy know it was his Supra and not one just like it? For starters, it’s wearing aftermarket wheels. Also, the owner says he found photos posted online by students that clearly show the license plate.

But the high school auto shop teacher claims the Supra used at The Texas Mile wasn’t the one rented through Turo. Instead, he claims the vehicle came from an unnamed dealer. He also told a reporter her doesn’t know who the owner of the Toyota rented through Turo is.

Turo told a Chicago news station it’s investigating the incident while communicating with both parties. In the meantime, the school district is conducting its own investigation.

Source: Fox 32 Chicago

Images via Facebook, Instagram

By Steven Symes

Steven Symes is an accomplished automotive journalist with a passion for all things related to cars. His extensive knowledge and love for the automotive world shine through in his writing, which covers a diverse range of topics.