Story highlights The 2005 Porsche Carrera GT goes up to 208 mph and has more than 600 horsepower

"It was beyond a super car. It is what we call a hyper car," a Car and Driver editor says

The car costs $450,000 new, and an oil change alone costs $900

It has three times the horsepower of the average car. It's notoriously difficult to handle, even for professional drivers. And now, it's known as the car actor Paul Walker was riding in when he died

Both Walker and his driving team partner, who was behind the wheel, died after the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT they were in slammed into a pole and burst into flames. Los Angeles County authorities say speed was a factor in the crash and are investigating how fast the exotic car was going.

So why is the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT so different from other street cars? Here are five reasons:

1) It flies on the road

The sports car has a top speed of 208 mph, a very high-revving V10 engine and more than 600 horsepower, said Eddie Alterman, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver magazine.

Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Chris Farley, at center with filmmakers Tyron Montgomery, left, and Thomas Stellmach after they won the Oscar for best animated short film for "Quest" in 1997. Farley was working on the animated film "Shrek" when he died of an overdose in 1997. His "SNL" colleague Mike Myers took over the role. Here's a look at other celebrities who have died during the production of movies and TV shows. Hide Caption 1 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Lee Thompson Young was appearing on TNT's "Rizzoli & Isles" when he committed suicide in August. Hide Caption 2 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – The death of Philip Seymour Hoffman won't affect the release of the last "Hunger Games" movie, as he had completed filming of most of his scenes as game master Plutarch Heavensbee. Hide Caption 3 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – After Paul Walker's death in a car crash in November 2013, producers decided to retire his character, Brian O'Conner, in "Fast & Furious 7." Hide Caption 4 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Heath Ledger was filming "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" in 2008 when he died of accidental drug intoxication. The film was completed using other actors as fantasy versions of Ledger's character. Hide Caption 5 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Phil Hartman rose to fame for his impersonations including President Bill Clinton on "Saturday Night Live," but he was starring on the sitcom "NewsRadio" when he was shot to death by his wife in 1998. Actor Jon Lovitz replaced him. Hide Caption 6 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Jon-Erik Hexum was a 26-year-old rising star in 1984 when he shot himself with a prop gun on the set of his new TV series, "Cover Up." The blank drove a piece of his skull into his brain, and he was taken off of life support a week later. His character was killed off Hide Caption 7 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Brandon Lee was filming the movie "The Crow" in 1993 when he was accidentally shot and killed during a scene. Lee was the son of ... Hide Caption 8 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Actor and martial arts expert Bruce Lee, who was working on dubbing the film "Enter the Dragon" when he died in 1973 of a brain edema, caused by a prescription painkiller. Hide Caption 9 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Vic Morrow, here in "The Streets of San Francisco" in 1973, died along with two child actors in 1982 when a stunt helicopter crashed on top of them during the filming of "Twilight Zone: The Movie." The accident resulted in an involuntary manslaughter case against director John Landis and four others. The group was ultimately acquitted. Hide Caption 10 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Cory Monteith's death in 2013 at the age of 31 from an overdose of drugs and alcohol meant his hit show, "Glee," had to figure out how best to deal with his character. Monteith's character, Finn Hudson, center, also died on the series, though the cause of death was not revealed. Hide Caption 11 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – John Ritter died of an aortic dissection at the height of his show "8 Simple Rules" in 2003. David Spade and James Garner were later cast. Hide Caption 12 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – River Phoenix was almost finished filming "Dark Blood" when he died of drug-induced heart failure in 1993. It would take 19 years for the film to be completed. Hide Caption 13 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – "The Royal Family" was in rehearsals when Redd Foxx died of a heart attack in 1991. The TV comedy had been intended as a comeback vehicle for Foxx and did not survive long after his death. Hide Caption 14 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Freddie Prinze, left, was starring on "Chico and the Man" when he fatally shot himself in 1977. Child actor Gabriel Melgar was brought in to play a new character, Raul, after Prinze's death. Hide Caption 15 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – When John Spencer died of a heart attack in 2005, his character on "The West Wing," Leo McGarry, suffered the same fate. Hide Caption 16 of 17 Photos: Photos: Stars who died during production Stars who died during production – Natalie Wood mysteriously drowned in 1981 near Santa Catalina Island, California, during production of the science fiction film "Brainstorm." Her co-star, Christopher Walken, was sailing with the actress and her husband, Robert Wagner, at the time. Hide Caption 17 of 17

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Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Paul Walker, a star of the "Fast & Furious" movie franchise, died in a car crash on November 30, 2013. He was 40. Here's a look at his career through the years. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker with Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez and Ludacris in "Furious 7," which had mostly completed filming when Walker died. Many fans got emotional upon seeing Walker onscreen in the movie, which earned $143 million its first weekend. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker's role as Brian O'Conner in the "Fast & Furious" franchise (here with Vin Diesel in the sixth film) helped make the actor a star. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker and Jordana Brewster -- who played his love interest, Mia, in the films -- in "Fast 5." Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Kevin Rankin and Walker appear in "Pawn Shop Chronicles," a 2013 film about a missing wedding ring that sets off a wild goose chase. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker also had a starring role in the 2013 film "Hours," about a man trying to keep his daughter alive after Hurricane Katrina. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane The actor was part of a band of thieves in the 2010 movie "Takers." Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Brooklynn Proulx and Walker in the 2008 film "The Lazarus Project." Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker, left, and Barry Pepper were U.S. Marines in the 2006 drama "Flags of Our Fathers." Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker appears in the 2005 action film "Into the Blue," which also starred Jessica Alba. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Tyrese Gibson took over for Diesel opposite Walker in 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious." Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker appeared in 2001's "The Fast and the Furious," the first movie in the franchise. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker, center, appeared in "Skulls" with Leslie Bibb and Joshua Jackson in 2000. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker and Freddie Prinze Jr. co-starred in the popular 1999 teen film "She's All That." Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: Paul Walker: Life in the fast lane Walker's first major role was opposite Reese Witherspoon in the 1998 film "Pleasantville." Hide Caption 15 of 15

"This was not a car for novices," Alterman said. "Actually, the Carrera GT program began as a racing program."

Todd Trimble, an exotic car mechanic in Las Vegas, said the Carrera GT is a "very hard car to drive."

"It's (a) pure racer's car. You really need to know what you're doing when you drive them. And a lot of people are learning the hard way."

2) It's incredibly expensive

Brand new, the car costs $450,000.

An oil change alone costs $900, Trimble said.

3) The engine is in the middle

Having the engine in the middle of the car means it's more agile and turns more quickly than a car with the engine in the front or in the rear.

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The Carrera GT is able to change direction "very quickly, very much like a race car," Alterman said.

"It was beyond a super car. It is what we call a hyper car."

4) It has no stability control

The Carrera GT is also unusual because it has no electronic stability control. That means it's unforgiving with mistakes.

"Stability control is really good at correcting slides, keeping the car from getting out of shape," race car driver Randy Pobst said.

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Pobst coached the actors in the second "Fast & Furious" movie -- including Paul Walker.

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"Paul was by far the best driver -- a natural car guy," he said.

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Alterman said learning to drive a car like a Carrera GT can be extremely tricky.

"Every car is sort of different. And this one, especially since it had such a hair-trigger throttle, because it changed directions so quickly, there is a lot to learn."

5) There are only 1,300 of them

Porsche made only about 1,300 Carreras GTs -- and they're disappearing fast.

"They're getting rarer and rarer," Trimble said. "Most of the time, when they do get wrecked, there's not much left of them."