An offshore worker killed his best friend while road-testing his high performance car at speeds of more than 100mph.
Marc McDonald lost control of his modified Mitsubishi in February 2015 causing Gavin Farquhar (30) to be hurtled out the back window.
A judge heard how McDonald – a £100,000-a-year deep sea welder – was a motor fanatic who also owned a Lamborghini and a BMW.
The 31 year-old had a string of road traffic offences – including previously being disqualified from the road.
McDonald is now behind bars after he admitted causing Mr Farquhar’s death by dangerous driving.
He is due to be sentenced next month.
The crash occurred on the A99 at Reiss by Wick in Caithness on February 12 2015.
Both McDonald and Mr Farquhar lived in the same street in the village. They were close friends and each had a keen interest in cars.
Tragedy struck after the men had returned from the funeral of McDonald’s gran.
The High Court in Glasgow heard they went to “test” McDonald’s powerful Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7.
The vehicle was capable of going from 0-60mph in just over five seconds.
Prosecutor Jim Keegan QC said one witness described McDonald as “going like hell…very,very fast”.
He was also clocked overtaking a number of other cars at speed.
The court was told McDonald eventually lost control as he tried to take a bend.
Mr Keegan said: “He was able to straighten his car up…but it then entered the grass verge colliding with a drain cover, signpost and dry stone dyke before hitting a large boulder.”
The Mitsubishi continued to spin resulting in it smacking into another wall.
It was at this point Mr Farquhar – who was not wearing a seatbelt – was thrown through the rear windscreen.
Witnesses raced to help the victim who was suffering from a severe head injury.
He was rushed to hospital, but never survived.
McDonald was able to walk away from the wreckage, but suffered fractures in his vertebrae.
He told police shortly after the smash that the car was “unreliable” as it had “been in the shed all winter”.
The Mitsubishi had a top speed of 157mph. The court heard modifications “did not make it unsafe”.
Mr Keegan said it was found that McDonald had an average speed of 113mph during part of the fateful journey.
The road – based near farmland – had a 60mph limit.
Lord Turnbull described McDonald’s speed that day as “ridiculous”.
The court was also told McDonald had been banned from the road for 18 months in 2007 for dangerous driving.
He was remanded in custody as sentencing was adjourned until February 7 in Edinburgh.
