confused between 'which' and 'that'

[Sawan]

Can anyone help me with the use of 'which' and 'that'?
Which sentence sounds correct?
1. The car that hit him was a red Ferrari.
2. The car which hit him was a red Ferrari.

saWan

[Sergey]

My guess and guess only:

The car, which hit him, was a read Ferrari.

Cause this is a non-defining clause. We can use 'that' here but this is less common.
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wakey wakey eggs 'n bakey

[Beeesneees]

Hi SaWan,

"The car that hit him" is actually probably the most common of the two that is heard.
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Cheers m' dears!

[Sergey]

[Beeesneees]

"The car that hit him" is the most common heard because usually at a road accident, the accident itself is of primary importance:

The car that hit him was a red Ferrari. No commas necessary.
This is a restrictive phrase.
It wasn't just any car that hit him. It was a red Ferrari and the fact that it hit him is important. No other car is relevant.

The car, which hit him, was a red Ferrari.
This is a non-restrictive phrase. If you remove the secondary phrase (between the commas) away, you are left with the information that:
The car was a red Ferrari.
The additional information (that it hit him) is given the status of being of secondary importance within the sentence.
_________________
Cheers m' dears!

[Sergey]

let's switch to a less restrictive phrase then, shall we

The apple that/which hit him was red.
The man who/which you talked to was bold.

Please explain these casee and are commas needed here?
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wakey wakey eggs 'n bakey

[Beeesneees]

The apple that hit him was red. It was a red apple and the fact that it hit him is important.
The apple, which hit him, was red. The apple was red. The fact that it hit him is of secondary importance.

The man who/that you talked to was bold. You spoke to a bold man. I would not use 'which' I would not use commas.
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Cheers m' dears!

[Sergey]

[Sawan]

Thank you both of you for sharing your opinions.