Bugatti Wants Nothing to Do With Czech Millionaire’s Chiron Speed Run on the Autobahn

Last summer, on an early sunny morning, Czech millionaire Radim Passer took his new Bugatti Chiron on a speed run on the Autobahn, on a section of the highway between Berlin and Hannover that carries no upper speed limit. He was able to max the Chiron out at 259 mph (417 kph). The entire run lasted a little over two minutes and was duly documented for social media.

While the initial video failed to register on an international scale, Passer’s follow-up video, of the POV GoPro footage from inside the car, went viral three weeks ago and is now sitting at over 8.3 million views. At the end of last month, reports in the German media noted that Passer was being investigated for the stunt, after Germany’s Ministry of Transport had singled out the incident to say that it “reject[ed] any behavior in road traffic that leads or can lead to endangering road users.”

Varying reports say that Passer is facing between two and seven years in prison, and a hefty fine for the stunt, even though he technically broke no law. Since there is no upper speed limit on that section of the Autobahn, he wasn’t speeding. But German police are treating the stunt as an illegal race, since the goal was to go as fast as possible. The other approach for prosecutors could be that Passer’s driving qualified as reckless driving, as there were other drivers on the road and he endangered them through his behavior.

Meanwhile, Bugatti would like everyone to know that it wants no part in what is turning into a PR disaster and yet another controversy on whether speed limits should be introduced on the Autobahn. In a statement to CarScoops, the maker says it can’t comment on the case since it’s an ongoing investigation – and then proceeds to do just that.

“For us as a company, responsible conduct towards customers, shareholders, employees, and society, and above all conformity with the law and Bugatti’s internal compliance guidelines, is a top priority,” reads the statement. “In our opinion, one must always behave responsibly when participating in road traffic. As a company, we reject/distance ourselves from any behavior on the road that leads to a concrete endangerment of road users.”

The Chiron is the safest, road-legal vehicle even when operated at high speeds, Bugatti adds. But if the world and prosecutors are bent on pointing fingers, Bugatti seems to be saying Passer is the only one they should be pointed at.