If you own a Bugatti Chiron, you might as well max it out to see how it handles. That was probably the thought process of investment tycoon and YouTube personality Radim Passer before a now-viral stunt on the Autobahn, and it landed him in hot waters with the police.
Last summer, Radim Passer took out his Chiron for a speed run on the Autobahn. The Chiron’s top speed is set at 261 mph (420 kph), and he wanted to see how close he could get to it while still comfortable. He was able to reach 259 mph (417 kph) over a six-mile (9.6-km) stretch of the Autobahn, so mission accomplished.
The Autobahn is famous for stretches where no upper limit is imposed, which technically means that you can drive as fast as you want, and your car will allow it. There is one big caveat in the eyes of the law, though: you can only do this as long as you’re not posing a danger to yourself and others. When Passer’s second video with the stunt went viral months later, German authorities took notice for that very reason.
From the get-go, Passer said that all precautions had been taken to ensure the safety of other drivers. The stunt took place over a section of the Autobahn with excellent visibility ahead and at a time when traffic was low. The video seemed to reflect that, showing only a few vehicles that, given the Chiron’s blistering speed, disappeared as soon as it passed them.
Still, the local police and the Ministry of Transport launched separate investigations into the stunt, while Bugatti publicly disowned the whole thing. When news of the now-old stunt went viral, and the investigations launched, Passer was looking at a possible jail sentence (two to seven years) and a heavy fine, depending on how prosecutors would be able to charge him. The two possibilities included charging him with illegal racing since you can’t charge someone with speeding when you have no upper-speed limit or reckless driving.
Both meant prosecutors had to prove that Passer either engaged in an illegal race (with himself) or that he put others in danger. They could do neither, DPA News informs, as cited by the AP. Consequently, Passer won’t be charged for the Chiron speeding stunt, as prosecutors have determined that he had, indeed, taken all precautions to ensure that the stunt went off without incident, choosing the best time and conditions for it.
All’s well that ends well. Here’s the viral video that brought so much unwanted heat onto the millionaire and reopened the can of worms of whether speed limits should be introduced to the Autobahn.
The Autobahn is famous for stretches where no upper limit is imposed, which technically means that you can drive as fast as you want, and your car will allow it. There is one big caveat in the eyes of the law, though: you can only do this as long as you’re not posing a danger to yourself and others. When Passer’s second video with the stunt went viral months later, German authorities took notice for that very reason.
From the get-go, Passer said that all precautions had been taken to ensure the safety of other drivers. The stunt took place over a section of the Autobahn with excellent visibility ahead and at a time when traffic was low. The video seemed to reflect that, showing only a few vehicles that, given the Chiron’s blistering speed, disappeared as soon as it passed them.
Still, the local police and the Ministry of Transport launched separate investigations into the stunt, while Bugatti publicly disowned the whole thing. When news of the now-old stunt went viral, and the investigations launched, Passer was looking at a possible jail sentence (two to seven years) and a heavy fine, depending on how prosecutors would be able to charge him. The two possibilities included charging him with illegal racing since you can’t charge someone with speeding when you have no upper-speed limit or reckless driving.
Both meant prosecutors had to prove that Passer either engaged in an illegal race (with himself) or that he put others in danger. They could do neither, DPA News informs, as cited by the AP. Consequently, Passer won’t be charged for the Chiron speeding stunt, as prosecutors have determined that he had, indeed, taken all precautions to ensure that the stunt went off without incident, choosing the best time and conditions for it.
All’s well that ends well. Here’s the viral video that brought so much unwanted heat onto the millionaire and reopened the can of worms of whether speed limits should be introduced to the Autobahn.