What started as a high-speed stunt on the German Autobahn might result in two years in jail for one Bugatti Chiron owner. According to UK's The Sun, German prosecutors are investigating the driver of a 259-mph run on the famous road, which is also reporting that police have confirmed that they have passed a file to prosecutors about the incident.
The video, which shows 58-year-old Radim Passer behind the wheel, captures the car hitting 259.1 miles per hour (471 kilometers per hour). The car has an electronically limited top speed of 261 mph. A spokesperson for the prosecutor said that they were looking into "the possibility of a banned race."
Gallery: 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport: First Drive
Passer posted the video on November 30, but it didn't make news until recently when the Associated Press reported that local authorities had criticized the stunt. Even Germany's Transport Ministry was unimpressed with the video. Passer was back on the Autobahn attempting to break his old speed record that he had set in 2015 when he hit 250 mph (402.5 kph).
While Passer's high-speed run occurred on an unrestricted section of the Autobahn, there were still rules he needed to follow, like ensuring that, "Anyone participating in traffic must behave in such a way that no other person is harmed, endangered or obstructed or inconvenienced more than is unavoidable under the circumstances." Passer insists that safety was a top priority.
There have been increased talks of adding a speed limit to unrestricted sections of the Autobahn. However, the talks aren't necessarily putting driver safety at the forefront. Instead, the limits are more about reducing harmful emissions in the face of raising taxes to help battle climate change. At the end of last year, a study found that 60 percent of people in Germany supported an 81-mph speed limit. Thirty-eight percent voted in favor of unrestricted highways. Either way, the Chiron's stunt will likely keep the conversation going.
