View from the Autobahn
 

My friend Marc is in Germany on business. He rented a 2007 Audi TT and sent a picture from the Autobahn, which all of us know has unrestricted speed limits.

Don't worry, the passenger took the photo. Don't try this at home!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1185039109.jpg

i seriously hope he had somebody else take that picture, although it doesn't look like it, one-handed fiddling around with camera's at 260 is quite stupid

My brother has a pic like that, '84 911 Carrera Cab at 140 mph, not quite as fast as this one, but nevertheless

Do you ever read the posts? Try reading this one again before hitting the enter button...

Don't worry, the passenger took the photo. Don't try this at home!

my bad, but still, i usually do read things, so get off your high horse Joe

You are the one calling him stupid, so hows the horse feel now?

i didn't call him stupid, i said it WOULD be stupid if WOULD have taken the picture with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the camera... read the post

Nice spin you are trying to put on it, but right here you are saying "it does not look like a second person took the photo and that this is quite stupid." Is the car stupid, the camera stupid or just what?

english man,

the fact that i start of with "i hope that"
implies that anything after that is considered, "if not it then it would be ..."

Sheesh.... I attempted to be as ethically correct as possible by including in the message that someone else took the picture, so to avoid the inevitable attack at the potential irresponsibility of the driver, but alas, I knew it would come... just didn't think it'd be the first one.

Thanks for speaking up Joe!

Cool picture, responsibly taken. Thanks for posting!

159mph.....thats eating some serious real estate.

Joe & Stijn. Like Leroy & Stich! :D

Most parts of the Autobahn is speed limited nowadays and even the free stretches are often hampered with heavy traffic and cues. It was much different in the good ol´days.

Although I had a swift ride down to France in my friends Ferrari 599 GTB last week. 300 + kph in some parts. Steady as a rock but of course still nerve wrecking as hell. The sound of that engine going up and down the gears from 8k revs is just 'hornifying'.

Driving at that speed with no helmet, roll cage, etc.. IS stupid, whether you got 1 hand or 20 hands on the wheel.

And how much experience do you have on the autobahn?

Driving home in Germany from Monaco a few years ago, my wife and I joined a convoy of Porsche's, Ferarri's, Lambo or three and assorted others.

We headed out from Monaco and once we got past Switzerland and fueled up again (gas station loved it, about 14 fast sports cars guzzling fuel) we soon settled into a comfortable 230-250 klicks per hour. We held that speed for hours on end until we started peeling off for our exits.

The kicker was passing German police cars. We did it several times, both on the road or standing by the side. All waved and smiled and they knew where we were coming from.

Off Ramp, suggest you go spend some time in Germany. Driving at these speeds are normal when traffic allows for many cars. To get your license you have to go on the autobahn and be trained at high speed driving, among other things that others around the world would never do. Drivers are trained to drive at this speed in Germany but then you have to really earn a drivers license there, not like here where its given to you in a box of post toasties.

Another wonderful "stupid" comment.

Muslims **** in your weeties again Joe?

Nah Victor, I just love it when someone calls another person stupid for no real reason. Drive on the autobahn with someone who does it every day in a good car and this speed is normal.

For someone driving a Ford Pinto in America at 40 mph and guess it may seem stupid...

So what do you feel the need to stir around today?

Have to agree w/ Joe, lived in Germany for 3 years and visited many times in the last 30 years, the most dangerous part of the trips were traveling back and forth from JFK in NYC.

Driving at that speed is no big deal, fast yes, but not unsafe. 200Kph is like 65MPH over here and you don't have asshats moving across three lanes and passing on the right. Pass on the right, go to jail.

Guess on-ramp wouldn't know about Germany since he doesn't fly.

Vehicle inspection is also much more stringent than what we experience in US and you rarely see cars more than 8-10 years old.

FYI .,

200 Kph (kilometer per hour) = 124 mph (miles per hr)

and 256 kilometer per hour = 159 mph.



SmileWavy

FYI, I was just making a comparison. I know what 260Kph is so just stop trying to be a smart ass and build up your post count.

yeah, whatever, you can take your finger and shove it.

Getting back on subject, statistics seem to indicate autobahn is safe, safer than our highways:

Accident rates
Despite the prevailing high speeds, the accident, injury and death rates on the Autobahn are remarkably low. The Autobahn carries about a third of all Germany's traffic, but injury accidents on the Autobahn account for only 6% of such accidents nationwide and less than 12% of all traffic fatalities were the result of Autobahn crashes (2004). In fact, the annual fatality rate (3.2 per billion km in 2004) is consistently lower than that of most other superhighway systems, including the US Interstates (5.0 in 2003).

Ditto on the autobahn safety, spent a lot of time there and I feel much safer at 220 kmh there than I ever do in Canada.

One interesting story, family was off to Austria for vacation, I was driving, cruising along at about 200 kmh, both kids and wife sound asleep.

...I got passed by a hearse and funeral procession....had to wake the wife up and point it out. I truly hope to this day that it was just some joker and his friends tooling around for fun, hate to think that it was for real!

Anyway, I am growing to believe that the speeds achieved there are impossible in North America....the roads are designed poorly, the cars are not built for it, the drivers have rotten training and can better be described as "steerers" than drivers, and they are too distracted by everything else, including their coffee, their cell phones, or their riding mates.

As it was described to me by a European policeman - driving is an activity that can easily kill you, treat it with that level of respect and attention - and that sentiment is certainly not believed over here.

Dennis

Off Ramp knows everything dont you know!

Really spot on about the vehicle inspections there. They take a sharp pointed welding hammer and probe for rust on the underbody. Anything that is not firm they probe and if there is any rust its either fixed or the car is not legal to drive on the roads. This TUV inspection is done every two years...

exactly. I know enough not to drive 160mph without a helmet and a roll cage. WOOOOO

SmileWavy

Hey On-Ramp....I am supposing that your comment was a dig against Joe, which is completely understandable, but if you were serious, just keep in mind that the designers of the fine cars that we all enjoy on this list do exactly what you are suggesting is unwise....maybe you are more of a Hyundai kind of guy?

...just joking of course...

Dennis

Children! Children! Play Nice!

Tom

Or maybe a Kia... or AMC Pacer perhaps? :)

Off Ramp forgets that the Formula One drivers for many years drove without seat belts, a roll bar or even fireproof clothing of any sort, at speeds well over 160. These men were all "stupid" I guess, like Fangio, Nuvulari and the like.

Fear not Joe, there is no chance that will ever happen to you.