Fastest Car You Ever Drove On A Public Road?

na · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:12 pm

Ok, ok, as a German I might have an advantage here.

My record, driven during the first half of Football WC final last month. Empty autobahn, and here you go: 290 km/h in a 2009 model Ferrari F430 Scuderia.
Felt as safe as a baby in this fantastic machine. Didnt feel like 290 at all, the Ferrari behaved as if on rails. Wouldnt do it in normal traffic though.

TheSonntag · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:15 pm

I once sat in a Porsche, but I wasn't driving it. So the fastest was a "dull" Audi A6 3,2 TDI quattro. Only doing 240 km/h, but it was fun anyway.

Sabena332 · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:17 pm

My top 3 (according to the speed indicator):

- 260 kph with my Audi S4 on the A44
- 250 kph with my father's Audi A8 on the A31
- 250 kph with my father's old BMW 540i on the A3 (with my parents in the car, my mother was fortunately sleeping

)

Patrick

rlwynn · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:23 pm

My last car, an Audi A3 3.2. The paper said it could go 246 but if you had enough space it would go about 258 on flat ground.

ipodguy7 · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:27 pm

I went 130 mph in my dad's Lexus LS460 once on I-65 and then did 150mph in one of his friend's Ferraris

aerobalance · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:30 pm

I never go 10 mph above any speed limit on any public road (unless it's closed to public traffic).

I've done 205 mph in a clients (race)-car at California Speedway.

PlymSpotter · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:30 pm

I don't drive, but the fastest I've manage to go on my mountain bike is 59.6mph/95.91kmph. Unsurprisingly it was downhill; a 400m long 25% gradient. Would have been a lot faster if it wasn't for the 20kg weight and 2.35 inch wide tyres which sound like an aircraft dive-bombing you at speed.

Dan

aloges · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:33 pm

210 km/h according to the speedometer in dad's Passat, on the A7 from Hamburg to Hannover

To be honest, that sort of driving doesn't do much for me. I'd rather go on the train where I don't have to watch out for idiots in Peugeot 206s at 110 km/h pulling into the fast lane 150 m in front of me.

photopilot · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:35 pm

I can't find it on either Google or the Guiness Book of World Record website.....

so, just for curiosity.......

What is the Land-Speed Stupidity Record?

I've had the pleasure of driving some damn fine cars, and some incredible speeds, but in locations where that type of speed belongs. On a race track, or once, the thrill of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Anyplace else is IMHO stupid and needlessly puts others at risk.

Spoilsport..... maybe, but as Forest Gump said...."Stupid is as stupid does!"

aloges · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:35 pm

Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 6):
I don't drive, but the fastest I've manage to go on my mountain bike is 59.6mph/95.91kmph.

***king hell! I once did about 70 km/h on my bike and that was scary enough...

Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 6):
tyres which sound like an aircraft dive-bombing you at speed

Did you also get the bugs-exploding-on-your-jacket noise?

aero145 · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:36 pm

The fastest I've gone was in a VW Touran 2.0 TDI DSG .. 210 on the speedo and 199 on the GPS. That's the fastest this version can go without wind from the back.

Fastest I've been in was an Audi TT 1.8 TFSI .. 240 on the speedo which probably means around 225-230 km/h.

The fastest I've been on a bike was on a short slope in a 30-Zone in Germany. 65 km/h (around 41 mph). I had to brake though because after the slope there's a speed trap. Smile

[Edited 2010-08-13 13:46:17]

WildcatYXU · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:37 pm

Quoting na (Thread starter):
Ok, ok, as a German I might have an advantage here.

A big one, I'd say. Driving fast around here is considered mortal sin.

So, I'd split my reply. The fastest car I ever drove was the Nissan 350Z. But it was here, in Canada, so I drove slowly...
Fastest I ever drove was just above 200 km/h. It was, obviously, in Germany (A5, on my way to Freiburg). The car - Honda Accord.

aerobalance · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:38 pm

Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 6):
but the fastest I've manage to go on my mountain bike is 59.6mph/95.91kmph

That's nuts! I've done 47mph in a mtn bike race and I was scared out of my mind- can't imagine 60 mph.

PlymSpotter · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:40 pm

Quoting aloges (Reply 9):
Did you also get the bugs-exploding-on-your-jacket noise?

Luckily not, but I was put off from doing after a collision at about 50kmph with a Pheasant which threw me off. I had a lucky escape then as I landed in soft vegetation, and it made me think twice about trying stupid speeds again. Five years on part of me wants to try it again, but I've been to university since and the lifestyle change has a had a negative, or rather a positive, affect on my weight.

aloges · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:42 pm

Quoting WildcatYXU (Reply 11):
A big one, I'd say. Driving fast around here is considered mortal sin.

Well... is Canadian driving instruction any better than in the US? I've heard time and again, from Americans, that there isn't really a standard that you could rise to.

Quoting WildcatYXU (Reply 11):
A5, on my way to Freiburg

That's a great bit of road on the two weekends per year when there's little traffic and no construction!

WildcatYXU · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:48 pm

Quoting aloges (Reply 14):
Well... is Canadian driving instruction any better than in the US?

Canadian driving what?

There is no mandatory driver's training in Canada.

flanker · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:50 pm

2007 E55 AMG
Audi R8
Audi S8/W12
Audi RS4

aloges · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:50 pm

Quoting WildcatYXU (Reply 15):
There is no mandatory driver's training in Canada.

Oh.

Good thing you aren't allowed to speed, then.

flanker · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:54 pm

Quoting aloges (Reply 17):

Oh.

Good thing you aren't allowed to speed, then.

Same in the states. Its ridiculous. Pay 10$, pass 20 questions and you get a license. Oh wait, you have to go out with the instructor lady to drive around the facility for 5 minutes. Turn left, turn right, brake, gas, parallel park. done.

aloges · Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:58 pm

Quoting flanker (Reply 18):
Same in the states.

Hm... somewhere I got the idea that you had some mandatory instruction.

Fly2HMO · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:02 pm

Quoting na (Thread starter):
Ok, ok, as a German I might have an advantage here.

Yeah no kidding.

Fastest was in my friends VW GTI, 155mph/250-ish kmh. And this was with two people, a dog in the back, and the trunk up to the brim with luggage. Had the car been lighter I'm sure it could've reached just shy of 170 (it is modded with stage 1 kit).

I love that car. It is deceivingly fast. 60mph feels no different than 150mph, just a bit more wind and engine noise if anything. Surprisingly stable at very high speeds.

Quoting photopilot (Reply 8):
Anyplace else is IMHO stupid and needlessly puts others at risk.

Spoilsport..... maybe, but as Forest Gump said...."Stupid is as stupid does!"

I knew someone would scream murder soon enough.

In my eyes, I feel perfectly comfortable going (and I do it often) on a public road over 120mph so long as 1) there's no traffic (less than 1 car every 3 miles), so it's only my life that's tentatively in danger and 2) the road itself is safe and in very good condition.

Quoting aloges (Reply 19):
Hm... somewhere I got the idea that you had some mandatory instruction.

Hence why 90% of Americans can't drive worth a damn

[Edited 2010-08-13 14:05:13]

larshjort · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:05 pm

According to the GPS 182 km/h which is also the published max speed of my Fiesta 1,6 2003. It was in germany on a nearly deserted autobahn, which was quite strange since it was on of the big go on vacation days in july.

/Lars

rlwynn · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:11 pm

Ont thing that makes it unsafe to drive fast in America is bumps. Here in Germany on the Autobahn there are none. Everytime I am in America I notice how big some of the bumps would be driving 100+mph. I ahve driven LA - Vegas many times and have risked it at a bit of high speed driving and have bottomed out the car severely everytime.

PlymSpotter · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:12 pm

Quoting aerobalance (Reply 12):
That's nuts! I've done 47mph in a mtn bike race and I was scared out of my mind- can't imagine 60 mph.

That's the speed I was trying to hit - it really bugs me that I missed it by so little. Pretty sure I could do it easily on a racing bike, but I don't have one.

Dan

Fly2HMO · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:14 pm

Quoting rlwynn (Reply 22):
I ahve driven LA - Vegas many times and have risked it at a bit of high speed driving and have bottomed out the car severely everytime.

I've found CA interstates to be the bumpiest in the whole country by far. They're annoying ass hell.

But I've also found TX to have the smoothest interstates, and the best ones overall. Some stretches of the I-10 before SAT seem very autobahn-ish, but probably not by German standards

.

PHLBOS · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:18 pm

Topic Title: Fastest Car You Ever Drove On A Public Road?

Are you asking what the fastest car in terms of top speed/acceleration capabilities one's ever driven or how fast one's ever driven in a car PERIOD?

I ask because a person in a Shelby Mustang stuck in city traffic is NOT going to be able to accelerate to the car's top speed whereas one in an economy car out on a deserted open road can literally open 'er up.

The fastest I've ever driven on an open-highway was a toss-up between my 2007 Mustang convertible (V6 model which has a speed-governor on it) at 112 or 113 mph or my brother's 1974 Mercury Marquis Brougham at 110 mph back during my college years (mid-1980s).

The fastest car in terms of potential top speed was a 2011 Mustang 3.7L V6 (which has 305 hp vs. 210 hp on the old 4.0L V6) I drove at a Ford Dealership in Carlisle, PA during the All-Ford Nationals Show that took place at the neighboring fairgrounds. The dealership was offering free test-drives of several Ford, Mercury and Lincoln models to the show's attendees (driver's license was obviously required) in a cone-laden parking lot. Due to the small size of the lot and the constant twists and turns one could not realistically accelerate to the vehicle's top speed.

aloges · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:20 pm

Quoting rlwynn (Reply 22):
Ont thing that makes it unsafe to drive fast in America is bumps. Here in Germany on the Autobahn there are none.

I'd love it if that were the case, but due to all the heavy traffic we've got something just as bad or worse: corrugation. A couple of years ago, I was towing an empty trailer from Hamburg to the South and the state of the right lane was so bad that I had to slow down to 60 km/h (80 allowed), otherwise the trailer would have caused a crash. The truck drivers didn't exactly appreciate it... that was the only time I ever drove on the shoulder on purpose, to let them past.

rlwynn · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:24 pm

That is true. In many places the trucks leave ruts in the road. It can be dangerous when water puddles in them. But the one thing Autobahns do not have really at all are bodenwellen, bumps. In America they can be huge. At 65mph they are not a problem but at 100mph+ you could easily crash.

IMissPiedmont · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:29 pm

Quoting na (Thread starter):
290 km/h

That's not really fast, illegal here in the states but not scary in a good car on a good road. I laugh like hell when people here come back from Germany and brag about driving 150, they don't understand conversion well.

As to the original question, I one night drove down US Highway 1 south of Daytona Beach and reached 156 MPH. I was crazy back then.

racko · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:31 pm

310 km/h (on the speedo) in a 911 Turbo S (996) on the A5. Wouldn't really be comfortable to do this regularly though, I have to admit. The lane gets quite narrow at those speeds.

rlwynn · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:35 pm

Quoting IMissPiedmont (Reply 28):
That's not really fast

I would say that 179mph is fast anywhere.

Springbok747 · Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:35 pm

C320 CDI at 250 km/h (155 mph) on a deserted stretch of road between Adelaide and Port Augusta on the Stuart Highway, South Australia.

Aesma · Fri Aug 13, 2010 10:03 pm

If you want bumps on the autobahn (or rather, autostrada) Italy is closer, they even put a sign which in France is only used for speed bumps, surprising at first !

That doesn't prevent Italians from speeding...

Faster I went is only 200Km/h in a Peugeot 306 S16.

I recently learned that an "uncle in law" owns a 360 Modena so there is hope still !

I got faster than that without any machine, around 250Km/h, vertically... Or should I say 70m/s ?

edit : my bad, that wasn't on a public road, rather in public airspace Big grin

[Edited 2010-08-13 15:06:33]

Sabena332 · Fri Aug 13, 2010 10:10 pm

Quoting racko (Reply 29):
310 km/h (on the speedo) in a 911 Turbo S (996) on the A5.

Quoting racko (Reply 29):
The lane gets quite narrow at those speeds.

I can imagine that! Everything beyond 180 kph needs your full concentration!

Quoting rlwynn (Reply 30):
I would say that 179mph is fast anywhere.

I agree absolutely!

Patrick

Lufthansa411 · Fri Aug 13, 2010 10:18 pm

I am fairly new to the whole driving thing, but my best so far has been 220 kph on the A7 heading to Flensburg in a Volvo C30. Not bad for a rental

Quoting rlwynn (Reply 22):
Ont thing that makes it unsafe to drive fast in America is bumps. Here in Germany on the Autobahn there are none. Everytime I am in America I notice how big some of the bumps would be driving 100+mph. I ahve driven LA - Vegas many times and have risked it at a bit of high speed driving and have bottomed out the car severely everytime.

Having spent some of my early years in the US, I completely agree. The first time I drove in Germany there was a speed limitation on the Berliner Ring due to potholes which knocked the speed down to 80 kph. As I drove, I couldn't help but notice that these potholes were what I was accustomed to finding on normal stretches of I-84 in NY. It all comes down to how the road is engineered. Do it properly and you can go 200 kph without feeling in danger. However doing a normal 130 kph on most US roads feels like the tops due to poor engineering, construction, and maintenance.

aero145 · Fri Aug 13, 2010 10:30 pm

Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 20):
so it's only my life that's tentatively in danger

As much as I like driving fast, that's not an excuse - if you go fast enough you can easily cross the barrier and do damage to the 'oncoming' traffic... at least where there's a barrier between, not a little forest.

bwest · Fri Aug 13, 2010 10:38 pm

Around 10 years ago in a BMW 740 owned by a friend of mine. I took it up to 210 km/h... my friend went to 240 km/h.

I also remember driving around 180 km/h and all of a sudden seeing the police in my rear view mirror... gaining on me! Don't even wanna imagine what speed they were at. I quickly changed lane, and slowed down, but they just raced by. Guess I was lucky that day that they had more urgent business to attend to

AirPacific747 · Fri Aug 13, 2010 11:37 pm

Mercedes S320 W140

220km/h

Simply the best car in the world.

aloges · Fri Aug 13, 2010 11:47 pm

Quoting AirPacific747 (Reply 37):
Simply the best car in the world.

That one is too bulky, and I've never been sure about those "Sacco planks". But taste differs.

AirPacific747 · Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:04 am

Quoting aloges (Reply 38):
That one is too bulky,

It's a limousine! It's supposed to be like a tank and symbolize power! Not like the W220 which was very dull!
The 221 however is pretty nice too!

Quoting aloges (Reply 38):
and I've never been sure about those "Sacco planks". But taste differs.

That was the styling back then. It's an old car but it still looks young IMO.

WildcatYXU · Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:42 am

Quoting aloges (Reply 17):
Good thing you aren't allowed to speed, then.

OK, but you have to admit that our 100 km/h limit on motorways is the other extreme...

Schienenflieger · Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:51 am

996 Cabriolet, Werksleistungssteigerung, 348hp on the dyno.

It did 292 km/h indicated, might have been 285 km/h for real, roof open, on a hot summer day.

The terrifying wind noise is the last thing to keep you busy when you hit top speed in a 911. At speeds greater than, say, 230 km/h it foremostly is the nose that starts sniffing around the pavement. What first feels like the welcomed playfullness the 911 has at more medicore speeds becomes disturbing and then ends up as downright annoying - or challenging, that depends on how you see it

I absolutely love this car. Might be a bit "poseur" style, but it is extremely entertaining and satisfying.

Quoting photopilot (Reply 8):
Anyplace else is IMHO stupid and needlessly puts others at risk.

Wrong.

The Autobahn is a perfectly safe place to go some gazillion km/h, if you know where and how to do it.

Fly2HMO · Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:56 am

Quoting aero145 (Reply 35):

As much as I like driving fast, that's not an excuse - if you go fast enough you can easily cross the barrier and do damage to the 'oncoming' traffic... at least where there's a barrier between, not a little forest.

Which is why I only do it on pretty much deserted back roads

A road I did that frequently was AZ highway 93 between PHX and LAS. There's barely any traffic whatsoever. I remember more than a few trips where I could drive a good 30 miles in between finding other traffic, either direction. And of course I would slow down when encountering traffic either direction.

photopilot · Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:57 am

Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 20):
I knew someone would scream murder soon enough.

In my eyes, I feel perfectly comfortable going (and I do it often) on a public road over 120mph so long as 1) there's no traffic (less than 1 car every 3 miles), so it's only my life that's tentatively in danger and 2) the road itself is safe and in very good condition.

Well, I've seen the "Jaws-of-Life" used far too often and trust me, it's not a pretty sight. It's bad enough when they're simply cutting the bodies (or pieces) out, but it's the "moaners" or "screamers" that set my teeth on edge and the sounds of the screams while they cut someone out with crushed legs is not something I'll soon forget. Or the young lady (early 20's) who died gurgling in my arms. I simply didn't have enough skill to save her. I hope you are luckier when the time comes.

Quoting Lufthansa411 (Reply 34):
I am fairly new to the whole driving thing, but my best so far has been 220 kph

I sure hope you live long enough to get beyond being "new to the whole driving thing".

IMHO, a racetrack, full safety cage, 4 or 5 point harness, and helmet (with Hans device) is the only way to safely experience the thrill of speed. Not on public roads.

Schienenflieger · Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:05 am

Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 20):
Had the car been lighter I'm sure it could've reached just shy of 170 (it is modded with stage 1 kit).

No, you would have reached the same top speed, it just would have taken you less time to get there.

Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 20):
Surprisingly stable at very high speeds.

Where's the surprise? It is the GTI's reason-for-being, in some ways

[Edited 2010-08-13 18:25:19]

Schienenflieger · Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:17 am

Quoting photopilot (Reply 43):
IMHO, a racetrack, full safety cage, 4 or 5 point harness, and helmet (with Hans device) is the only way to safely experience the thrill of speed. Not on public roads.

Yeah, that's a must. For racing. You know, round a track. Lateral G force and stuff.

You mix up racing and going fast on a straight and empty road here.

Still, a safety cage, a 5 point harness and a helmet could serve you well if you crash at 120 km/h.

Fly2HMO · Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:47 am

Quoting Schienenflieger (Reply 44):
No, you would have reached the same top speed, it just would have taken you less time to get there.

Ah but you see, the speed limiter is removed with that stage kit, and the redline is moved further up

Quoting Schienenflieger (Reply 44):
Where's the surprise? It is the GTI's reason-for-being, in some ways

That was considering it was an overloaded car, then again the extra weight may have helped.

But it is quite the car for the money. Impressive handling. I'd take one over my dad's BMW 325i (a damn good car nonetheless)

[Edited 2010-08-13 18:49:17]

af773atmsp · Sat Aug 14, 2010 2:22 am

70 miles per hour in a Mercury Mariner southwest of Minneapolis. Apparently 70 is the new 55.

WildcatYXU · Sat Aug 14, 2010 2:48 am

Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 42):
Well, I've seen the "Jaws-of-Life" used far too often and trust me, it's not a pretty sight. It's bad enough when they're simply cutting the bodies (or pieces) out, but it's the "moaners" or "screamers" that set my teeth on edge and the sounds of the screams while they cut someone out with crushed legs is not something I'll soon forget. Or the young lady (early 20's) who died gurgling in my arms. I simply didn't have enough skill to save her. I hope you are luckier when the time comes.

Well, you apparently were either a firefighter or EMS...thank you for your service. Nonetheless, you're very far off the mark. Speed is only one factor when it comes to accidents. Usually it's only the aggravating factor. Moreover, it's not breaking the speed limit that causes accidents, it's driving too fast under the current conditions. Let me remind you, that Germany, where 22% of the highway network has no speed limits, has lower accident rate than Canada...
Now let's look how the traffic looks in Canada: Cars in every lane without order, tailgating, changing lanes without signaling, merging in at low speeds...and what is the police doing? Enforcing the under posted speed limit...
If you really want to help the situation, stop crying for low speeds and start promoting good driving habits and actual enforcement of those. Money spent on helicopters used to enforce speed would be better spent on driver training.

BMI727 · Sat Aug 14, 2010 3:22 am

Quoting rlwynn (Reply 3):
The paper said it could go 246 but if you had enough space it would go about 258 on flat ground.

It could be a speedo calibration issue too.

Quoting WildcatYXU (Reply 11):
Driving fast around here is considered mortal sin.

...only if you get caught.

Quoting aloges (Reply 14):
I've heard time and again, from Americans, that there isn't really a standard that you could rise to.

American driver's ed tells you how to drive, they don't really teach you how to drive. There is no instruction on the physics or engineering of driving beyond things like stopping distance increases on a wet road.

Quoting aloges (Reply 19):
Hm... somewhere I got the idea that you had some mandatory instruction.

I think where I live you can't get a license before the age of 18 unless you do driver's ed, either at school or a private driving school. Of course, also where I lived, pretty much everyone already knew how to drive by 14 or so at the latest between many of us either being gearheads or having a family farm or both.

Quoting af773atmsp (Reply 47):
Apparently 70 is the new 55.

Pretty much.

Quoting WildcatYXU (Reply 48):
If you really want to help the situation, stop crying for low speeds and start promoting good driving habits and actual enforcement of those. Money spent on helicopters used to enforce speed would be better spent on driver training.

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