The record run by a Bugatti driver on a German autobahn, which we reported on here, now has an official aftermath: on Monday, the police initiated investigations into the man for an alleged illegal street race. The public prosecutor’s office will examine the case, said a spokeswoman in Magdeburg.
In July 2021, a Czech multi-millionaire drove his 1,500 hp Bugatti Chiron at up to 417 km/h over a section of the German A2 motorway between Berlin and Hanover that was little used at the time. The 58-year-old recently posted a video of it published online. It is probably the highest speed ever achieved on a public road. In principle, there is no speed limit on motorways in Germany, unless one has been set up specifically. But what applies is the recommended speed of 130 km/h. Anyone who wants to drive faster must not endanger anyone. If an accident occurs at a higher speed, the driver must always reckon with partial blame. The German Federal Ministry of Transport was critical. Any behavior on the road that leads or could lead to endangering road users will be rejected, said a department spokeswoman. Who is the driver? The multi-millionaire Radim Passer has so far appeared in the Czech Republic primarily as a real estate magnate. His flagship project is the BB Centrum office and retail complex, which is one of the largest in Prague. The Czech edition of the business newspaper “Forbes” estimates Passer’s assets at the equivalent of around 270 million euros. In the Czech Republic, some are now wondering how Passer’s trip can be reconciled with his Christian convictions. After the death of his first son in 1998, the entrepreneur says he turned to God. Four years later he founded the Christian organization “Maranatha”. It is named after an Aramaic call to prayer that the early Christians are said to have used. According to a spokeswoman, Passer does not want to comment on the motorway journey beyond the information on his YouTube channel. “The higher the speed, the longer the braking distance. And not just linearly, but exponentially, i.e. at twice the speed, it becomes more than twice as long,” said the professor emeritus of the German Press Agency. “Do we want to allow multimillionaires to have fun on public roads that can endanger human lives ?”, criticized Dudenhöffer. In his opinion, the video should be an opportunity to think about what should and shouldn’t be allowed on German autobahns. For example, the Minister of Transport can only allow cars that do not reach a certain maximum speed by law. Seen in this way, the drive, which is met with enthusiasm in car enthusiast circles, may be grist for the mill of the advocates of a general speed limit on German autobahns. In any case, if one is introduced, the legal situation will be clear: 417 km/h will then definitely be illegal.
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