German police have clocked a Porsche driver doing 199mph (320km/h) on the autobahn, nearly three times the speed limit for that stretch of motorway.
Even in a car-mad country gripped by the need for speed, the report from the A2 near Burg in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt made national headlines. Police said the motorist, whose name and age were not released, faced a €900 (£785) fine and a three-month suspension of his licence among other penalties.
Germany’s autobahns are the stuff of legend for many drivers, given the absence of a general speed limit. But significant parts of the motorway network do have a cap, particularly in more congested areas. Roadworks also often lead to the enforcement of temporary maximum speeds.
The stretch of motorway where the driver of the Porsche Panamera, a luxury car that retails at more than €100,000, was caught on radar had an upper limit of 75mph (120 km/h). He was detected in late July, but police only released data collected from the trap this week.
The A2, which runs from the Ruhr valley to Berlin’s ring road, is known for lengthy traffic jams, which had cut down on major speed violations of late, local media reported.
However, a Bugatti driver was clocked at 259mph on the A2 in 2021, near the state capital, Magdeburg. He allegedly even took his hands from the wheel for a few seconds and was accused of joining an illegal race – a common problem on German roads – but the case did not lead to a conviction due to lack of evidence.
Racing enthusiasts, who often gather from across Europe, commonly zero in on long, straight stretches of public roads that they illegally block, and sometimes autobahn sections without a speed limit.
With most of Germany on summer school holidays, police in Saxony-Anhalt are carrying out what the regional public broadcaster MDR called a “speed camera marathon”, setting up radar traps on notorious stretches of road across the state.
Radars such as the one that caught the Porsche driver are mounted on mobile “enforcement trailers”. Police had recorded hundreds of violations only this week, MDR reported.
Regional police used the extraordinary case of the Porsche driver to issue an appeal to motorists.
Geschwindigkeitsüberschreitungen, or exceeding the speed limit, “endangers not only the driver himself but also all those on the roads”, the force said in a statement. “Respect the speed rules. That way you’ll be on your way safely and avoid high fines, penalty points and driving bans.”
Advocates of nationwide speed limits have long cited safety and climate concerns to make their case. The debate has failed to produce any real momentum towards new legislation though, as driving clubs and the auto lobby call the freedom of the autobahn a cherished right and part of Germany’s cultural heritage.
