Bugatti Chiron Owner Evades Jail Time After 257-MPH Autobahn Stunt

With a claimed top speed of 261 mph, there are very few places in the world where a Bugatti Chiron can stretch its legs. Thankfully – for those in Europe, at least – there are sections of Germany’s Autobahn with no speed limits, meaning you can legally exploit the performance of your cars with zero consequences – provided you drive responsibly, of course.

Keen to max out his Chiron, a Czech millionaire named Radim Passer took to the famed highway and reached an incredible 257 mph on public roads. While gearheads celebrated this feat, German authorities were very much displeased. In February, law enforcement officials handed a docket over to prosecutors; Passer’s joyride was set to turn into a nightmare, with the millionaire facing up to two years in jail.

But common sense has prevailed: according to Germany’s DPA news agency, officials have decided not to press charges against Passer.

Prosecutors believe the Czech tycoon’s high-speed run did not put anyone’s life in danger, noting that the millionaire chose the best time and safe conditions to conduct the 257 mph sprint. In the video (which can be viewed above) Radim Passer noted that safety was the primary concern. “Safety was a priority, so the circumstances had to be safe to go.”

At the time, Passer was overjoyed by the achievement, adding “We thank God for the safety and good circumstances, as we were able to reach the speed of 414 km/h!” Despite this, local law enforcement was angered by this display of what they saw as irresponsible behavior. The region’s transport chief said that even though there are no speed limits, drivers need to behave responsibly. “In this case, there are certainly very serious doubts as to whether that happened.”

The decision to let this go unpunished will not sit with the anti-speed lobbyists in Germany. A raft of people have spoken out against the unrestricted sections of the Autobahn and have called for speed limits to be imposed. Rather ironically, one of them is F1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel. The German national has previously been quoted as saying “A speed limit would save almost two million tons of CO2 emissions. And it would reduce accidents. Make it a bit safer.”

The charges leveled at Passer certainly surprised us. While there’s no denying that he drove unbelievably fast down the highway, he considered every possible precaution. What’s more, the Autobahn plays host to high-speed sprints daily; the Czech millionaire certainly isn’t the first person to max out his supercar on the road network. Local authorities likely wanted to make an example of Passer – thankfully, he won’t be serving any jail time.