I doubt whether there's a car enthusiast in the world, classic and contemporary fans included, that hasn't dreamt of driving flat-out on the Autobahn, lured by the lack of speed limits. If you haven't done so I urge you to get there soon because, according to an article in "the New York Times", there is considerable pressure among German politicians to apply them to all sections of the famed highways. At least half of the 7,500 miles of Autobahn now have permanent or temporary limits, yet that's not enough for these zealots, who base their demands, not on safety, but on the amount of noxious gasses churned out by automobiles travelling at high speeds.
Incidentally, statistics show that fewer crashes occur on the German speedway than our heavily-policed North American expressways where exceeding 70 mph can net you a huge fine and maybe lead to loss of license. On the other hand, Autobahn accidents tend to be rather gruesome when they occur. Take your pick.
Only once did I have an opportunity to peg the needle on the Autobahn. It happened when posted to London as ad agency creative director for the Ford of Europe account. I was in Frankfurt for a meeting, heading to Rome for another. The airport was fogged-in but Cologne was supposedly clear. Ever loyal to the client, I rented a "Ford Taunus 20M sedan", hardly what one would choose for an Autobahn blast. Still, my "no speed limit, no radar cops" dream would finally be realised. Yeah, sure. The Autobahn was a sea of fog and the 20M barely touched 100 mph. When I arrived in Cologne I had to hire a taxi to lead me to the airport.
Frankly, I think the days of unlimited speeds are over, although highway congestion is more the culprit than the environment. "Germans regard driving on the autobahn at face-peeling speeds as close to an inalienable right" says "the DriveTimes article" in answer to this argument. But surely the Germans, among all peoples, must know there is no such thing as "an inalienable right."
I remember an early experience on the autobaun. I was nearly flat-out in my 1951 MB 170S (about 110kph) when two new Provo-plated Ferrari traveling at least twice as fast as I was flew by.
March 21, 2007 @ 7:30 am