Aug 2010 12

speedy swedeWith the sound of a 571hp Mercedes Benz SLS AMG going 180mph in a 75mph zone.  Ok, so it was not Austria, but a Swiss motorway.  And because this playboy is uber-rich, he’s looking at the maximum fine- $1.08M Swiss francs.  And the exchange rate is not *that* favorable- just over $1M USD in cold, hard (tear-soaked) cash.  Or a black Amex.  Traffic fines are based on severity of offense and your income in both Switzerland and Finland.  In all fairness, if I paid a couple hundred G’s for a car, I’d want to test it’s top speed (197mph claim) as well.  Come on- gun it!  That cop car looks to be a Volvo XC60 (turbo base 300hp with 130mph top speed), and we all know a greyhound will outrun a bassett hound anyday.  At 180mph, he could have been over the German border in 20 minutes!  And (besides 130kph “suggested” maximum speeds), there is no limit to wide open throttle on the Autobahn!  Of course, at that speed you’re probably siphoning the gas tank faster than an alcoholic at last call.