Europe has quite the reputation for cracking down hard on drivers who speed on public roads. It seems like Austrian law enforcement is taking things further, by now permanently impounding cars caught going 50mph over the speed limit in the city, in a move to curb habitual offenders. Fortunately for one owner of a $3.5 million Bugatti Chiron, whose friend was tagged by the cops doing 76mph in a 30mph zone, the Bugatti was just under that limit. Still, the car was towed away from the scene of the traffic stop, and the driver of the car reportedly lost his licence.
It may seem like overkill, but consider for a moment that the Bugatti Chiron’s 8.0-liter W16 engine puts out 1,479 horsepower and can accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds. What’s even more unbelievable is that it takes the Chiron just 6.5 seconds to be at 124mph from standstill.
That’s far too fast for city roads, and all it takes is for the driver to stay on the gas for less time than any other regular car would take to reach 60mph. In that context, Austrian police deciding to come down hard on overspeeders should help keep things in check, at least in the city.
This blacked-out Chiron was clocked doing just under 50mph over the speed limit on Vienna’s Ringstrasse. Though the driver of the Chiron lost his licence, the owner of the car was reportedly able to pay the towing fine and retrieve the car from the impound lot, since the car was spotted a few days later in Vienna. By all accounts, that’s a very close call.
