German probe for suspected 417 km/h Autobahn racer
Car-mad Germany may be known for its speed limit-less Autobahns, but a Czech businessman's suspected 417 kilometre-per-hour (260 mph) drag down a stretch of motorway has run into trouble with local law enforcement.
The prosecutor's office in Stendal in the northern state of Saxony-Anhalt said it had launched a probe into a potential illegal race over the incident.
The wealthy sports car owner from the Czech Republic posted videos of the drive in a Bugatti Chiron on YouTube, bringing attention to the incident.
"We thank God for the safety and good circumstances", Radim Passer wrote in the video description on his channel.
Some of the videos display a virtual speedometer which reaches 417 km/h on a stretch of motorway between Berlin and Magdeburg, to the west of the capital.
While the recordings were made in the middle of last year, the videos were only recently posted online but have since been viewed millions of times.
In response to comments that said the drive was irresponsible and dangerous, Passer said he had had "good visibility" and highlighted his Bugatti's braking power.
Highway police initiated an investigation after the feat was reported widely across different media.
The results were handed over to the prosecutor's office, which began a legal assessment of the incident.
According to the criminal code, a solo drive can still be classed as a prohibited race if the driver "advances at an inappropriate speed and in a manner that grossly violates the traffic code and is reckless."
Germany's Transport Minister Volker Wissing condemned the driver's attitude, noting that while there is no speed limit, the car should always be "under control".
Others have used the incident to make the case for introducing a legal limit, including the premier of Lower Saxony state, Stephan Weil, who told Spiegel magazine there were "many good reasons" to cap speed on motorways, including the environment and safety.