115 mph in a Fiat Punto

**RobRich** · August 31st, 2004, 01:48 PM

Check this out....

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle...toryID=6093285

A law student fought a 115 MPH speeding ticket by proving his Fiat hatchback is not even capable of the alleged speed.

Lucas spent 18 months fighting the charges, hiring a traffic consultant to test drive his Punto on a private racecourse. He found the best the car could manage, going downhill with a following wind, was 104 mph.

**M_Six** · August 31st, 2004, 01:51 PM

I don't know...throw a coffee-can sized exhaust pipe, a neat wing, and a few dozens stickers on it and it'll zoom around like hungry horsefly.

**RobRich** · August 31st, 2004, 01:54 PM

Hey, don't you know magnetic flames and a F1 racing fin instantly add another 10 MPH to top end? It is all in the aerodynamics.

**The Real Bingo** · August 31st, 2004, 01:56 PM

I wonder how much money he wasted proving that his car couldn't go 115 mph.

**RobRich** · August 31st, 2004, 02:00 PM

Quite a bit I would assume. Still, he was going to lose his license for several years, thus I am sure he thought the money was well spent.

**Vagabond** · August 31st, 2004, 03:07 PM

i would not want his insurance increase after that ticket went through for a long time it would be real high if he could even get some

**Toadman** · August 31st, 2004, 04:28 PM

Oh it'll reach 115+.....off a tall cliff or out the back of a cargo plane.

**skuz** · August 31st, 2004, 08:12 PM

I can't even reach 100 MPH with my car. Haven't tried downhill (couldn't). Area around here is as flat as a flatliner.

**Solid Snake** · August 31st, 2004, 08:56 PM

If I were that kid, I'd pull a plug wire or two before the test drive for a nice top speed of 60mph

My Cavalier is governed at 108mph but it can cruise at 95-100 at about 25% throttle which is nice.

**Blazer06** · August 31st, 2004, 11:02 PM

Now of course, you have to look at this and say... WHY did he get the 115 MPH ticket to begin with? Obviously his car isnt even capable within 10 miles of that...

Blaze

**RedFury** · August 31st, 2004, 11:13 PM

I agree with Blaze. How'd the ticket come to be in the first place?

I'd bet there is a Ferrari owner out there just laughing his butt off right now ( the guy that passed him when the radar caught him, that is

)