A 22-year-old Australian driver has caught the police’s and the Internet’s attention for his unlikely speed on public roads. New South Police claimed in a statement that they clocked the driver going 280 km/h (174 mph) in a blue Golf R.
As our Australian readers are no doubt aware, and as readers from the rest of the world have no doubt surmised, that’s quite a bit higher than the posted speed limit. According to the police, the limit was less than half the speed the driver was allegedly clocked doing, at 110 km/h (68 mph).
Police said that they caught the 22-year-old driving at 9:30 on the morning of Monday, November 7, perhaps meaning he was very late for work. The police’s claims, posted to Facebook, have attracted some skepticism, though.
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“Would a Golf even reach 280 km/h is the question that should be asked!!!” one commenter noted. “280km … That radar needs to be calibrated,” another wrote. And, indeed, the Golf R is limited to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) from the factory.
As other commenters wrote, the enthusiasm surrounding the Golf, especially the R model, means that there is no shortage of modification programs that could potentially help a Golf R reach such high speeds, though no information has been provided by the police on that score.
A number of videos have been posted of Mk7 Golf Rs indicating speeds in excess of 280 km/h (170 mph) on their speedometers on the Autobahn. That can be achieved thanks to tuning and modifications that have helped the vehicles make in excess of 500 hp, according to the posters.
Whether the alleged speed is due to modifications, a miscalibrated radar detector, or a particularly favorable gale-force wind, New South Wales Police say that the 22-year-old’s driving privileges have been revoked for now. He was also issued with a Court Attendance Notice for his driving and is due to appear in court in December.