Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

NYT article -- Italian highway police drives Lamborghini

NYT article -- Italian highway police drives Lamborghini

Old Nov 12th, 2004, 05:24 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 8,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
NYT article -- Italian highway police drives Lamborghini

This is a fun article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/12/in...ope/12car.html

111op is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 05:29 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,738
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
LOL, I am sure my husband who likes fast cars would still not accept that ticket so happily !
He might want to be an Italian policeman now, though~
Scarlett is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 05:30 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,203
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It was good to find out that your real trouble is after 170 kmh
buongiorno is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 05:34 AM
  #4  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 8,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Can this be right?

"On this stretch this summer, Superintendent Bizzarro had to push the car up to about 185 miles an hour to stop a Porsche going about 155 - or almost twice the speed limit of 80."

So 185 mph = 185 x 1.6 = 296 km/h. It's very fast....

How fast do the TGV and Eurostar go?

111op is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 05:36 AM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 8,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
For those interested, in testing in 1990, TGV Atlantique reached a stop speed of 515 km/h:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A711785

Sounds like TGV regularly goes over 300 km/h.
111op is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 05:44 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,115
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Whoops! Glad they didn't have that car when I was driving the Autostrada! "Your not going 160kms are you John", asked my sister. "Of course not", I replied. I was doing 180!
johnthedorf is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 06:32 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Is this such a surprise? For a while some New York State Troopers were driving black (tinted windowed) supercharged Camaros. (To give the speeder a ticket you first have to catch them!)
nytraveler is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 06:34 AM
  #8  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 8,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Actually, honestly I don't know much about cars. Does a Camaro have the same cachet as a Lamborghini? I did look it up -- it's a Chevrolet, right?
Presumably cheaper, at least?
111op is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 11:12 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Yes, much cheaper. But another antithesis of the usual cop car.
nytraveler is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 11:46 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,525
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I remember my first trip to europe about 15 years ago, stopped for lunch in Netherlands, looking out bus window and seeing a police car that was a Porsche 911...talk about things that make you go 'hmmm...'
Michel_Paris is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 12:07 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,476
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The usual TOP speed of a TGV is about 300 kph or about 180 mph...I wish they DID go as fast as they do in the "tests."

As to diving a Lamborghini..well, once you've driven one I can tell you from personal experience, it is difficult to go back to something else and, forunately, some of us don't have to.
TopMan is offline  
Old Nov 12th, 2004, 07:13 PM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,000
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts


Yup, that is a funny article, 111op. And some of the replies reminded me of my two years in the Netherlands driving a 911S. The Dutch National Police were driving them also. Theirs were white Targas and they always had the tops off because the cops were so tall and were wearing their helmets. The helmets stuck out the top. They nearly caught me once. Well, actually I slowed down so there would be no evidence. They paced me at arms reach for miles and kept looking over at me, nervously shaking in my driving gloves. When they finally pulled off the road other drivers who had seen the encounter passed by with a big laugh on their face.

You question the statement On this stretch this summer, Superintendent Bizzarro had to push the car up to about 185 miles an hour to stop a Porsche going about 155 - or almost twice the speed limit of 80. My 1975 Porsche had a rated top speed of 145 mph as I recall, though I never took it much over 120. The author evidently converted 130 kph to 80 mph because nobody in the USA would have any comprehension of 130 kph, which would be kid speed in Germany. I had a 1.9 liter Opel there and regularly drove 180 kph (~110 mph) up the Autobahn every morning, and having my doors blown off by 700 series Beemers and such all the time.

hopscotch is offline  
Old Nov 15th, 2004, 03:13 AM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 8,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Interesting. I've not driven in more than three years, and even when I drove, I never drove regularly (so I was never a comfortable driver). 110 mph would be considered a bit extreme in the US, I think, where the speed limit is usually 55-65 mph, but I guess there'll be Americans who'll correct me if this is wrong.

111op is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
grandmere
Europe
6
Apr 15th, 2012 04:15 AM
paulg1
Europe
4
May 28th, 2008 10:21 PM
cageym
Europe
12
May 7th, 2006 02:50 PM
mda97
Europe
7
Feb 13th, 2004 09:35 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -