What Is It Like Top Speed Testing At 200 MPH?

I used to believe top-speed testing would be automotive nirvana. But that was before I started driving for a major car magazine. Instead, pushing a car to its terminal velocity is like kissing a Rottweiler—dangerous but not all that rewarding. Turning a fast lap on a road-racing course or making a pass on an oval track is much more fulfilling. When things go right during top-speed testing little driving skill is needed. However, if things go wrong at 200 mph even the skill of a top NASCAR or Indy car driver might not help.

There is no safe place to crash a car going anywhere close to 200 mph. The 5.0-mile high-banked oval that we often employed certainly wasn't. At the top of the banking was a single row of steel guardrail that started more than two feet off the pavement. If a tire failed at top speed the barrier would just shear off its roof—and the driver's head—as the car passed underneath. There were other hazards, too. During one test, a coyote wandered onto to the track. The only thing I could safely do was to slowly release pressure on the accelerator while urging the prairie wolf to hurry across. Animals that lived near this automakers' proving grounds weren't used to vehicles moving that fast.

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Fan1234 - 10/18/2007 10:57:34 PM

0 Boost

exactly, lexus = #1.

CLK63BlackSeries - 10/19/2007 2:55:14 AM

+1 Boost

yeah, it sucks that Lexus has so little confidence in their "high performance" vehicles, that they limit the speed at some outrageously low number. however, mercedes on the other hand goes up to 186... i guess... WE'RE BETTER!!!

CLK63BlackSeries - 10/19/2007 2:57:27 AM

+1 Boost

and yes... i know they havent announced any official or unofficial governor, but we all know itll be governed "at some outrageously low number"

02WRX - 10/18/2007 11:14:25 PM

+1 Boost

A guard rail two feet off the ground will shear the roof off the car? While I certainly agree that an accident at that speed would likely be catastrophic, this guy is trying to exaggerate the danger of his job.

Czelinski - 10/19/2007 4:57:13 AM

+1 Boost

"exactly, lexus = #1."

Good, there's my morning laugh whilst finishing breakfast.

Lyall - 10/20/2007 2:25:48 PM

+1 Boost

02WRX: the 'shear roof off' is NO exaggeration. Ever driven above 175mph? THe SLIGHTEST deviation on the steering wheel can take you 100 feet in less than a tenth of a second. At 200mph, closed track or not, there is no room for error, and NO! The driver is not overstating the danger of his job.

At 200mph, the guard rail would not only slice the car in half, the friction burn suction alone would.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 10/21/2007 10:40:30 AM

+1 Boost

What rubbish

I have driven at 175 mph and it wholly depends on the vehicle you drive how it feels at that speed

Porsche 997 Turbo Cab ( 3 weeks ago, felt perfectly stable at 181mph on UK motorway)

BMW M6 ( 8 Months Ago, again Perfectly Ok at 179mph in Canadian Highway)

And there are video footages of the OLD model Merc SL (With Temp Hard Top on) loosing coltrol and crashing on the Autobahn at over 160mph, flipped unto the roof and slid A LONG WAY down the Autobahn before finally comming to a stop. Driver walked away without a scratch.