Story of the Bugatti Veyron Owner who clocked 250 mph on the Autobahn

When the Koenigsegg Agera RS went to 277.9 mph in on a Nevada highway, not only did it best the top speed of the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports, but it also set the highest top speed recorded on a public highway. This record was previously held by the Bugatti Veyron which had clocked 250 mph on a German Autobahn. What you’d be surprised to know is that the record wasn’t an official Bugatti endeavor but was performed by an owner, who built his own team and drove the car himself. This is the story of Radim Passer.

Passer is a property developer based in Prague, Czech Republic. He took delivery of his Veyron in 2007 and was one of the few individuals who reached the 400 km/h mark when Bugatti invited Veyron owners to max out the hypercar at its Ehra-Lessien testing facility in Germany.

But, that wasn’t enough for Passer, who wanted to reach the golden number in his own car and on a public highway. In 2011, he assembled a team of enthusiasts and engineers and together they prepared the car for the run. Unleashing the vehicle’s 987 hp, quad-turbo 8.0-liter V16 engine, Passer was able to get the Veyron up to 233 mph (375 km/h). Bugatti engineers later told him that the ambient temperature was too low for the top speed mode to activate. Another attempt was made in May 2011 but was a failure. After this failed attempt, Bugatti suggested him to replace the transmission.

It was four years later in 2015 that Passer finally achieved his goal. He reached a top speed of 250 mph (402.5 km/h) and in the process became the first person to take a road legal car to 400 km/h on a public road.