Getting caught speeding is never a good thing, especially when you are cited for triple digits.
2016 Chevrolet Camaro
Enlarge PhotoGetting caught speeding is never a good thing, especially when you are cited for triple digits. However, a Minnesota man may have just done Chevrolet a favor by showing the incredible capability of the 2016 Camaro SS.
Last Friday night at 6:50 pm, and unidentified man from Lakeside, Minnesota, was clocked at 171 mph on highway 61 north of Duluth.
Hermantown Police Department deputy chief Shawn Padden, on loan to the Minnesota State Patrol, clocked the speeder. He told the: "The first speed that came up was 171, then 168 and then 143. When he went by me it was a blur. You get used to seeing people going 65 or 70 and what that looks like. But I've never seen anything like this. It's like a rocket on wheels at that point."
Minnesota Hwy 61, Google Maps
Enlarge PhotoPadden said he had to get his Dodge Charger patrol car up to 135 mph to get close enough for the man to see his lights. The driver, who was accompanied by an unidentified woman, pulled over without incident.
This was no normal ticket. Padden wrote the driver a "coupon" for misdemeanor careless driving, which is a step above a misdemeanor traffic ticket.
According to the Duluth Tribune, under Minnesota law the penalty for careless driving can be a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail, and, in cases involving speeds over 100 mph, can result in the offender losing his driver's license. That seems like small potatoes for such ludicrous speeds.
We contacted Chevrolet to get the top speed of the Camaro SS, and a public relations representative told us it is drag limited to 180 mph. We know of no media outlet that has tested that number, but now this Minnesota man has proven that it can reach 171 mph. Perhaps Chevrolet should help him out with that fine for his efforts in real-world testing.
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