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Millionaire tycoon caught on video driving at 259mph in £2million Bugatti on motorway dodges jail over lack of evidence
A TYCOON who sparked fury when he drove his Bugatti supercar at 259mph on a German motorway has dodged jail over lack of evidence.
Prosecutors closed the investigation after they probed Czech investment chief Radim Passer, 58, over an alleged illegal stunt that was shared online earlier this year.
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Prosecutors had investigated whether a prohibited race had taken place in the millionaire’s £2million vehicle on the A2 between Berlin and Hanover.
By law they had to prove whether the driver has moved “recklessly” through traffic in order to reach the “highest possible speed".
But Passer's speed was deemed to be less than 2 mph below the sports car's limited top speed, set at 261 mph because the vehicle's tyres could burst if it went faster.
The public prosecutor's office also said the motorway was nearly empty, noting good visibility and weather conditions.
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Consequentially, they ruled no one was endangered during the 4.50am stunt.
With insufficient suspicion of a crime, Passer was not charged.
The ruling comes after more than 10 million people viewed the clip of the 33rd-richest Czech hitting 417 kph on the A2 autobahn in July last year.
Passer posted the video online in January and it remains on his YouTube channel today.
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It sparked fury among safety campaigners and renewed calls to impose speed limits on Germany's autobahns - which famously have no restrictions outside urban areas.
Most German manufacturers electronically cap motors at 155mph to allay environmental and safety concerns.
The Green party called for the 81mph recommendation to become law as part of efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
However, the proposal was ditched during talks to form the governing coalition with the SPD and the FDP.
In the so called race, Passer did not break the all-time autobahn speed record, which is still standing after more than 80 years.
That was set by racing driver Rudolf Caracciola who clocked an average of 268.8mph over two runs in a modified Mercedes Benz in 1938.
Rival Bernd Rosemeyer was killed on his second run after clocking 269mph in an Auto Union after the public road was closed for the occasion.
In the UK, the first motorways initially had no speed limits.
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Legend has it that caps were brought in following outrage at a test driver doing 185mph in an AC Cobra Le Mans racing car on the M1 in 1964.
National limits were later introduced during the oil crisis in the 1970s.
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