Maximum speed measurements on the Munich-Ingoldstadt freeway
The speed measurement on November 4, 1958 must have felt like a general staff exercise!
The Munich-Ingoldstadt highway was closed to traffic and the ADAC main sports department was responsible for measuring the time. Three drivers took turns with a co-driver in sports cars/limousines prepared for the top speed measurement and drove the flying kilometer (521,000-522,000) in both directions in cool and wet November weather.
Six different vehicles were measured: BMW 507, Mercedes-Benz 220 SE, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, MG A Twincam, Porsche (356) 1600 Super and Carrera 1600. Some of the vehicles were driven in different configurations (with/without roof, with special racing windshield, with coupé roof) and with tire pressures of up to 4.5 atü.
The "speed measurements" must have kept the extensive team busy all day with all the modifications and around 50 tests , and they got wet in the process. At least the day was accident-free, which cannot be taken for granted at speeds of over 200 km/h in the wet.
The top speed of 242.5 km/h was achieved by the 300 SL with racing disk and racing cladding, while the 220 SE remained the slowest at 158.25 km/h. Incidentally, the results were then published in various long-distance tests in Automobil Revue.
We have dedicated a detailed reportwith many photos and a detailed list of results to this special event.
