Is this really what Ferrari speedometers looked like in 1982? :(

Have you really never heard of this ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law

 

I saw a Volkwagen GTi with a 180 mph speedo, so I guess this kinda averages things out.

 

"If you go THIS fast, you'll just burn up in a big ball of flame, sinner!!"

 

I have always wondered why the German cars that are electronically limited to 155 have a speedometer that go beyond that.

 

sure, why not! after +30 over the limit it kind of doesn't matter how fast you're going....you're going to jail, regardless.

sjd

 

I've never seen a stock Ferrari from the early eighties that looked like that. Legit?

 

Yep. 308's had the 80 mph speedometers for a few years too.

A few images here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ferrari+308+speedometer&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJp7KmmJvVAhXCRyYKHV6IAZ0Q_AUICigC&biw=375&bih=559&dpr=2

 

Wow.

Thanks for the info.

 

Strictly a US thing though. Federal law prohibited speedometers that read over 85. Pure genius.

 

When this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour, we're gonna... Ah ****.
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You can thank Liddy Dole for that.

Matt

 

Moved to US in 1983 and that was the first thing that truly shocked me with it's incomprehensible stupidity.

 

I've never heard of this

 

Yup. My '81 GTV-6 was like that. Guesstimate speed above 80.
(The mechanism worked above 85, but no calibration on dial, per Fed dictate.)


"... it's been deemed that anything not good for you is bad; hence, illegal."
"That's who you remind me of: an evil Mr. Rogers!"
-- Demolition Man (1993)

 

Because the 155mph limiters are a tad vague about just when they actually cut in - Plenty of owners happily report seeing 160~170mph before the limiter cuts in.

Added to that, some cars are only speed limited in top gear only, and can exceed 155mph in the gear below top gear (I believe this was the case with the BMW E39 M5: 6th was limited but 5th wasn't).


On other cars, the limiter can be defeated temporarily:

A mate of Mine had an E60 BMW M5 which was "limited to 155mph", and he found that in 7th gear the limiter cut in @ 165mph and not 155mph, but if he hit the limiter in 7th, dropped it down to 6th gear, and then went back into 7th gear, then he could push it up to 175mph for a couple of miles, at which point the limiter cut back in bringing the speed back down to 165mph - When you then repeated the process of dropping into 6th and back up again.

And in Germany, the manufacturers will happily remove the limiter completely.

 

Ah...... youth..... and not knowing the past.......

 

During the oil embargo in the early '70's, the geniuses in DC initially instituted a national 55mph speed limit to 'save' fuel, then the safety nannies jumped on board with "55 saves lives" nonsense. Then the bureaucrats thought that having speedos that stopped at 85 would control the population.

Ferrari's just stopping the numbers and putting a red arc was a bit of a middle finger to the law.

The whole thing was retarded and just another example of when you hear, "We're from the government, and we're here to help"...... RUN!

 

Just out of interest, what's the general open road speed limit in the U.S. these days?

 

Very legit. Legally mandatory.

My '81 had that speedo. Many/most have been changed out over the years.

Since my stewardship in 2006, it looks very different. Thank You Palo Alto Speedo.



If you have a car from that era, with anything other than the 80mph speedo, don't for one silly second believe the ODO.

I BET most of those cars have at least twice the milage shown and that is purely a SWAG.*




* - SILLY WILD ASS GUESS.

 

I've heard that Ford lobbied the Nixon White House quite heavily in favor of a 55 mph national limit. The cars they were building at the time (Pinto & Maverick for example) wouldn't hold together very long if they were run at highway speeds so Ford figured it was easier to lower the limit than to build higher quality cars. Suddenly the slogan, "Ford-- We Have A Better Idea" makes a lot more sense.

 

That's inaccurate.

I just used a PA stretch that was 80.

The true answer is that there is no national limit. It's up for individual states and localities to determine their own.

Matt