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A photo of the Audi RS 7 outdoors.

Audi RS 7 Owner Hits 187 MPH While Running From Police

When engineers developed the Audi RS 7, they likely imagined it reaching its top speed on a track. However, one RS 7 owner in North Carolina was recently maxed out his Audi while running from police officers. What should’ve been a simple traffic stop quickly turned into a high-speed chase as the driver sped off …

When engineers developed the Audi RS 7, they likely imagined it reaching its top speed on a track. However, one RS 7 owner in North Carolina was recently maxed out his Audi while running from police officers. What should’ve been a simple traffic stop quickly turned into a high-speed chase as the driver sped off in his 605-hp sports sedan. Unsurprisingly, WRAL reports that the man didn’t exactly get very far.

The Audi RS 7 owner saw police lights and didn’t stop

A photo of the Audi RS 7 outdoors.
Audi RS 7 | Audi

This Audi RS 7 owner made his very first mistake as soon as he saw a policeman attempting to pull him over. According to WRAL, officers decided to pull the driver over after he sped through a work zone. According to Autoblog, the driver then decided to put his foot down, eventually reaching 187 mph. To make matters worse, the posted speed limit at the time was 65 mph. The result is that this RS 7 owner almost tripled it by going 122 mph over the limit.

Thankfully, just because you can afford the six-figure price of an Audi RS 7 doesn’t automatically make you a racing driver. As the driver attempted to exit the highway at over 100 mph, he was met with stop sticks placed by police to deflate his tires. The RS 7’s driver noticed these and subsequently attempted to swerve and avoid them. In doing so, he managed to lose control of his sports sedan, eventually crashing into some bushes, according to WRAL.

From there, officers were able to quickly apprehend the driver and put an end to the chase. WRAL reports that the Audi RS 7’s driver was held on a $125,000 bond.

Here’s why it had to be an RS 7 Performance

A photo of the Audi RS 7's engine bay.
Audi RS 7 | Audi

Despite the standard Audi RS 7 being an impressive machine, it doesn’t have the specs to reach these speeds. While the reports don’t state exactly which trim level the RS 7 was, we can deduce it was a Performance, based on specs alone. For starters, the RS 7 Performance is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 developing 605 hp. Power is then sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Despite tipping the scales at almost 4,500 lb, the enormous Audi can reach 60 mph in about 3.6 seconds.

While a standard Audi RS 7 can also accelerate quickly, the smoking gun here is the top speed. Since officers recorded the fleeing RS 7 reaching 187 mph, it couldn’t have been a standard model. A standard RS 7 has a top speed of 174 mph. The RS 7 Performance, on the other hand, has a top speed of 190 mph. The result is that even though it might’ve been a Performance trim, this driver nearly maxed out the top speed while running from the police.

Speeding overall has increased dramatically in 2020

A photo of an Audi RS 7 at an auto show.
Audi RS 7 | GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images

This Audi RS 7 owner isn’t the only going a bit too fast in 2020. That’s because Autoblog reports that speeding overall has increased dramatically. According to AutoBlog, the Iowa State Patrol saw an increase of 101 percent in speeding tickets of over 100 mph issued between January and August. Additionally, the California Highway Patrol reportedly issued over 15,000 speeding tickets between March and August for speeds of over 100 mph.

According to AutoBlog, the increase is likely a result of COVID-19 lockdowns across the country. With fewer drivers on the road, there’s more room to speed comfortably. Regardless, AutoBlog reports that police forces across the country are combatting this with increased police presence. So if you’re anything like this Audi RS 7 driver, chances are you won’t get away.

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