We all see it, that magic number sitting at the far right of our cars’ speedometers teasing us, egging us on. But, we don’t trust that number, do we? We never even try to press our, say, Toyota Yaris to the 140 miles per hour that its speedometer displays.
However, what if on a special day, a perfect day, when the temperature was just right so that the air resistance was reduced and the tarmac were crisp and lacking of tack, we did go for the grand prize? What would happen? Turns out, we’d be disappointed. Deeply disappointed.
Those max triple-digit figures on our speedometers are the product of marketing melons who know that deep down, even the most green of Americans have a need for speed. Unfortunately, the figures are often so high that they are laughable and perhaps even dangerous. Speaking about this, Larry Dominique, a former Nissan product chief, said:
“You reach a point where it becomes ridiculous. Eighty percent plus of the cars on the road are not designed for and will not go over 110 mph.”
