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New bakkie speed record? Police ‘clock’ GWM P-Series at 203 km/h
A faulty speed camera has been theorised as the main reason for the abnormally high speed rating.
Smash-hit P-Series has been a popular seller but not known for its speed. Until seemingly now. Image: GWM
Social media users were left scratching their heads and some in stitches following a weekend Facebook post involving the driver of a Great Wall Motors (GWM) P-Series being stopped after doing over 200 km/h.
Surely not…
According to the Gauteng Department of Community Safety’s Facebook page, the 53-year-driver of red P-Series bakkie was said to have driven 203 km/h on the N4 this past Sunday, before being pulled-off by the provisional traffic police.
No exact details of where on the N4 the incident took place were revealed, or indeed the eventual sentence imposed on the driver.
ALSO READ: GWM P-Series offers bakkie purists serious food for thought
The run-in with authorities and the reported speed has, unsurprisingly, been questioned by users as the P-Series’ top speed, despite not being confirmed outright by GWM, is known to be well under 200 km/h.
Indeed, The Citizen’s Road Editor Mark Jones recorded a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 15.2 seconds after testing the flagship LT double cab 4×4 auto towards the end of last year.
The smash-hit Chinese bakkie’s covering of the one kilometre mark in a leisurely 36.3 seconds at a smidgen under 147 km/h further questions the validity of the speed recorded by the police.
Theories
Some have, however, theorised that a faulty camera is to blame for the abnormally high v-max, while others have alleged that aftermarket performance software altering the outputs of the 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine, might have been fitted.
In standard form, the P-Series’ oil-burner develops 120kW/400Nm, which, combined with its over two-tonne kerb mass, makes it highly unlikely to achieve the mentioned 200 km/h plus speed.
More humorously are the comments attributing a steep downhill as the only way the P-Series could have ever reached the speed claimed by police.
Not by choice road trip
The latest incident involving an abnormal speed reading recorded by a GWM product comes after a man in China was sent on a 500km unplanned road trip in October last year, behind the wheel of an H6 made by the automaker’s upscale Haval division.
On that occasion though, ceased brakes as well as cruise control failing to disengage were to blame for the 100km/h bizarre incident that ended on the border of mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong after the H6 had run-out of petrol.
NOW READ: Haval H6 C takes driver on 500km journey after brakes and cruise control fail
