Gentlemen's agreements on restrictions?

"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
11/24/2013 at 18:01 • Filed to: None

I am watching the new Top Gear DVD right now, and the Ducati got me thinking. It's UK version has 170 bhp, but the French version is limited to 100 bhp! We had the same sort of gentlemen's agreement in Germany as well. All manufacturers or importers agreed to not start a horsepower war and cap their bikes at 100 hp. That was until around the time the Hayabusa appeared, and everybody was like "Fuck it, let's show them!" Seems like it is still working on the French market????

The same thing is happening with cars right now, over a decade later. BMW, Audi, Merc, and those who wanted to be like them, had their cars limited to 155 mph/250kph. Porsche never played along, but that didn't really matter. But a few years ago, they seem to have forgotten how to set these limiters up properly. My stepdad's E61 535d was limited to 155/250. I can testify to that :) But his newer cars (same engine one less turbo = less power) can go up to 270. And people working in the industry (Living, and having lived close to Munich for decades means that former classmates and other people I know have jobs with BMW or Audi.) will privately tell you that this is an ongoing trend.

That's all I know. Can anyone tell me more about these agreements, and in which markets they still exist, or why they ceased to exist?

P.S. Japan still has something like that. JDM Godzillas are restricted on public roads and only allow drivers to use the top speed once the GPS recognizes that it's on a track of some kind.

DISCUSSION (6)

anonsagainstanonymous > Klaus Schmoll
11/24/2013 at 18:06

I donno, I just kept missing James May. He's the only presenter I consistently enjoy (especially outside Top Gear)

anonsagainstanonymous > Klaus Schmoll
11/24/2013 at 18:06

I donno, I just kept missing James May. He's the only presenter I consistently enjoy (especially outside Top Gear)

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Klaus Schmoll
11/24/2013 at 18:08

Well, my CLS still limited to 250. I once hit that in highway.
The Japan's agreement tough, the 180 km/h top speed, 276 "advertised" horsepower, already ended in 2005. That's why the Godzilla can say it has 500-ish horsepower.

In indonesia tough, there's some kind of agreement of no scooters or bikes under 250cc allowed to have more than 160km/h top speed

Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment > Klaus Schmoll
11/24/2013 at 18:19

Well, it is France...

I kid. Kind of. Maybe.

I think that slowly, we will see the limiters go away, as some cars simply get to 155 so quickly that its not even really useful to limit them to such "low" speeds. Hell, the British don't do it either, nor the Italians. And the Japanese don't in any country other than their own. It's really only the Big 3 German companies. The new standard might be 300/186, as many performance models now allow for this from the factory. Makes a lot more sense if you're going to limit at all.

daender > Klaus Schmoll
11/24/2013 at 18:45

Japan used to have a 276hp and 190 km/hr limit (no speedo read above 190) but Japan being Japan, tuners blew that crap out of the water in no time. The horsepower limit disappeared in 2004 but some cars still have the speed limiter.

Technically, the late-60's American muscle market had a faint "agreement" to mess with insurance companies. Many engines were downplayed to having only 350, 400, or 425 hp when they were actually making close to 450-550hp at the crank. Sadly because no one took the time to dyno all of them back in the day, their true outputs can only be dreamed about.

davedave1111 > Klaus Schmoll
11/24/2013 at 18:52

I have no idea about French motorbikes- there's at least a 50% chance any given French law was created just to annoy the English - but the German agreement was strangely convenient for the manufacturers concerned.

It's something of a myth that the limiters are the only thing stopping cars going faster. It also allows manufacturers to fit components - especially tyres - rated for lower speeds, which can be quite a significant saving. Of course you could have the limiter removed, but that normally meant having a bit of other work done too if you wanted to stay safe.

It does seem that the Germans have been quite sensible with the limit, though, and as cars have continued to get safer, they've pushed it a bit higher.