That Time a Ferrari Tried to Take Down the Nazi’s

An over the top headline? Perhaps, but I ran out of room in the title. More accurately, this is The Time a Ferrari Tried to Take Down a Nazi Speed Record. 

It’s the story of German tuning company, Lotec, and Luigi Colani, an eccentric German designer who set his sights on Rudolph Caracciola’s 1938 record, when he drove a 5.6L, 753hp Mercedes streamliner to 268.8 mph on a public road.

The year was 1991 when they made the attempt with a one-off mutant Ferrari called the Testa D’Oro. Colani’s made an entire career off being obsessed with aerodynamics and speed (kind of reminds me of a passionately hilarious personality cross between Jeremy Clarkson and Albert Einsten). The Testa D’Oro was twin-turboed by Lotec to hit 750hp/664tq, and according to Colani, is perfectly street legal in Germany.

Be sure to watch the video below and see Jalopnik for the full story. Amidst all the new manufacturer releases and news, it’s always interesting to get a glimpse into great minds who are doing some truly insane things (insane in a good way of course).