An Italian driver faces a €165 fine and three points off his licence for impressively nudging the speed of sound in a Fiat Doblo.

The white van speed merchant was clocked gunning it in the small town of Orio, west of Brindisi, in the heel of Italy's boot. Cops were somewhat surprised to record his speed as 1,230 km/h, meaning he was somewhat in excess of the 90 km/h speed limit – and just short of breaking the sound barrier.

This superb effort puts Italy at the forefront of the race to exceed the speed of sound in a reciprocating-engined vehicle. Back in 2004, Peter O’Flynn flew the flag for Blighty when he thundered to a majestic 653 km/h in a Peugot 406. ®

Bootnote

The original source of this story is the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, and it was also reported here in Spanish.