BMW Z3 chase...

November 21, 2005 11:17 PM

Friday fun (HST)... Pure sweet insanity...somebody has been playing too many video games...Semi-pro probably totally illegal hi jinks on Swedens highways and byways...andrenaline rush just watching this...and oh yeah its official... Google owns the world...(warning embedded 14 minute video....) and ..umm...you can buy tires here... tires.com ...you can catch glimpses of the bikes speedo that I assume are in KPH...
posted by Muirwylde (56 comments total)

Isn't today Monday? Or Tuesday?

That's pretty psycho. An adrenaline rush for sure but I can't help but feel like the people doing it are total assholes for putting so many people in harms way. I'm so conflicted!
posted by panoptican at 11:26 PM on November 21, 2005

Friday fun, now on Tuesday with 80% more breathless rambling.
posted by StephenV at 11:27 PM on November 21, 2005

I saw the speedometer go as high as 213, only 1/4 the way through... that's no joke, even if it were staged, which I can't imagine. I'd rather have that bike than that shoe-looking thing though.

Muirwylde, how "official" is it? This is the first I've heard of it, you know more than I.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:33 PM on November 21, 2005

"Your search - m coupe did not return any results."

Wha?
posted by Manhasset at 11:36 PM on November 21, 2005

by the way:
Rendezvous
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:41 PM on November 21, 2005

In a related story, the world's supply of ellipses and periods is suddenly threatened.
posted by fandango_matt at 11:47 PM on November 21, 2005

...no I still got some...
posted by Muirwylde at 11:50 PM on November 21, 2005

BLF: that 213 is kmph, not mph.
posted by bizwank at 11:58 PM on November 21, 2005

A friend of mine had some DVD with more clips of this "Ghostrider"... the best was when the police were chasing him, and laid down lines of some sort of fire across the road to stop them. I assume this works for cars, but the motorcycle's tires are usually too thick, so he just flies through them. The police couldn't nearly keep up. (Real? Staged? Mix?)
posted by adzm at 12:02 AM on November 22, 2005

btw, That's still 130 mph.
posted by adzm at 12:03 AM on November 22, 2005

I think I saw the speedometer as high as 260 kph, which would be a 160 mph. Frickin' assholes.
posted by teece at 12:06 AM on November 22, 2005

Apparently it's a series of movies. The guy is from Stockholm, and his true identity is unknown... ooh.

This is the first one I saw with a car in it, and I didn't like it. I hate the idea of endangering these people. However, when it was just this guy on a bike, it seemed a bit more acceptable. If there was an accident, the only one who would get seriously hurt or die would probably be the rider. Bikes have a tendency to flop around in an accident, rather than simply smash into something with full force.
posted by adzm at 12:13 AM on November 22, 2005

The first time you see one of the GhostRider dvds, it's really quite impressive. I think it's on third DVD, there's video of the camera man on a suzuki doing 299 kph (top speed). Then the ghostrider passes him on a modified hyabusa while pulling a wheelie. And, of course, this is all taking place on a highway.

There's lots of other stupid stunts like speed runs on two lane roads during rush hour. And of course the classic taunting the police and getting away runs.

It gets old after awhile though.
posted by jsonic at 12:38 AM on November 22, 2005

Wait, I'm confused. What's with the "undercover" reference? And the police siren?

And uh... the... uh... broken... tires.com link? WTF?

Also, those roads don't even make any sense. It's like some kind of twisted Lego playset. Pretty to look at and fun to drive on but they don't actually go anywhere.
posted by loquacious at 12:46 AM on November 22, 2005

About the siren, on the DVD the ghostrider invites his friend in the Z3 to meet him for a race. But its a trick, and the ghostrider has modded his bike to look like a police bike. When GR pulls over the Z3, the Z3 runs, and the rest is in the video.

The whole cop chase portion seemed kinda staged on the DVD, but the driving obviously isn't.
posted by jsonic at 12:53 AM on November 22, 2005

Err, I'm not sure where I got the "undercover" reference. Nevermind. But there's still police siren noises.

If there was an accident, the only one who would get seriously hurt or die would probably be the rider.

Heh. No. Wrong. Granted, cars generally kill more riders than vice versa, but plenty of people get killed/fucked up for life by idiot riders.

I had a friend in HS who almost got killed by someone doing about 90. He plowed into back passenger side of his mom's econobox where my friend was sitting. My friend lost an eye and ended up with a bunch of metal plates where his head should have been.

A heavy race bike at high speed can carry even more kinetic energy than a car, and bikes don't have crumple zones. They're dense and bullet-like, and as such they're probably capable of doing more damage both pound for pound and per MPH, especially at 2-4x the speed limit.
posted by loquacious at 12:56 AM on November 22, 2005

Metafilter: dense and bullet-like
posted by fleetmouse at 1:15 AM on November 22, 2005

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."

-Mario Andretti
posted by lapolla at 1:19 AM on November 22, 2005

For an adrenaline rush, that became tedious and repetitive about 1/4 through. Also, the whole "chase" aspect seemed staged with several external perspective shots of both vehicles. Also, with a link to the sales site on the page, how Blue the Pepsi.
posted by dhartung at 1:39 AM on November 22, 2005

So not only are they idiots for endangering other drivers and pedestrians, the motorcycle guy was impersonating a cop, too? It would have been the perfect ending if both were pulled over by a real cop and their licenses were revoked.

Still, I have to admit it looks cool. But even if you're a pro, something could go very wrong very quickly. It's only cool because no one was hurt.
posted by zardoz at 2:59 AM on November 22, 2005

stuff going fast rocks
posted by 13twelve at 3:14 AM on November 22, 2005

It would have been the perfect ending if both were pulled over by a real cop and their licenses were revoked.

lol.. licences... HA HA classic *wipes tear*

Bless ya.
posted by Frasermoo at 3:17 AM on November 22, 2005

Thanks for your interest in Google Video.

Currently, the playback feature of Google Video isn't available in your country.

We hope to make this feature available more widely in the future, and we really appreciate your patience.


I feel discriminated.
posted by uncle harold at 3:23 AM on November 22, 2005

Assholes. Should have their testicles removed. This is just about who has the bigger balls, right? So if you have them removed, graphically, say on live TV in front of a studio audience, then there'd never be another question about it, would there?

Funny how no one finds videos of chefs serving rotten meat to their customers entertaining. But that's probably equally dangerous.
posted by Deathalicious at 3:36 AM on November 22, 2005

Unfortunately, cock-jockeys like this always take innocent people with them when they die but hopefully they'll take up riding at full speed into a brick wall before that happens.
posted by bouncebounce at 3:38 AM on November 22, 2005

~yawn
I'm so grown up and clever and cant agree with cool things.
I've become my dad.
Now I shall go eat hummous.

like I said: stuff going fast rocks
posted by 13twelve at 3:57 AM on November 22, 2005

Muirwylde may not use any more ellipses, ever.
posted by Wolfdog at 4:42 AM on November 22, 2005

Might as well get these out of the way now: Gumball, Ghostrider. More if I remember where I saw them. Several of the Gumball vids are awesome; the full 100min video is an actual movie (but the audio desynchs). There's also two 40 min clips (part I and II by a BMW driver) but there is no ending! At least none I saw.
posted by Eideteker at 4:52 AM on November 22, 2005

BMW's top out at 155mph.
posted by benightedly_heedful at 5:01 AM on November 22, 2005

The (so-called) antithesis of the Gumball, while I'm at it.
posted by Eideteker at 5:29 AM on November 22, 2005

Jeesus!
posted by OmieWise at 5:33 AM on November 22, 2005

Um, no thanks. I'd rather not catch a glimpse of any bike's speedo, if that's OK.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:43 AM on November 22, 2005

1. Film yourself doing something dangerous, illegal, hurtful, masochistic, or evil
2. Put it on the internet
3. ????
4. Profit
posted by fungible at 5:58 AM on November 22, 2005

BMW's top out at 155mph

should read, Stock BMW's top out at 155mph.

Unrestricted big engined BMW's can go beyond 155 - I think the ECU needs to be chipped/new software put on.

The current M5, unrestricted, but not tuned above its 507 bhp can hit around the 190 mph mark.

I remember reading about the Brabus Merc ML they did - which they had to limit to 167 mph - as any faster the tyres would expand and rub on the wheel arches and so explode.
posted by 13twelve at 6:07 AM on November 22, 2005

rocks going fast don't stuff. but stuff going fast do rox.
posted by nola at 6:10 AM on November 22, 2005

Nevertheless, it is a Z3 coupe with a 6 cylinder engine, so it couldn't have gone that much past 155mph (it did have M wheels though, so it could have been an M Coupe, but still).
posted by benightedly_heedful at 6:38 AM on November 22, 2005

Zzzzzz.....

This about as much fun as the NY State thruway. (Wake me up when we get there).
posted by Skygazer at 6:40 AM on November 22, 2005

benightedly_heedful writes "Nevertheless, it is a Z3 coupe with a 6 cylinder engine, so it couldn't have gone that much past 155mph (it did have M wheels though, so it could have been an M Coupe, but still)."

Well, the link would seem to imply it was an M Coupe. And, of course, it may have been tuned/pimped after the factory...
posted by benzo8 at 6:49 AM on November 22, 2005

I hate the idea of endangering these people. However, when it was just this guy on a bike, it seemed a bit more acceptable. If there was an accident, the only one who would get seriously hurt or die would probably be the rider.

Even if we were to assume that were true (and I don't think it is), doesn't it imply that it's OK to involve innocent bystanders in a serious accident, as long as the accident isn't fatal to the innocent bystanders? Is that really how you feel?
posted by Western Infidels at 7:06 AM on November 22, 2005

um, did all those cameras along the different roads just 'happen' to know he was coming?
posted by NationalKato at 7:11 AM on November 22, 2005

...wow....man...what...an...awesome...FPP...
posted by agregoli at 7:26 AM on November 22, 2005

hail caesar !
posted by sgt.serenity at 7:56 AM on November 22, 2005

national kato, my thoughts exactly.
still, in traffic, the z3 driver pulled some ballsy moves.

hooray for other countries having crazy drivers too!
posted by Busithoth at 8:34 AM on November 22, 2005

I'd like to see some film of these guys doing this on the way to Stinson beach, or over Devil's slide.

But it reminds me of some films made back in college - hitting zoom while moving to give the illusion of speed.
posted by tzelig at 8:42 AM on November 22, 2005

A third through I have to say this biker guy's a pussy. You don't get anywhere in life tailgaiting! Does he ever get in front?

I'll stick with Burnout or Need for Speed, thank you.
posted by Peter H at 9:32 AM on November 22, 2005

Cool. Movies of assholes.
posted by JeffK at 9:34 AM on November 22, 2005

I guess it shows that I'm getting old that I watch something like this and the most prominent reactions are hoping the people get arrested and/or kill themselves without killing other people.

I also see the local teenaged girls wandering around and think "put on some clothes hussy."

Getting old sucks.
posted by obfusciatrist at 9:55 AM on November 22, 2005

It would have been the perfect ending if both were pulled over by a real cop and their licenses were revoked. shot in the back of the head.

What makes assholes think they have the right to endanger others' lives to such a degree?
posted by five fresh fish at 1:05 PM on November 22, 2005

mind, i say that as one who illegally lanesplit in gridlocked traffic, with a kid on the back of the bike, passing a cop car, and accidently knocking a truck's side-mirror. killing me might have been a bit over-the-top (it's unlikely i was actually endangering anyone, given the gridlock), but if the cop had ticketed me or the truck owner had thumped me but good, i wouldn't have felt any injustice had been done to me! (the sheer brainless stupidity of that bit of squidly behaviour seems to have cured me; haven't lanesplit since that episode.)
posted by five fresh fish at 2:01 PM on November 22, 2005

"Fun"? Those homicidal fucksticks should be given five years each.
posted by Decani at 4:28 PM on November 22, 2005

I can see my house from here!
posted by mr.marx at 5:04 PM on November 22, 2005

Reality is truly less enjoyable than fiction.
posted by mrgrimm at 6:03 PM on November 22, 2005

Speaking as someone who has built and driven two of her own very fast street race cars; this video shows behavior that is just bugfuck insane.

Ludicrous speed? I'm all for it. Crazy weird driving? Sure, there are tons of places to do it where you're really only putting yourself at risk. But to put all those other people at risk? That's unforgivable.

The driving and the route were obviously choreographed. That doesn't detract from the skill...or the sheer insanity of the stunt, but it was obviously rehearsed and planned, thus the various still cameras that got action shots of skids around corners, and cars flying by and whatnot.

Which, ya know, sort of makes it worse, in my opinion. Spur of the moment stupidity is a lot easier to forgive than planned idiocy, I guess.
posted by dejah420 at 7:47 PM on November 22, 2005

Us model 245 hp...Euro model 300 hp...I promise not to lapse into elipsia...I promise...I promise...
posted by Muirwylde at 9:14 PM on November 26, 2005

A newer MetaFilter thread clearly demonstrates how dangerous and deadly this sort of behavior can be. Both people in the car died. Not a case of the reckless bike rider endangering only himself.
posted by Western Infidels at 11:55 AM on December 6, 2005

Using public streets to do stuff like this puts everyone anywhere near these folks at a much greater and unjustified risk. Sorry but this isn't cool at all and the people doing these stunts are either going to end up in jail if they're lucky or the morgue.

There's a place for this crap and it isn't on public roadways with people who are just trying to get home or get to work.
posted by fenriq at 1:14 PM on December 6, 2005