How many times have you found yourself suddenly confronted by a speed limit sign, then in a panic you look at the bouncing speedometer pointer and immediately start doing math in your head. "Let's see ...

Q: The top speed on my car speedometer is 130 mph, yet the car cannot go anywhere close to that speed. So why does the speedometer go so high? Is it a marketing gimmick or is there some other reason?

Cockpit 120-mph Mechanical Speedometer with Tri-podometer fromVDO Instrumentshasamatte-black face, white characters, and a red pointer with black bezel. Also available in 160 mph. Sizes: 31/8-inch and ...