World record parallel park broken by German driver, then by Chinese driver
A German driver has broken the world record for a parallel park, placing his car in a car space only big enough for the car itself and 26cm of spare space. The record was placed into the Guinness Book of Records, but it didn't last long before a Chinese driver squeezed past him to take the record.
Ronny Wechselberger swung his Volkswagen Polo into the space on April 2 this year by using the handbrake to swing the back of the car around, while using the front brakes to give the car a pivot point. Obviously, this is not the sort of thing anyone should be practicing at their local supermarket but it does show a great amount of skill, timing and concentration.
The unfortunate thing for Ronny Wechselberge though is the world record only lasted a couple of months. Since the record was made, a Chinese driver has managed to squeeze his car into a space leaving just 24cm of combined room at either end of the car. Zhang Hua broke the record just last month, on July 21.
Take a look at the video below for a look at Ronny's brief world record park. It's very impressive, and it's hard to imagine there could be any less room in between the cars.