A California man failed to go back to the future, but succeeded in capturing the ultimate speeding ticket, when he was stopped by police for doing 88 miles per hour in his DeLorean.

Spencer White and his mother were out for a drive on the freeway when they noticed they were just a few miles-per-hour shy of travelling through time, according to the science of "Back to the Future."

White, a professed "Back to the Future" fan, says he couldn't resist hitting time-travel speed, especially with his mother urging him on.

"She was looking at me and she was like, 'Take it up to 88. Let's do it,'" White told CNN on Monday. (Eighty-eight miles per hour is 142 kilometres per hour.)

White didn't break the laws of space-time, but he did break the laws of the road – and he did it right in front of a police car.

"I was up to 88 for about two seconds, and immediately I saw a police officer pull in behind me."

The police officer laughed about the incident and allowed White to take a photo of the radar gun reading.

The novelty of the moment didn't save White from a ticket for approximately US$400. However, he said he was happy to pay it.

"This is kind of the dream ticket," he said.