Bugatti have a prestigious history that is intertwined with luxury machines and performance icons. These two qualities are clear for all to see in the Veyron that they produce today. Bugatti’s racing heritage is something the company is very proud of and the next car in their line-up of six “Legend” special editions continues to celebrate the past.
The third model in Bugatti’s Legends series is named the Meo Constantini after a double Targa Florio champion. Based upon the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, this car dons a beautiful French racing blue and polished aluminium colour combination. In my personal opinion it is the best looking Veyron thus far. The colour scheme mimics that of Meo’s Type 35. Inside the lavish interior sports various historical engravings including fantastic Type 35 sketch style embroidery in the door lining.
Just three of these 1,200BHP, £1,700,000 car will be produced.
Every now and then there comes a milestone in the the history of engineering. The first lightbulb, the microprocessor, the combustion engine, Concorde. These are all things we can marvel at and admire for their technical excellence, but one machine that is missing from that list is the Bugatti Veyron, a car that took the laws of physics and threw them out of the window.
In 1909 Ettore Bugatti set out to build some of the worlds most exclusive cars for the wealthy that could afford them. Italian born Ettore set up shop in France building his first road car in 1910. Named the Type 13, it proved not only popular with customers but also saw success in motorsport. Many more powerful and prestigious models followed as well as victories at the worlds most famous endurance race, the Le Mans 24 Hour. Ettore’s son, Jean, took over the company in later years however his death and the following war saw Bugatti sold in the 1950’s. 1987 brought a revival of the Bugatti name as it was acquired by Romano Artioli. The Bugatti EB110 came into being in 1989 and became the worlds fastest road production car in 1991. Due to a following recession the company again failed producing just 139 examples of the EB110.VW bought the rights to the name in 1998 and showed a range of luxury saloon concepts featuring the worlds first W16 engines for the road. However it was at the 1999 Frankfurt motor show where the first production concept of what we today call the Veyron was shown. Named the 18/3 Chiron. It was to become the brands future.
The mandate was clear after the reaction of the concept car that claimed so much. Build the worlds most powerful, fastest and desired road car. This task was given to Hartmut Warkuss (Chief Designer) under the guidance of Wolfgang Schreiber. Produced under the official title of Bugatti Automobiles SAS in Château St. Jean France, the yet to be named project was not designed to be beautiful but functional. Delivering biblical speeds had been done time and again but coupling that with unrivaled luxury was to be a huge challenge. With this much power how do you craft refinement? Testing began of the 8.0 litre W16 quad-turbocharged monster producing results that even surprised the engineers that built it. Traveling at speed in excess of 250MPH required some of the most focused technologies the world had to offer as the car must adapt to its rapidly increasing speed. Signed off in 2003 this incredible machine now had a name. The Bugatti Veyron.
They had done it. The laws of physics had been challenged and banished. This 253MPH mechanical miracle was the trophy for the engineers responsible. The Bugatti Veyron became the worlds fastest road production car but better yet, a genuinely comfortable experience and not just two seats with a rocket attached to the back. Critics have said time and again that this extraordinary machine is as tranquil at 30MPH as it is 230MPH. Collecting multiple awards the Bugatti very quickly became THE car to own. However its £839,000 price-tag reserved it strictly for the worlds most wealthy. VW built this car to show what can be achieved with pure engineering and so make no profit at all on all 350 cars. In fact the car costs £4,000,000 more to build than what it is sold for.
Over the years the Veyron’s record has been challenged and so Bugatti needed to produce something that would silence the claims of others. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport became the world’s fastest production car. At VW’s secure test facility. This 1,200BHP goliath set a biblical speed of 267.81MPH! The new car has 1,106 pound-feet of torque as well as a modified aerodynamic profile. All production models are limited to 257.9MPH, as if the car was set free the tyres would only last 7 minutes.
It is a machine that changed the fortunes of a company. It is a symbol of mans true engineering potential. It is today one of the most globally recognizable cars on the planet. The Bugatti Veyron is many things to many people but what it is in isolation is an achievement.
The Bugatti Veyron is well on its way to signing off on the last few pages in its chapter of automotive history. As production of this biblical machine winds down Bugatti are releasing several special edition cars to commemorate important figures throughout the brands history. The Wimille edition that celebrated the Le Mans winner of the same name is to be joined by 5 further cars, the latest of which is the “Jean Bugatti.”
Jean Bugatti, son of the companies founder, has been honoured with a special car that evokes one of his most famous designs, the Type 57 Atlantic. Finished in black carbon garnished with platinum grills this car exudes elegance. Based upon the record breaking Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, the performance of the car remains unchanged meaning that it has 1,200BHP on tap. Just three “Jean Bugatti” editions shall be built.
There is no denying that the Bugatti Veyron is one of the greatest technological master pieces of the past decade. A 250MPH, 1000BHP+ supercar for the road that has the tranquility of a Rolls-Royce? Yes please! However, Bugatti are beginning to wind down production of the legendary Veyron and in the process will produce some very special variants.
To be based upon the record breaking Grand Sport Vitesse model, Bugatti will build 6 special edition models celebrating people who have greatly contributed to the brands history. The first of these honors Jean-Pierre Wimille, a Bugatti racing driver who won Le Man in both 1937 and 1939. Finished in blue carbon, the car replicates Wimille’s racing colours. Other additions to this special edition include a unique interior and badging. The 1184BHP W16 engine remains untouched. Only 3 of these cars will be produced.
Last week the Bugatti Veyron was rather unceremoniously stripped of its “worlds fastest production car” title by Guinness. The record keepers justification was based upon the record setting cars safety limiter being turned off, something only 8 of the production cars were capable of doing. Each Super Sport Veyron is capable of reaching its record breaking speed but on the grounds of safety, not limitation, Bugatti peg the car at 258MPH. Undeterred, the legendary brand launch themselves back into the record books.
The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse becomes the worlds fastest open-top car setting a speed of 254MPH. Driven by Chinese racing driver, Anthony Liu, the car is mechanically identical to any other Vitesse but does sport a fresh black and orange paint job. Making its debut at the Shanghai motor show, only 8 world record edition cars will be produced at a cost of £1,690,000 each.
The Bugatti Veyron is an incredible piece of engineering and a true testament to the might of Volkswagen. This incredible car was produced by men and women who didn’t listen to those who said it was impossible, they took on the laws of physics and won. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is the fastest road production car in the world, or at least it was until today…
The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport officially held the record at an astonishing 267MPH making it faster than the SSC Ultimate Aero TT that topped the original Veyon. However, the Super Sport set the record with its speed limiter disengaged, something that the Guinness World Record blokes are now not too happy about. The cars that found their way to customers were electronically limited to a slightly lower speed on safety grounds, no less capable, just limited. As of today the Veyron has been stripped of its title. Wrong or right, those are the facts…
The Bugatti Veyron is an undeniable statement that mankind can take on the laws of physics and win. To create a machine that can accelerate and travel at biblical speeds is an achievement in itself, but to do this and incorporate levels of refinement that you would expect from Rolls-Royce, makes the Veyron one of a kind. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is the worlds fastest and most powerful road production car there has ever been, but the genius engineers that created it aren’t quite done yet!
Rumour has it that Bugatti are looking to give the Veyron possibly the greatest sendoff an automobile has ever had. As production of this legend winds down to a 350 unit limit they want to have one final crack at the whip and go even faster. The Super Sport managed 267.8MPH but with the addition of 400BHP, an increased engine capacity and lashings of carbon fibre, could result in a predicted top speed of 288MPH. The total of 1,600 ponies is also responsible for an organ crushing 0-60MPH time of just 1.8 seconds.
How much of this supposed inside information comes to the road we don’t know, but what we do know is that is anyone can do it, it will be the mighty Volkswagen group.
After the Bugatti boffins’ reality-defying feats at this year’s Geneva Motor Show with the unveiling of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, a mesmerising roadster that could punch at the same weight as its hard top Super Sport brother, the VW owned outfit are at it again. This time though, there is no sign of any enhanced aerodynamics, tweaked engine packages or advanced breaking systems. Nope, just a lick of paint.
By Bugatti standards it may not seem like the most exiting release ever, but this special edition Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse is certainly a colourful addition to the family. Adorned in the Bianco and Light Blue livery made famous by the multiple Grand Prix winning 1928 Bugatti Type 37A, it is one of the more subtle looking Veyrons in the stable. Understated it may appear, but the less garish exterior masques the gargantuan 1200 BHP 7.9-litre W16 engine first developed for the Super Sport, that makes the Grand Sport Vitesse the fastest production roadster in the world. 0-62 MPH remains the same at a wrinkle-inducing 2.6 seconds and on the track the Vitesse will still happily take you to 255 MPH and back.
Technology may have moved on light-years since the days of this car’s illustrious 1928 forerunner, but one thing besides the paint work hasn’t changed; it is still as all-conquering today as it was 84 years ago.
This unique special edition will go on sale for £1.37 million later this year.
This car is a collection of impossible things. Not only have engineers conquered the laws of physics in making it travel at 255MPH, but all whilst it copes with the stresses of not having a roof. The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse is the worlds fastest convertible and makes up some of the last 350 Veyrons that will be built. Here is the car in action.
Mans seemingly unquenchable thrust to go faster is a never ending journey. Though the thrust unquenchable, Bugatti’s Veyron went a good way to provide hydration. The incredible engineering achievements came together to form a 268MPH legend. Bugatti Aren’t quite done yet.
The production run of the Veyron is coming to its end with the final cars of the 350 allocation all being of the Grand Sport variety. The fastest SuperSport Veyron introduced a few new tricks to boost top speed and acceleration. At Geneva this year Bugatti are applying this science to the chop-top model. To be called the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, it will reaffirm the brands place as fastest production car manufacturer in the world. Official figures have yet to be released but the car will have 1184BHP thanks to larger turbos.
