Cars

Bugatti Veyron 16.4

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 was one of the (if not the) most eagerly anticipated supercars of all time. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4, as a concept, was officially revealed for the first time in 1999 at the Tokyo Auto Show. Named the Bugatti EB 18/3 Chiron, the concept was powered by an 18 cylinder engine and showed the first styling features of the Veyron.

In 2000 at the Paris Motor Show the EB 16/4 prototype was unveiled. This car had almost identical styling to the production Bugatti Veyron 16.4 and was powered by a still insane, but slightly more realistic, W16 engine. A year later, in 2001, Volkswagen announced that they were taking the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 to production.

Engineering issues, the realisation of 1001 (useable) horsepower in a supercar, was the biggest problem facing Volkswagen engineers and designers. Issues included; finding a transmission capable of handling the cars immense power, cooling the engine, and not to mention getting the power onto the road in a manner the luxury supercar buyer was used to. However after literally years of exhaustive testing and record breaking engineering feats, the Veyron became a reality. After four years of development, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is ready for series production. The most exclusive sports car of all time is following in the footsteps of the legendary Bugatti, those unbeatable racing cars of the 1920s and 1930s which today are among the most sought-after creations from the early days of automobile construction.This brings to an end the era of design models and concept cars which since the late 1990s have signposted possible paths to the Bugattis of the future. Design and technological concept have finally become reality in the Veyron model's final form and will be available from the beginning of 2004 as a strictly limited edition of just 300 cars. They have announced to release a sports edition aswell which will be even more powerful. Technologically futuristic and packed with creative engineering, the first Bugatti Veyron 16.4 of the 21st century has arrived.

The W16 alloy engine developed for the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 will have a special and absolutely unique place in the history of sports car construction. Its design employs the space-saving VR principle with two particularly slender eight-cylinder blocks arranged at a 90° angle to each other. 1001 horsepower equip the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 with a level of acceleration unheard of in the sports car industry, propelling it from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.5 seconds and past the 200 mph mark in a mere 14 seconds. Thanks to its 923 lb-ft, the enormous propulsive power of Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is not exhausted until it reaches 252.3 mph (406 km/h): the maximum speed for which chassis and drive train have been designed. Any further performance escalation is limited by current design and construction. Also unique is the power transmission via an innovative directshift gearbox. Without any interruption in the power flow, the sequential seven-speed gearbox transmits the engine s power to the wheels via permanent four-wheel drive. Put simply, this means uninterrupted acceleration from a standing start to maximum speed: a feeling previously known only to jet pilots.

The seven-speed double-clutch gearbox is produced by Ricardo in Leamington Spa. It can handle up to 1106 lb ft of torque, 185 lb ft more than the Veyron develops. The carbon-fibre monocoque chassis is from ATR, which also makes the chassis for the Porsche Carrera GT and the Ferrari Enzo. The leather interior is stitched by Boxman, supplier to Bentley. The seats are by Sparco, which also supplies Ferrari and the World Rally Championship. The brakes are made by AP Racing of Coventry, one of the most renowned suppliers of racing brakes.

Some of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 supercar's facts and figures are:

253 mph - The electronically limited top speed.

257 mph - The theoretical top speed, on a perfect run.

2.3 mpg - Fuel economy when running at full speed

12 minutes - The time it takes to empty the fuel tank at top speed

51 miles - The distance covered while emptying the tank

0 - 60 mph - 2.5 seconds

0 - 125 mph - 7.3 seconds

0 - 187 mph - 16.7 seconds

0 - 250 mph - 55 seconds

250 - 0 mph - 9.8 seconds

If a Mclaren F1 traveling at 100 mph went past a stationary Bugatti Veyron 16.4, and the Veyron set off at full acceleration as the Mclaren passed, the Veyron would top 200 mph first.

Both exclusive and highly functional, the interior of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 will transport you to a world of your own. Superb leather, also two-tone if desired, quality metallic trim and beautifully designed and ergonomically laid-out controls characterize the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 cockpit. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 instruments, with a large central rev counter surrounded by four smaller additional instruments also conjures up memories of the marque s legendary motor sport past. The deliberate avoidance of superfluous instruments and modern extras are an unmistakable statement of the car s uncompromising sportiness. Unchanged on the series version of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the classical two-tone paintwork. The designers have selected five separate color combinations for the car: Each of the combinations features the bonnet, roof and rear in the darker of the two colors, with the sides and front wheel arches in the lighter color. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 truly is a masterpiece.

This car cannot be judged in the same way that we judge other cars. It meets drive-by noise and emission regulations and it can be driven by someone whose only qualification is an ability to reverse round corners and do an emergency stop. So technically it is a car. And yet it just isn t.

Other cars are small guesthouses on the front at Brighton and the Bugatti is the Burj Al Arab. It makes even the Enzo and the Porsche Carrera GT feel slow and pointless. It is a triumph for lunacy over common sense, a triumph for man over nature and a triumph for Volkswagen (bugatti's owner) over absolutely every other car maker in the world.

Article Published: Sunday 15th April 2007