Bugatti Veyron 16.4 2008, França
Fotografia
The Bugatti
Veyron will long be remembered as a benchmark in supercar design, as a model
that not only established itself as the world’s fastest production car, but
also resuscitated one of the most legendary performance brands. In 1998 the
Volkswagen Group acquired the rights to the defunct Bugatti, the once
family-owned-and-managed concern that had built and raced some of history’s
most successful and beautiful sports cars.
VW was
redefining itself as one of the premier automotive companies in the world,
having recently also bought Lamborghini and Bentley, and already owning Audi,
which would go on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans 13 times in 15 years (not
including Bentley’s victory in 2003). With so much technical expertise at its
disposal, the acquisition of Bugatti portended momentous developments, and the
Alsatian company was positioned as the luxury and performance flagship of VW’s
portfolio.
The
development of its first car was to take several years of gestation, however,
as Bugatti built three concept cars equipped with a W-18 engine. This engine
also found its way into the early concept version of the Veyron, which was
named for the successful pre-war racing driver Pierre Veyron, and was unveiled
at the Tokyo Motor Show in late 1999. Almost a year later, the Veyron was
introduced in its essential production form at the 2000 Paris Salon, now
featuring an 8-liter W-16 engine.
The new W-16
was essentially two V-8s placed contiguously, sharing a common crankcase. With
64 valves and four intercooled turbochargers, the impressive engine developed a
whopping 1,001 hp at 6,000 rpm. The W-16 also produced 922 foot-pounds of
torque available as low as 2,200 rpm, providing an astonishing amount of power
at the drop of a hat. Despite the Veyron’s curb weight of 4,163 pounds, these
numbers were sufficient to propel the car to 60 mph from standstill in a mere
2.5 seconds, and to a top speed of 250 mph, which established a speed record for
a production automobile.
The stopping
power was just as impressive, as the Veyron was anchored by massive
carbon-ceramic disc brakes with 15.7-inch discs and eight-piston, four-pad
calipers up front, while 15-inch discs with six-piston, two-pad calipers were
equipped at the rear. With so much power and weight, traction became an
immediate concern, so the Veyron was accordingly equipped with all-wheel drive
administered by a seven-speed dual-clutch paddle-shift transmission. The alloy
wheels, which were respectively 20 and 21 inches at the front and rear, were
shod with special purpose-designed Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 PAX run-flat tires
that provided superior grip.
The array of
technology extended to three different drive modes: a Normal mode, at which the
ride height was 4.9 inches; a Handling mode that deployed the rear spoiler and
lowered ride height to 3.15 inches; and a special key-activated High-Speed mode
that dropped ride height to 2.56 inches in front and 2.75 at the rear, while
changing the spoiler position. Despite having been engineered for performance,
the Veyron equally prioritized luxurious comfort, as proven by a
leather-appointed interior offset by a center console of machine-turned metal,
in a nod to the interiors of the classic pre-war Bugattis. The instrument panel
was dominated by a large central speedometer that was flanked by a gauge
measuring horsepower output.
Only 450
Veyrons were produced during 11 years of production, with 300 fixed-roof
coupes, including 178 examples built to the original 16.4 production
configuration. A luminary model by any reckoning, the Veyron 16.4 is prized by
supercar aficionados and Bugatti purists alike, and the small quantity of cars
have generally found themselves as the centerpieces of important collections.
Veyron no.
066, the 20th example built for the U.S., was finished in a classic scheme of
silver metallic over bright silver and upholstered in a very rare two-tone
combination of Silk leather with Anthracite accents. The showroom-quality
Bugatti benefits from the fastidious care of just one California-based private
owner through the course of its life, having accrued only 720 miles. In late
2018 the car received a fluid service and new tires, as reflected by an invoice
totaling over $51,000. A rare and minimally driven example, this beautifully
preserved Veyron would make a sensational addition to the world’s finest
collections.
