Category: Bugatti

Veyron Super Sport sets new Top Gear track record

Post author By Liam
Post date 28 July, 2010
2 Comments on Veyron Super Sport sets new Top Gear track record

The 1200bhp Bugatti Veyron Super Sport recently set a new world record for the fastest production car ever made. The average top speed recorded during the record run was an astounding 431km/h. But what is it like around the Top Gear track? Watch the clip from episode 15×05 below and see just how the Super Sport claimed another prized record; it now sits atop the Top Gear Power Lap board.

James May also returned to the driver’s seat of the Veyron to experience the “Bloody Nora” speeds all for himself.

Tags 15x05, 431km/h, Bugatti, James May, landspeed record, Power lap, Stig, Top Gear, Veyron, Veyron Super Sport

Bugatti

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport sets new landspeed record

Post author By Liam
Post date 6 July, 2010
13 Comments on Bugatti Veyron Super Sport sets new landspeed record

On 26 June 2010 this lairy orange and black Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, with 1200hp (882kW) if you don’t mind, set a new landspeed record for production vehicles. The bar has now been set at 431km/h. Astonishing!

Following normal protocols for such records the top speed is calculated as an average of two runs in opposite directions set within a one hour time limit. In its first pass the Super Sport logged a top speed of 427.933km/h. The second was recorded at 434.211km/h.

“We took it that we would reach an average value of 425 km/h,” explains Bugatti’s chief engineer Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, “but the conditions today were perfect and allowed even more.”

The record was set by Bugatti’s chief test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel at Volkwagen Group’s Ehra-Lessien proving grounds, near Wolfsburg. The new mark has been verified by the German Technical Inspection Agency (TÃœV) and the Guinness Book of Records.

More after the break.

Tags 431km/h, Bugatti, landspeed record, Veyron, Veyron Super Sport

Bugatti News

Son gets daddy’s Bugatti Veyron impounded

Post author By Liam
Post date 8 May, 2010

A 20-year-old Dutchman has had his father’s Bugatti Veyron impounded after doubling the posted speed limit in Rotterdam last month. The Veyron belongs to wealthy businessman Michel Perridon, who is a director of Trust International, former sponsors of the Red Bull Racing and Spyker Formula One teams.

His son, Thomas, was caught doing 160km/h in an 80km/h zone. Strict laws in Holland mean cars can be impounded indefinitely following a serious speeding offence. At this stage it would appear Perridon’s Veyron is no closer to being released. I’m guessing family dinners around the Perridon dining table have been a tense affair of late!

[Source: SMH | Pics: via Autocar | Thanks to Jim for the tip]

Tags Veyron

Bugatti

Bugatti Veyron documentary – part 2

Post author By Liam
Post date 15 April, 2010

This is the second and final part of the Bugatti Veyron doco. As noted in part 1, the Veyron provides some epic numbers, but it also brings with it some horrific over expenses, too. How does $17,000 for a set of replacement tyres grab you? It’s okay, though, because your tyres should be good for around 10,000 kilometres. Maybe.

Another interesting tidbit is the fact that every Veyron is driven for 500km prior to delivery. That would be sure to raise the ire of those new car buyers who throw tantrums if their car has more than 20km when they drive it off the showroom floor!

The final two clips can be seen after the jump. Enjoy.

Tags Bugatti, Bugatti Veyron, Man Made, National Geographic, Super Car, Veyron, YouTube

Bugatti

Bugatti Veyron documentary – part 1

Post author By Liam
Post date 14 April, 2010
2 Comments on Bugatti Veyron documentary – part 1

The Bugatti Veyron is an engineering masterstroke made simply because it could be. Or perhaps it is a vulgar exercise in excess at the expense of financial discretion. The only certainty is that the Veyron polarises opinions.

Indeed, McLaren Automotive boss Ron Dennis reckons the big Bugatti is “pig ugly”. Dennis didn’t stop there, either, calling the Veyron a “piece of junk”.

Whichever side of the fence you sit it is hard to be anything other than staggered by the car’s numbers. In less than five seconds the 16.4 litre W16 powered Veyron can accelerate from rest to 100km/h and come to a complete stop again. That is astonishing, no other way to describe it, really.

After the break is the first of a two part piece on the Veyron as shown on National Geographic Channel’s Man Made program.

Tags Bugatti, Bugatti Veyron, Man Made, National Geographic, Super Car, Veyron, YouTube

Bugatti

Holy outlandish Veyron rendering Batman!

Post author By Liam
Post date 6 January, 2010
2 Comments on Holy outlandish Veyron rendering Batman!

Bugatti Renaissance rendering

The images you see here are the work of John Mark Vicente, a recent Communication Design graduate at the Emily Carr University in Canada. Using a Bugatti Veyron as a base Vicente has penned a creation that would sit very nicely in the Batcave.

The exercise formed part of the student’s university work and as an exercise in pushing the boundaries with the freedom tertiary study offers I think John Mark has done a great job. Over at evo they are not so sure, though.

The Veyron was recently awarded a “Car of the Decade” title in the Top Gear Season 14 finale. So, what do you think, is this an improvement on the original, or did John Mark fail?

One thing is sure, the name John Mark Vicente is now a lot more well known that it was before these renderings were released!

[Source: evo]

Tags Veyron

Bugatti Oh the humanity

Dumb & Dumber

You’ll remember yesterday’s sad story of the Bugatti Veyron taking a dip. Amazingly, the incident has been captured on video and can be seen below after the jump.

Adding some humour to the tragedy is the expert commentary provided by the guys behind the camera. Let’s call them Lloyd and Harry:

Lloyd: [murmurs] That will be mine one day.
Harry: What is it?
Lloyd: Pretty sure that’s a Lambo dude.
Lloyd: [screaming] Oh, oh he’s … oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!

Oh, and, erm, no sign of the “pelican” either, haha.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Tags Veyron

Bugatti Oh the humanity

In the drink

Bugatti Veyron gets that sinking feeling

Now kids, this is why you shouldn’t talk on your mobile phone while driving, okay.

It has been reported the anonymous owner of this Bugatti Veyron was having a yak on his phone when a pelican flew in front of the car’s windscreen. Startled by Mr Percival‘s fly-by, the driver dropped his phone, filled his pants then put his hypercar in the drink after losing control and hurtling into this saltwater lagoon in Galveston County, Texas.

I’m guessing the plank’s first words after the incident were quite a lot stronger than, “Oops! Did I just do that?”

The astonishing Veyron has as many admirers as it does detractors. For every person that gets off on the car’s engineering prowess is another one who claims the car is too heavy and too pointless.

The latter, then, who probably think the car is better suited as a boat, will enjoy the description of the car’s final moment given in Galveston County’s local rag, “The Veyron’s powerful engine gurgled like an outboard motor for about 15 minutes before it died.”

You can see an unexciting, but still very sad video of the Veyron being towed out of the lagoon after the jump.

[Source: Galveston County Daily News]

Tags Veyron

Bugatti

For sale – Bugatti Veyron #001

Post author By Liam
Post date 23 June, 2009

Bugatti Veyron

With the Global Financial Crisis and all that hyper cars are selling for a mere portion of their true worth. Naturally, the exceedingly and obscenely wealthy are not even fazed by a minor correction like the GFC. And so it follows that the exceedingly expensive cars do not have their values affected by such trivial inconveniences.

At least, that’s the theory taken by the LA based Bugatti Beverly Hills dealership who have for sale the first Bugatti Veyron. That’s right, chassis #001 of 300 can be all yours. There’s not many cars where the ability to empty its fuel tank in just 12 minutes is a selling point. But for this example, with less than 650kms travelled, that’s just what the dealer has done.

Usually, if sir has to ask then sir can’t afford, but in the interests of passing on the information this Veyron can be all yours for a tiny US$2.4M or, even better, if you’re paying in Aussie dollars you can really impress you mates at the RSL by telling them you paid a cool $3M for your new runabout.

[Source: TopGear]

Tags Veyron

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Autostadt counts 18 millionth visitor

Post author By Liam
Post date 16 April, 2009
5 Comments on Autostadt counts 18 millionth visitor

Car enthusiast heaven, otherwise known as the Autostadt, in Wolfsburg, Germany, recently saw its 18 millionth visitor through the turnstiles. Visitor numbers are nine years ahead of schedule. The Autostadt opened its doors on 1 June 2000, with predictions of 1 million visitors per annum. A figure which, in reality, has turned out to be 2 million visitors each year.

The Volkswagen Auto Group theme park has unique pavilions for all of the marques in its stable. That’s Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Seat, Skoda and, of course, Volkswagen. Also included is general auto museum featuring notable cars from outside the VAG history books, as well.

It’s a pretty amazing place, dominated by the twin glass car towers where buyers can collect their new cars from. You can get a taste of that experience from this previous AUSmotive article. If you get the opportunity I highly recommend a visit. Volkswagen’s press release can be read after the jump, along with a few happy snaps of my own from my visit in 2006.

Further information can be read at autostadt.de and volkswagen.com.

Bugatti News

NGV International – Bugatti exhibition

Post author By Liam
Post date 3 April, 2009

NGV International (Melbourne) - Bugatti exhbition

A quick reminder for Melbourne readers not to miss the Bugatti exhibition currently on show at the National Gallery of Victoria. Entry to the exhibition is free and it is open until 26 April. The blurb from the NGV website states:

“For most people the world of Bugatti is associated with cars. However, the Bugatti story is a much larger one, encompassing three generations and four remarkable individuals: Carlo Bugatti, his sons Ettore and Rembrandt, and Ettore’s son Gianoberto (Jean). For the first time in Australia this exhibition will show the furniture, sculpture and cars of this extraordinary family…”

Included are incredibly rare examples of two stunning cars, Ettore Bugatti’s Type 37 racing car and a Type 57C coupe designed by Jean Bugatti. Amazingly, all the items on display are from Australian collectors.

After the jump you can see a brief 4 minute video featuring pieces from the exhibition, including footage of the two cars in action.

[Source: NGV]

Bugatti Motor Shows

Geneva 2009 – Timelapse footage

Post author By Liam
Post date 8 March, 2009

The crew at Image Engineers have provided us with a nifty timelapse clip from the floor at the 2009 Geneva Auto Salon.

For some more really cool stuff, that is gigapan imagery, click HERE for a closer look at the Geneva show floor, or HERE for a much closer look at the Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire.

Source: autoblog