Bugatti: Veyron News
07-19-2004, 06:07 PM
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Originally Posted by gavriil
I'd love to read that article.
Some F-1 reading
http://www.f1technical.net/forum/vie...=gordan+murray
07-19-2004, 06:12 PM
#82
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This ain't it but gives you some insight on how the genius thinks:
DIRECTOR PROFILE: GORDON MURRAY
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - McLAREN CARS
Everybody loves a winner. But not quite as much as they like a valiant loser. Which is why McLaren will never win many popularity contests.
Like the TAG McLaren Group's Chairman and CEO, Ron Dennis, Gordon Murray knows what it takes to be the best. He has carried the same ethos from Formula 1 into his role as Technical Director of McLaren Cars Ltd: don't aim for good, aim for great.
"In this country, there is a tendency to knock the winners," smiles Murray. "Ron instills this 'only the best is good enough' feeling, and I concur absolutely. It's exciting for everyone in the group. Outside, there is a lot of professional jealousy."
Little wonder. Having presided over the most successful Grand Prix car ever built - the MP4/4.. Murray conceived the ultimate road car in the shape of McLaren's F1. The latest McLaren Cars project, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, will likewise turn heads wherever it goes.
When Murray left the high-octane world of Formula 1 behind him in 1990, many people viewed it as a backwards step. After all, road cars are dull and boring, aren't they? Not when McLaren builds them, they're not.
"It was a culture shock," he admits, "but in a very pleasant way. Everybody warned me that I would be bored because of all the regulations. In fact, it was just the opposite. It threw off the shackles of Formula 1, where the rules have an iron grip. "There is no weight limit on a road car, no aerodynamic rule, and I still haven't found a performance rule of any kind other than safety being a prime consideration. If you wanted to make a 5000 BHP car with ten tons of downforce, you could. If you want to make the F1 roadcar, that does 241 miles an hour, you can!"
His brief for the McLaren F1 was the stuff of fairy tales: build the best car you can. But by contrast, the SLR is aimed at a very specific niche market. Unlike the F1, which commenced with a blank piece of paper, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren's styling had already been conceived by Mercedes-Benz when Murray and his team at McLaren cars picked up the reins in June 1999. For all the differences in the remit, the aim remains the same: create a car so good that the opposition can't retaliate.
To do so, Murray's team has to look at least six years into the future. It must predict every aspect of rivals' cars, and beat them by a quantum leap.
"There's no point being 50 kilos lighter than a rival, because their new car will probably be 50 kilos lighter," he explains. "So you've got to be several hundred kilos lighter. There's no point in being half a second quicker to 100mph - you've got to be several seconds quicker. You have to have 20 per cent more grip around the corner; be 10 per cent better under braking; fit in 50 per cent more luggage. Those are the sorts of targets we set ourselves."
To achieve them, the packaging on the SLR has to be radical. It is familiar territory. After all, this is the man who gave Formula 1 the outrageous fan car; hydro-pneumatic suspension; the reclined seating position; digital instruments; tyre warmers; and strategic refuelling. The latter, like many of his best ideas, came to him in a hot bath!
Such innovations were the product of a hedonistic era that spawned genius..
Lotus founder, Colin Chapman, was Murray's inspiration when he left South Africa for England's Formula 1 heartland in 1971. But what about the Chapmans of the future? where are they? The question has long worried him.
"If you had to pick one difference between the modern designer and the old guard - the Patrick Heads, John Barnards, Colin Chapmans- it's that those people could design the whole motor car," he says. "Modern engineers are becoming more and more specialist. In the future, we will lose technical directors capable of overseeing the whole car."
In his own department, he encourages the same lateral thinking on which his own reputation was forged. He works closely with the head of vehicle design, Barry Lett, who will eventually inherit part of Murray's role. Above all, he strives to keep the whole team involved in every aspect of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The entire design group runs through the whole car every Monday morning.
"You might be the interior trim guy, but this way it means you're still aware of a problem in the gearbox," he says.
A more radical solution to the problem awaits the team when it moves into Paragon next year. Design and prototyping will be totally integrated into one office. It's a revolutionary step.
It's also a far cry from the French hills where he sat contemplating his future in 1986. He had quit Brabham and was on the brink of leaving the industry completely. After two weeks' rest, he found himself doodling suspension designs! A call from Ron Dennis coincided with the revelation that perhaps the sport wasn't out of his system after all.
Fifteen years on, the industry presents very different challenges. Murray pinpoints the loss of creative spark as one of the biggest threats to its future, especially in an era where the big car manufacturers are swallowing each other up. The more unwieldy they get, he argues, the harder it will be to take giant steps in areas like the environment and safety. And the answer?
"I'm hoping it is companies like McLaren Cars," he smiles. "Keep them separate, keep them small, and they will be the catalyst, the starting point, of something for the future."
DIRECTOR PROFILE: GORDON MURRAY
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - McLAREN CARS
Everybody loves a winner. But not quite as much as they like a valiant loser. Which is why McLaren will never win many popularity contests.
Like the TAG McLaren Group's Chairman and CEO, Ron Dennis, Gordon Murray knows what it takes to be the best. He has carried the same ethos from Formula 1 into his role as Technical Director of McLaren Cars Ltd: don't aim for good, aim for great.
"In this country, there is a tendency to knock the winners," smiles Murray. "Ron instills this 'only the best is good enough' feeling, and I concur absolutely. It's exciting for everyone in the group. Outside, there is a lot of professional jealousy."
Little wonder. Having presided over the most successful Grand Prix car ever built - the MP4/4.. Murray conceived the ultimate road car in the shape of McLaren's F1. The latest McLaren Cars project, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, will likewise turn heads wherever it goes.
When Murray left the high-octane world of Formula 1 behind him in 1990, many people viewed it as a backwards step. After all, road cars are dull and boring, aren't they? Not when McLaren builds them, they're not.
"It was a culture shock," he admits, "but in a very pleasant way. Everybody warned me that I would be bored because of all the regulations. In fact, it was just the opposite. It threw off the shackles of Formula 1, where the rules have an iron grip. "There is no weight limit on a road car, no aerodynamic rule, and I still haven't found a performance rule of any kind other than safety being a prime consideration. If you wanted to make a 5000 BHP car with ten tons of downforce, you could. If you want to make the F1 roadcar, that does 241 miles an hour, you can!"
His brief for the McLaren F1 was the stuff of fairy tales: build the best car you can. But by contrast, the SLR is aimed at a very specific niche market. Unlike the F1, which commenced with a blank piece of paper, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren's styling had already been conceived by Mercedes-Benz when Murray and his team at McLaren cars picked up the reins in June 1999. For all the differences in the remit, the aim remains the same: create a car so good that the opposition can't retaliate.
To do so, Murray's team has to look at least six years into the future. It must predict every aspect of rivals' cars, and beat them by a quantum leap.
"There's no point being 50 kilos lighter than a rival, because their new car will probably be 50 kilos lighter," he explains. "So you've got to be several hundred kilos lighter. There's no point in being half a second quicker to 100mph - you've got to be several seconds quicker. You have to have 20 per cent more grip around the corner; be 10 per cent better under braking; fit in 50 per cent more luggage. Those are the sorts of targets we set ourselves."
To achieve them, the packaging on the SLR has to be radical. It is familiar territory. After all, this is the man who gave Formula 1 the outrageous fan car; hydro-pneumatic suspension; the reclined seating position; digital instruments; tyre warmers; and strategic refuelling. The latter, like many of his best ideas, came to him in a hot bath!
Such innovations were the product of a hedonistic era that spawned genius..
Lotus founder, Colin Chapman, was Murray's inspiration when he left South Africa for England's Formula 1 heartland in 1971. But what about the Chapmans of the future? where are they? The question has long worried him.
"If you had to pick one difference between the modern designer and the old guard - the Patrick Heads, John Barnards, Colin Chapmans- it's that those people could design the whole motor car," he says. "Modern engineers are becoming more and more specialist. In the future, we will lose technical directors capable of overseeing the whole car."
In his own department, he encourages the same lateral thinking on which his own reputation was forged. He works closely with the head of vehicle design, Barry Lett, who will eventually inherit part of Murray's role. Above all, he strives to keep the whole team involved in every aspect of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The entire design group runs through the whole car every Monday morning.
"You might be the interior trim guy, but this way it means you're still aware of a problem in the gearbox," he says.
A more radical solution to the problem awaits the team when it moves into Paragon next year. Design and prototyping will be totally integrated into one office. It's a revolutionary step.
It's also a far cry from the French hills where he sat contemplating his future in 1986. He had quit Brabham and was on the brink of leaving the industry completely. After two weeks' rest, he found himself doodling suspension designs! A call from Ron Dennis coincided with the revelation that perhaps the sport wasn't out of his system after all.
Fifteen years on, the industry presents very different challenges. Murray pinpoints the loss of creative spark as one of the biggest threats to its future, especially in an era where the big car manufacturers are swallowing each other up. The more unwieldy they get, he argues, the harder it will be to take giant steps in areas like the environment and safety. And the answer?
"I'm hoping it is companies like McLaren Cars," he smiles. "Keep them separate, keep them small, and they will be the catalyst, the starting point, of something for the future."
11-22-2004, 06:53 PM
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Veyron deliveries next year - - Source: Autocar
The first deliveries of the serially-delayed Bugatti Veyron will take place in September 2005, according to Bugatti president Thomas Bscher.
Billed as the world's fastest road car, with a claimed top speed of 252mph, the Veyron has had a troublesome development. Priced at 1 million Euros (£700,600) pre-tax, the 8.0-litre W16-powered two-seater should have been launched last April. However, concerns about its high-speed stability and durability problems forced Bscher to postpone the launch to allow for further engineering work.
Bscher said a maximum of 300 Veyrons will be assembled at Bugatti's showcase factory in Molsheim, France, 50 of which are already accounted for by paid-up deposits.
Billed as the world's fastest road car, with a claimed top speed of 252mph, the Veyron has had a troublesome development. Priced at 1 million Euros (£700,600) pre-tax, the 8.0-litre W16-powered two-seater should have been launched last April. However, concerns about its high-speed stability and durability problems forced Bscher to postpone the launch to allow for further engineering work.
Bscher said a maximum of 300 Veyrons will be assembled at Bugatti's showcase factory in Molsheim, France, 50 of which are already accounted for by paid-up deposits.
11-23-2004, 02:09 PM
#88
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Originally Posted by Collective27
Ill beleve it when i see it...(even though ill never actualy see one lol)
11-25-2004, 09:47 AM
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Veyron tests continue - - Source: Autocar
Bugatti has issued specific details about its apparently exhaustive development program for the forthcoming 252mph Veyron. Eleven prototypes are currently completing the supercar’s final tests, which are claimed to take in complete checks of every individual system on the car; four other test cars will soon join them.
Each will go through a one-off 30,000 mile endurance trial, multiple braking trials from upwards of 150mph, and thousands of high-speed miles pushing Michelin’s bespoke rubber, approved for speeds of over 250mph, to its limits.
Deliveries should start in autumn next next year, in return for the car's cool million-Euro asking price.
Each will go through a one-off 30,000 mile endurance trial, multiple braking trials from upwards of 150mph, and thousands of high-speed miles pushing Michelin’s bespoke rubber, approved for speeds of over 250mph, to its limits.
Deliveries should start in autumn next next year, in return for the car's cool million-Euro asking price.
11-27-2004, 12:25 PM
#90
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Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
Noobs don't know about this. 
12-06-2004, 11:10 PM
#93
It's distinctive, but I was never a fan of the styling.
12-07-2004, 12:42 AM
#94
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sexy
12-08-2004, 11:08 AM
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Oh please....this car is retarded. This car is over a million dollars...for just around a million you can get an Audi R8 Lemans car and run rings around this car. That 1001 HP is useless, even for the rack track. Only good place is a drag strip. But it'll get owned by a any top fuel dragster.
BTW...yes they are both from the same group of engineers. If that Bugatti was so fast, they would be using that car for racing instead of the mighty R8.
BTW...yes they are both from the same group of engineers. If that Bugatti was so fast, they would be using that car for racing instead of the mighty R8.
02-26-2005, 02:10 PM
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MotorTrend is reporting that the Veyron has been 100% greenlighted and it will have 1001 HP which is 987 SAE NET from 8.0 liters and 4 turbos and 16 cylinders in a W configuration. AWD and a seven spped DSG type of tranny.
VW boss Pischetsrieder said that they could have extracted 1280 HP safely and reliably but they "kept it back". The goal was 0-186mph in 14.0 seconds. Curb weight is 3520 pounds and claimed top speed is 252 mph. Pound/HP = 3.6
It's believed that the car will be speed limited to just over 200 mph though. If a customer wants the full speed, they would be sent a technician and special tires.
The VW Boss is a proud Enzo owner and Ferrari enthusiast the mag reports. The Enzo was used as an aerodynamic model for the Veyron he repots. You probably remember that the main reason why the Veyron has been delayed so many times was its high speed stability issues. It sounds from the article that Ferrari "came to the rescue". Ferrari boss Jean Todt actually provided aero-related data to Bugatti.
One of the changes realted to the above was the addition of a rear wing for the Veyron. The "underbody has been reworked."
The VW boss says he believes the Veyron wont be profitable for VW. But it would cost less than running for a year at F1.
"This is our Forumula 1" he says.
02-26-2005, 06:23 PM
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Originally Posted by MADCAT
Oh please....this car is retarded. This car is over a million dollars...for just around a million you can get an Audi R8 Lemans car and run rings around this car. That 1001 HP is useless, even for the rack track. Only good place is a drag strip. But it'll get owned by a any top fuel dragster.
BTW...yes they are both from the same group of engineers. If that Bugatti was so fast, they would be using that car for racing instead of the mighty R8.
BTW...yes they are both from the same group of engineers. If that Bugatti was so fast, they would be using that car for racing instead of the mighty R8.
02-27-2005, 08:12 PM
#100
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Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
Noobs don't know about this.
02-27-2005, 08:50 PM
#101
Cost Drivers!!!!
This car is awesome. I luv it. Gordon Murray albiet a great designer has his head up his own ass. Engineering and delivery of the power and luxary in this car will put this car as an icon if it stays in production long enough. The car should easily pay for the project.
02-27-2005, 09:02 PM
#102
Originally Posted by gavriil
MotorTrend is reporting that the Veyron has been 100% greenlighted and it will have 1001 HP which is 987 SAE NET from 8.0 liters and 4 turbos and 16 cylinders in a W configuration. AWD and a seven spped DSG type of tranny.
VW boss Pischetsrieder said that they could have extracted 1280 HP safely and reliably but they "kept it back". The goal was 0-186mph in 14.0 seconds. Curb weight is 3520 pounds and claimed top speed is 252 mph. Pound/HP = 3.6
It's believed that the car will be speed limited to just over 200 mph though. If a customer wants the full speed, they would be sent a technician and special tires.
The VW Boss is a proud Enzo owner and Ferrari enthusiast the mag reports. The Enzo was used as an aerodynamic model for the Veyron he repots. You probably remember that the main reason why the Veyron has been delayed so many times was its high speed stability issues. It sounds from the article that Ferrari "came to the rescue". Ferrari boss Jean Todt actually provided aero-related data to Bugatti.
One of the changes realted to the above was the addition of a rear wing for the Veyron. The "underbody has been reworked."
The VW boss says he believes the Veyron wont be profitable for VW. But it would cost less than running for a year at F1.
"This is our Forumula 1" he says.
02-27-2005, 09:33 PM
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I place my bets now that this will be dumped. So much money wasted on this, plus the retarded way of trying to get VW to go upscale is going ot kill their bottom line. Their bread abd butter lines ( VW and Audi) are not doing well.
Originally Posted by CGTSX2004
I'll believe it when I see it. This car has been in development for so long, I'm still wondering if it'll ever see the light of day. I'll have to keep in touch with my contacts to see if anyone pics one up. Should be interesting...
05-25-2005, 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted by gavriil
Look at the first photo. It looks so small. These other cars are super minis (for USA standards).
That's one hot car...it's basically a motor strapped to a chassis. Should be pretty impressive given the power rating and the AWD system.
05-25-2005, 01:23 PM
#111
The sizzle in the Steak
Originally Posted by gavriil
05-25-2005, 05:51 PM
#113
GEEZER
nice.
05-30-2005, 12:20 PM
#117
I'm the Firestarter
Originally Posted by gavriil
Look at the first photo. It looks so small. These other cars are super minis (for USA standards).
Looks ugly IMO but who cares.
Can't wait to see the Top Gear review.
