Bugatti Veyron 16.4
09-14-2006, 08:59 PM
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Bugatti Veyron 16.4
* Price Tag: $1.2 million
* Engine: 16 cylinders, 4 turbochargers
* 0 – 60 mph: 2.5 seconds
* Horsepower: 1001 metric, 987 bhp
* Top Speed: 250 mph, according to the factory
* Transmission: 7-speed direct-shift gearshift (DSG)
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=3009
* Engine: 16 cylinders, 4 turbochargers
* 0 – 60 mph: 2.5 seconds
* Horsepower: 1001 metric, 987 bhp
* Top Speed: 250 mph, according to the factory
* Transmission: 7-speed direct-shift gearshift (DSG)
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=3009
09-14-2006, 09:11 PM
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Just thought it was a cool article... in case you didn't see it
ASTELBUONO, SICILY — Warning! Do not read on if: 1) Your right foot is heavier than your left foot, and 2) Your driver's license is one ticket away from being revoked.
Okay, you made it this far, which means you are probably at least sane enough to consider the following:
Forget the 660-bhp Ferrari Enzo, the 605-bhp Porsche Carrera GT, the 617-bhp Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, or even the mighty 627-bhp McLaren F1. These supercars are simply slugs compared with the new 2006 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (16.4 for 16 cylinders, 4 turbochargers). This $1.2 million "hyper-exotic" boasts 987 bhp (1001 metric horsepower) and 922 lb.-ft. of torque, enough to propel the 4160-lb. beast to a top speed of over 250 mph. And according to the factory, a 0-62-mph acceleration run (0-100 km/h) can be done in 2.5 seconds, 0-124 mph can be reached in 7.3 sec., and 0-186 mph in 16.7 sec., faster than you can re-read and comprehend the astonishing stats.
It is not possible to talk about the Bugatti Veyron's high-speed and massive power capabilities without first discussing the technology behind it. However, we'll let renowned McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray share his expert opinion on engineering and styling of the Veyron in the following pages. I'll focus on what it is like to drive this amazing exotic during the car's introduction in Sicily. In three words:
Amazing!
Thrilling!
Un-be-liev-able!
Climbing aboard the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, you are intimidated initially by the car's impressive specs. In the instrument cluster — beyond the usual tachometer, fuel level and coolant temperature gauges — sits a special dial on the lower left that shows how much horsepower is being used at any moment, up to 1001 metric horsepower. And on the lower right is the speedometer that has 280 mph as the last marker.
Twist the key and turn on the ignition. All you can hear is a quiet murmur, giving no hint of the engine's enormous potential. The interior is furnished in premium leather accentuated by aluminum. The seats are supportive, though the driving position is low and slightly canted toward the center due to the intruding left front wheel well. This also doesn't help the vision forward, which is partially blocked by thick A-pillars. Tap the 7-speed direct-shift transmission (DSG) gearshift lever to the right once and you are in 1st gear. Slowly feed in more throttle and the Veyron responds with a slow crawl.
Unlike other high-horsepower supercars where there's a risk of stalling the car because of high horsepower and a hard-to-use clutch, or the gut-wrenching sound and feel of a hydraulic-actuated clutch slipping, the Bugatti scoots away with minimal fuss. In the first 100 ft., you can already tell the Veyron is very civilized. Loaded with the luxurious amenities such as a stereo with CD player, navigation system, air conditioning, etc., combined with a docile low-speed driving character, the Bugatti could be used to drive to the store or run errands.
But what fun is that, driving a hyper-exotic around town?
Find an open road. Romp on the throttle. Unleash the Veyron's 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged 987-bhp W-16 engine. This 2-ton ferocious beast catapults forward and accelerates at more than 1.1g, albeit with just a slight pause before the power really kicks in. Once on its way, the rocketship ride is smooth but forceful, thanks to its seamless direct-shift transmission, which delivers this enormous power appropriately to all four wheels.
On long stretches of a Sicilian highway, the Veyron can get up to speed so fast that the speed dial goes up just as quickly as the rpm dial. Cruising at 140 mph is effortless. Pedal to the metal and the Bugatti charges up to 170 mph in an instant, just as effortlessly. Unfortunately, the continual stream of local Sicilian traffic never allowed for any faster speed runs, as the Veyron's triple-digit closing speeds make even light traffic seem heavy. Also, its shock tuning is fixed with no adjustment for sport or comfort, so the gaps on Sicilian highways and bridges pound the double-wishbone suspension relentlessly, preventing you from forcing the Bugatti into achieving higher speeds.
There are three basic speed settings on the Veyron: Standard, Handling and Top Speed. In Standard mode for speeds up to 137 mph, the car's ride height is set to 4.9 in. Diffuser flaps are open up front, and the rear spoiler remains retracted. For speeds above 137 mph and up to 233 mph in the Handling mode, the ride height is changed to 3.1 in. in the front and 3.6 in. at the rear. When the front diffuser flaps remain open and the rear spoiler is extended fully, the Veyron is designed to maintain a 45/55 front/rear weight distribution even at high speeds. In fact, in Handling setting, the car experiences 772 lb. of downforce, thanks to aerodynamics.
Finally, to reach speeds beyond 233 mph, the car must come to a complete stop and a second key must be inserted to the left of the driver's seat to engage the Top Speed mode. This is to ensure the driver goes through a checklist, including checking tire pressures, before the car is allowed to run without a speed governor. The Top Speed setting puts the Bugatti ride height at 2.6 in. up front and 2.8 in. at the rear. The front diffusers close and the angle of the rear spoiler is decreased to reduce drag. Of note, if you are driving in the Top Speed mode and apply the brakes beyond a predetermined threshold pressure, the car automatically reverts to Handling mode. In addition, the Handling setting can also be activated below 137 mph via a button on the center console.
At slower speeds, the Bugatti Veyron's Michelin PAX run-flat tires generate noticeable tire noise. The ride is firm, and can be surprisingly harsh on roads that are not well maintained. On Sicily's twisty mountain roads, the Veyron's 4160-lb. curb weight never over-ran the car's ability to carve a corner. The steering is extremely responsive and gives good feedback from the front tires. The weighting is a bit lighter than preferred, though there is still a positive and confident on-center feel. Shifting is a breeze, thanks to the steering-wheel-mounted paddles. But with the engine's enormous power and flexibility, no matter what gear you are in, just romp on the throttle on corner exit, point the car straight ahead and let the W-16 take you on a thrilling ride like no other in the world.
After only a brief drive in the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, you can't help yearning for more. It's hard not to be addicted to the tremendous horsepower and torque. With the production capped at 300 units, about 50 per year over the next six years, I'd better find a way to persuade Bugatti that I need another turn in the Veyron for a more "in-depth" assessment. Or I'll have to start saving for the $1.2 million price tag it commands.
ASTELBUONO, SICILY — Warning! Do not read on if: 1) Your right foot is heavier than your left foot, and 2) Your driver's license is one ticket away from being revoked.
Okay, you made it this far, which means you are probably at least sane enough to consider the following:
Forget the 660-bhp Ferrari Enzo, the 605-bhp Porsche Carrera GT, the 617-bhp Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, or even the mighty 627-bhp McLaren F1. These supercars are simply slugs compared with the new 2006 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (16.4 for 16 cylinders, 4 turbochargers). This $1.2 million "hyper-exotic" boasts 987 bhp (1001 metric horsepower) and 922 lb.-ft. of torque, enough to propel the 4160-lb. beast to a top speed of over 250 mph. And according to the factory, a 0-62-mph acceleration run (0-100 km/h) can be done in 2.5 seconds, 0-124 mph can be reached in 7.3 sec., and 0-186 mph in 16.7 sec., faster than you can re-read and comprehend the astonishing stats.
It is not possible to talk about the Bugatti Veyron's high-speed and massive power capabilities without first discussing the technology behind it. However, we'll let renowned McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray share his expert opinion on engineering and styling of the Veyron in the following pages. I'll focus on what it is like to drive this amazing exotic during the car's introduction in Sicily. In three words:
Amazing!
Thrilling!
Un-be-liev-able!
Climbing aboard the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, you are intimidated initially by the car's impressive specs. In the instrument cluster — beyond the usual tachometer, fuel level and coolant temperature gauges — sits a special dial on the lower left that shows how much horsepower is being used at any moment, up to 1001 metric horsepower. And on the lower right is the speedometer that has 280 mph as the last marker.
Twist the key and turn on the ignition. All you can hear is a quiet murmur, giving no hint of the engine's enormous potential. The interior is furnished in premium leather accentuated by aluminum. The seats are supportive, though the driving position is low and slightly canted toward the center due to the intruding left front wheel well. This also doesn't help the vision forward, which is partially blocked by thick A-pillars. Tap the 7-speed direct-shift transmission (DSG) gearshift lever to the right once and you are in 1st gear. Slowly feed in more throttle and the Veyron responds with a slow crawl.
Unlike other high-horsepower supercars where there's a risk of stalling the car because of high horsepower and a hard-to-use clutch, or the gut-wrenching sound and feel of a hydraulic-actuated clutch slipping, the Bugatti scoots away with minimal fuss. In the first 100 ft., you can already tell the Veyron is very civilized. Loaded with the luxurious amenities such as a stereo with CD player, navigation system, air conditioning, etc., combined with a docile low-speed driving character, the Bugatti could be used to drive to the store or run errands.
But what fun is that, driving a hyper-exotic around town?
Find an open road. Romp on the throttle. Unleash the Veyron's 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged 987-bhp W-16 engine. This 2-ton ferocious beast catapults forward and accelerates at more than 1.1g, albeit with just a slight pause before the power really kicks in. Once on its way, the rocketship ride is smooth but forceful, thanks to its seamless direct-shift transmission, which delivers this enormous power appropriately to all four wheels.
On long stretches of a Sicilian highway, the Veyron can get up to speed so fast that the speed dial goes up just as quickly as the rpm dial. Cruising at 140 mph is effortless. Pedal to the metal and the Bugatti charges up to 170 mph in an instant, just as effortlessly. Unfortunately, the continual stream of local Sicilian traffic never allowed for any faster speed runs, as the Veyron's triple-digit closing speeds make even light traffic seem heavy. Also, its shock tuning is fixed with no adjustment for sport or comfort, so the gaps on Sicilian highways and bridges pound the double-wishbone suspension relentlessly, preventing you from forcing the Bugatti into achieving higher speeds.
There are three basic speed settings on the Veyron: Standard, Handling and Top Speed. In Standard mode for speeds up to 137 mph, the car's ride height is set to 4.9 in. Diffuser flaps are open up front, and the rear spoiler remains retracted. For speeds above 137 mph and up to 233 mph in the Handling mode, the ride height is changed to 3.1 in. in the front and 3.6 in. at the rear. When the front diffuser flaps remain open and the rear spoiler is extended fully, the Veyron is designed to maintain a 45/55 front/rear weight distribution even at high speeds. In fact, in Handling setting, the car experiences 772 lb. of downforce, thanks to aerodynamics.
Finally, to reach speeds beyond 233 mph, the car must come to a complete stop and a second key must be inserted to the left of the driver's seat to engage the Top Speed mode. This is to ensure the driver goes through a checklist, including checking tire pressures, before the car is allowed to run without a speed governor. The Top Speed setting puts the Bugatti ride height at 2.6 in. up front and 2.8 in. at the rear. The front diffusers close and the angle of the rear spoiler is decreased to reduce drag. Of note, if you are driving in the Top Speed mode and apply the brakes beyond a predetermined threshold pressure, the car automatically reverts to Handling mode. In addition, the Handling setting can also be activated below 137 mph via a button on the center console.
At slower speeds, the Bugatti Veyron's Michelin PAX run-flat tires generate noticeable tire noise. The ride is firm, and can be surprisingly harsh on roads that are not well maintained. On Sicily's twisty mountain roads, the Veyron's 4160-lb. curb weight never over-ran the car's ability to carve a corner. The steering is extremely responsive and gives good feedback from the front tires. The weighting is a bit lighter than preferred, though there is still a positive and confident on-center feel. Shifting is a breeze, thanks to the steering-wheel-mounted paddles. But with the engine's enormous power and flexibility, no matter what gear you are in, just romp on the throttle on corner exit, point the car straight ahead and let the W-16 take you on a thrilling ride like no other in the world.
After only a brief drive in the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, you can't help yearning for more. It's hard not to be addicted to the tremendous horsepower and torque. With the production capped at 300 units, about 50 per year over the next six years, I'd better find a way to persuade Bugatti that I need another turn in the Veyron for a more "in-depth" assessment. Or I'll have to start saving for the $1.2 million price tag it commands.
09-14-2006, 09:13 PM
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Jeremy Clarkson's article -
When you push a car past 180mph, the world starts to get awfully fizzy and a little bit frightening. When you go past 200mph it actually becomes blurred. Almost like you’re trapped in an early Queen pop video. At this sort of speed the tyres and the suspension are reacting to events that happened some time ago, and they have not finished reacting before they’re being asked to do something else. The result is a terrifying vibration that rattles your optical nerves, causing double vision. This is not good when you’re covering 300ft a second.
Happily, stopping distances become irrelevant because you won’t see the obstacle in the first place. By the time you know it was there, you’ll have gone through the windscreen, through the Pearly Gates and be half way across God’s breakfast table.
*
It has always been thus. When Louis Rigolly broke the 100mph barrier in his Gobron in 1904, the vibration would have been terrifying. And I dare say that driving an E-type at 150mph in 1966 must have been a bit sporty as well.
But once you go past 200mph it isn’t just the suspension and the tyres you have to worry about. The biggest problem is the air. At 100mph it’s relaxed. At 150mph it’s a breeze. But at 200mph it has sufficient power to lift an 800,000lb jumbo jet off the ground. A 200mph gust of wind is strong enough to knock down an entire city. So getting a car to behave itself in conditions like these is tough.
At 200mph you can feel the front of the car getting light as it starts to lift. As a result you start to lose your steering, so you aren’t even able to steer round whatever it is you can’t see because of the vibrations. Make no mistake, 200mph is at the limit of what man can do right now. Which is why the new Bugatti Veyron is worthy of some industrial strength genuflection. Because it can do 252mph. And that’s just mad — 252mph means that in straight and level flight this car is as near as makes no difference as fast as a Hawker Hurricane.
You might point out at this juncture that the McLaren F1 could top 240mph, but at that speed it was pretty much out of control. And anyway it really isn’t in the same league as the Bugatti. In a drag race you could let the McLaren get to 120mph before setting off in the Veyron. And you’d still get to 200mph first. The Bugatti is way, way faster than anything else the roads have seen.
Of course, at £810,000, it is also jolly expensive, but when you look at the history of its development you’ll discover it’s rather more than just a car . . .
Make no mistake, 200mph is at the limit of what man can do right now. Which is why the new Bugatti Veyron is worthy of some industrial strength genuflection. Because it can do 252mph. And that’s just mad — 252mph means that in straight and level flight this car is as near as makes no difference as fast as a Hawker Hurricane
It all started when Ferdinand Piëch, the swivel-eyed former boss of Volkswagen, bought Bugatti and had someone design a concept car. “This,” he said, “is what the next Bugatti will look like.” And then, without consulting anyone, he went on. “And it vill have an engine that develops 1000 horsepower and it vill be capable of 400kph.”
His engineers were horrified. But they set to work anyway, mating two Audi V8s to create an 8 litre W16. Which was then garnished with four turbochargers. Needless to say, the end result produced about as much power as the earth’s core, which is fine. But somehow the giant had to be cooled, which is why the Veyron has no engine cover and why it has 10 — count them — 10 radiators. Then things got tricky because the power had to be harnessed.
For this, VW went to Ricardo, a British company that makes gearboxes for various Formula One teams.
“God, it was hard,” said one of the engineers I know vaguely. “The gearbox in an F1 car only has to last a few hours. Volkswagen wanted the Veyron’s to last 10 or 20 years. And remember, the Bugatti is a damn sight more powerful than any F1 car.”
The result, a seven-speed double-clutch flappy paddle affair, took a team of 50 engineers five years to perfect.
With this done, the Veyron was shipped to Sauber’s F1 wind tunnel where it quickly became apparent that while the magic 1000bhp figure had been achieved, they were miles off the target top speed of 400kph (248mph). The body of the car just wasn’t aerodynamic enough, and Volkswagen wouldn’t let them change the basic shape to get round the problem.
The bods at Sauber threw up their hands, saying they only had experience of aerodynamics up to maybe 360kph, which is the effective top speed in Formula One. Beyond this point Bugatti was on its own.
Somehow they had to find an extra 30kph, and there was no point in looking to the engine for answers because each extra 1kph increase in speed requires an extra 8bhp from the power plant. An extra 30kph then would need an extra 240bhp. That was not possible.
The extra speed had to come from changing small things on the body. They started by fitting smaller door mirrors, which upped the top speed a bit but at too high a price. It turned out that the bigger ones had been keeping the nose of the car on the ground. Without them the stability was gone.
In other words, the door mirrors were generating downforce. That gives you an idea of how much of a bastard the air can be at this speed.
After some public failures, fires and accidents, and one chief being fired, they hit on the idea of a car that automatically changes shape depending on what speed you’re going.
At 137mph, the nose of the car is lowered by 2in and the big rear spoiler slides into the slipstream. The effect is profound. You can feel the back of the car being pressed into the road.
However, with the spoiler in place the drag is so great you’re limited to just 231mph. To go faster than that you have to stop and insert your ignition key in a slot on the floor. This lowers the whole car still further and locks the big back wing down. Now you have reduced downforce, which means you won’t be going round any corners, but you have a clean shape. And that means you can top 400kph.
*
That’s 370ft a second.
You might want to ponder that for a moment. Covering the length of a football pitch, in a second, in a car. And then you might want to think about the braking system. A VW Polo will generate 0.6g if you stamp on the middle pedal hard. You get that from the air brake alone on a Veyron. Factor in the carbon ceramic discs and you will pull up from 250mph in just 10sec. Sounds good, but in those 10sec you’ll have covered a third of a mile.
That’s five football pitches to stop.
I didn’t care. On a recent drive across Europe I desperately wanted to reach the top speed but I ran out of road when the needle hit 240mph. Where, astonishingly, it felt planted. Totally and utterly rock steady. It felt sublime.
Not quiet, though. The engine sounds like Victorian plumbing — it looks like Victorian plumbing as well, to be honest — and the roar from the tyres was biblical. But it still felt brilliant. Utterly, stunningly, mind blowingly, jaw droppingly brilliant.
And then I reached the Alps where, unbelievably, it got better. I expected this road rocket to be absolutely useless in the bends but it felt like a big Lotus Elise.
Occasionally, if I accelerated hard in a tight corner, it behaved strangely as the four-wheel-drive system decided which axle would be best equipped to deal with the wave of power. I won’t say it’s a nasty feel or dangerous. Just weird, in the same way that the duck-billed platypus is weird.
Times Online logo
View a photo gallery of the Bugatti Veyron
You learn to raise an eyebrow at what’s only a foible, and then, as the road straightens out, steady yourself for Prince Albert’s boiler to gird its loins and play havoc with the space-time continuum. No, really, you come round a bend, see what appears to be miles and miles of dead straight road, bury your foot in the carpet and with a big asthmatic wheeze, bang, you’re instantly at the next bend, with your eyebrow raised again.
From behind the wheel of a Veyron, France is the size of a small coconut. I cannot tell you how fast I crossed it the other day. Because you simply wouldn’t believe me. I also cannot tell you how good this car is. I just don’t have the vocabulary. I just end up stammering and dribbling and talking wide-eyed nonsense. And everyone thinks I’m on drugs.
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 over absolutely every other car maker in the world.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Bugatti Veyron 16.4
Engine 7993cc, 16 cylinders in a W
Power 1001bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque 922 lb ft @ 2200rpm
Transmission 7-speed DSG, manual and auto
Fuel 11.7mpg (combined)
CO2 574g/km
Acceleration 0-62mph: 2.5sec
Top speed 253mph
Price £810,345
Rating Five stars
Verdict Deserves 12 stars. Simply as good — and as fast — as it gets
When you push a car past 180mph, the world starts to get awfully fizzy and a little bit frightening. When you go past 200mph it actually becomes blurred. Almost like you’re trapped in an early Queen pop video. At this sort of speed the tyres and the suspension are reacting to events that happened some time ago, and they have not finished reacting before they’re being asked to do something else. The result is a terrifying vibration that rattles your optical nerves, causing double vision. This is not good when you’re covering 300ft a second.
Happily, stopping distances become irrelevant because you won’t see the obstacle in the first place. By the time you know it was there, you’ll have gone through the windscreen, through the Pearly Gates and be half way across God’s breakfast table.
*
It has always been thus. When Louis Rigolly broke the 100mph barrier in his Gobron in 1904, the vibration would have been terrifying. And I dare say that driving an E-type at 150mph in 1966 must have been a bit sporty as well.
But once you go past 200mph it isn’t just the suspension and the tyres you have to worry about. The biggest problem is the air. At 100mph it’s relaxed. At 150mph it’s a breeze. But at 200mph it has sufficient power to lift an 800,000lb jumbo jet off the ground. A 200mph gust of wind is strong enough to knock down an entire city. So getting a car to behave itself in conditions like these is tough.
At 200mph you can feel the front of the car getting light as it starts to lift. As a result you start to lose your steering, so you aren’t even able to steer round whatever it is you can’t see because of the vibrations. Make no mistake, 200mph is at the limit of what man can do right now. Which is why the new Bugatti Veyron is worthy of some industrial strength genuflection. Because it can do 252mph. And that’s just mad — 252mph means that in straight and level flight this car is as near as makes no difference as fast as a Hawker Hurricane.
You might point out at this juncture that the McLaren F1 could top 240mph, but at that speed it was pretty much out of control. And anyway it really isn’t in the same league as the Bugatti. In a drag race you could let the McLaren get to 120mph before setting off in the Veyron. And you’d still get to 200mph first. The Bugatti is way, way faster than anything else the roads have seen.
Of course, at £810,000, it is also jolly expensive, but when you look at the history of its development you’ll discover it’s rather more than just a car . . .
Make no mistake, 200mph is at the limit of what man can do right now. Which is why the new Bugatti Veyron is worthy of some industrial strength genuflection. Because it can do 252mph. And that’s just mad — 252mph means that in straight and level flight this car is as near as makes no difference as fast as a Hawker Hurricane
It all started when Ferdinand Piëch, the swivel-eyed former boss of Volkswagen, bought Bugatti and had someone design a concept car. “This,” he said, “is what the next Bugatti will look like.” And then, without consulting anyone, he went on. “And it vill have an engine that develops 1000 horsepower and it vill be capable of 400kph.”
His engineers were horrified. But they set to work anyway, mating two Audi V8s to create an 8 litre W16. Which was then garnished with four turbochargers. Needless to say, the end result produced about as much power as the earth’s core, which is fine. But somehow the giant had to be cooled, which is why the Veyron has no engine cover and why it has 10 — count them — 10 radiators. Then things got tricky because the power had to be harnessed.
For this, VW went to Ricardo, a British company that makes gearboxes for various Formula One teams.
“God, it was hard,” said one of the engineers I know vaguely. “The gearbox in an F1 car only has to last a few hours. Volkswagen wanted the Veyron’s to last 10 or 20 years. And remember, the Bugatti is a damn sight more powerful than any F1 car.”
The result, a seven-speed double-clutch flappy paddle affair, took a team of 50 engineers five years to perfect.
With this done, the Veyron was shipped to Sauber’s F1 wind tunnel where it quickly became apparent that while the magic 1000bhp figure had been achieved, they were miles off the target top speed of 400kph (248mph). The body of the car just wasn’t aerodynamic enough, and Volkswagen wouldn’t let them change the basic shape to get round the problem.
The bods at Sauber threw up their hands, saying they only had experience of aerodynamics up to maybe 360kph, which is the effective top speed in Formula One. Beyond this point Bugatti was on its own.
Somehow they had to find an extra 30kph, and there was no point in looking to the engine for answers because each extra 1kph increase in speed requires an extra 8bhp from the power plant. An extra 30kph then would need an extra 240bhp. That was not possible.
The extra speed had to come from changing small things on the body. They started by fitting smaller door mirrors, which upped the top speed a bit but at too high a price. It turned out that the bigger ones had been keeping the nose of the car on the ground. Without them the stability was gone.
In other words, the door mirrors were generating downforce. That gives you an idea of how much of a bastard the air can be at this speed.
After some public failures, fires and accidents, and one chief being fired, they hit on the idea of a car that automatically changes shape depending on what speed you’re going.
At 137mph, the nose of the car is lowered by 2in and the big rear spoiler slides into the slipstream. The effect is profound. You can feel the back of the car being pressed into the road.
However, with the spoiler in place the drag is so great you’re limited to just 231mph. To go faster than that you have to stop and insert your ignition key in a slot on the floor. This lowers the whole car still further and locks the big back wing down. Now you have reduced downforce, which means you won’t be going round any corners, but you have a clean shape. And that means you can top 400kph.
*
That’s 370ft a second.
You might want to ponder that for a moment. Covering the length of a football pitch, in a second, in a car. And then you might want to think about the braking system. A VW Polo will generate 0.6g if you stamp on the middle pedal hard. You get that from the air brake alone on a Veyron. Factor in the carbon ceramic discs and you will pull up from 250mph in just 10sec. Sounds good, but in those 10sec you’ll have covered a third of a mile.
That’s five football pitches to stop.
I didn’t care. On a recent drive across Europe I desperately wanted to reach the top speed but I ran out of road when the needle hit 240mph. Where, astonishingly, it felt planted. Totally and utterly rock steady. It felt sublime.
Not quiet, though. The engine sounds like Victorian plumbing — it looks like Victorian plumbing as well, to be honest — and the roar from the tyres was biblical. But it still felt brilliant. Utterly, stunningly, mind blowingly, jaw droppingly brilliant.
And then I reached the Alps where, unbelievably, it got better. I expected this road rocket to be absolutely useless in the bends but it felt like a big Lotus Elise.
Occasionally, if I accelerated hard in a tight corner, it behaved strangely as the four-wheel-drive system decided which axle would be best equipped to deal with the wave of power. I won’t say it’s a nasty feel or dangerous. Just weird, in the same way that the duck-billed platypus is weird.
Times Online logo
View a photo gallery of the Bugatti Veyron
You learn to raise an eyebrow at what’s only a foible, and then, as the road straightens out, steady yourself for Prince Albert’s boiler to gird its loins and play havoc with the space-time continuum. No, really, you come round a bend, see what appears to be miles and miles of dead straight road, bury your foot in the carpet and with a big asthmatic wheeze, bang, you’re instantly at the next bend, with your eyebrow raised again.
From behind the wheel of a Veyron, France is the size of a small coconut. I cannot tell you how fast I crossed it the other day. Because you simply wouldn’t believe me. I also cannot tell you how good this car is. I just don’t have the vocabulary. I just end up stammering and dribbling and talking wide-eyed nonsense. And everyone thinks I’m on drugs.
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 over absolutely every other car maker in the world.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Bugatti Veyron 16.4
Engine 7993cc, 16 cylinders in a W
Power 1001bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque 922 lb ft @ 2200rpm
Transmission 7-speed DSG, manual and auto
Fuel 11.7mpg (combined)
CO2 574g/km
Acceleration 0-62mph: 2.5sec
Top speed 253mph
Price £810,345
Rating Five stars
Verdict Deserves 12 stars. Simply as good — and as fast — as it gets
09-14-2006, 11:53 PM
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09-15-2006, 09:42 AM
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Although an amazing car, I could not imagine EVER feeling like I'm taking advantage of even half of it's potential on US roads.
But then again, if I could afford this, I'd probably have a home in Europe where I keep this beast when the need arises to go over 150 mph.
Not a big fan of the front end but I'm pretty damn sure it's 100% function over form.
But then again, if I could afford this, I'd probably have a home in Europe where I keep this beast when the need arises to go over 150 mph.
Not a big fan of the front end but I'm pretty damn sure it's 100% function over form.
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