But despite the monumental engine and seven-speed gearbox, the engineering focus has shifted away from a pure sports car experience towards a more refined, all-round machine.
Bscher claims the Veyron is now ‘as easy and almost as comfortable to drive as a Continental GT’ and that as a result it is ‘totally unique [sic], quite unlike any other really fast car there has ever been because you can use it every day if you want.’
Not that most owners will, sadly. Of the 300 cars Bugatti intends to build (and hopefully sell) over six years, as much as 80 per cent of them will end up in museums or art galleries, or anywhere but where their makers intended; namely, doing Mach 6 along a deserted, derestricted autobahn.
No matter, because for a few short hours I got to drive the car last week, and although I didn’t quite reach Mach 6, I did at least drive it properly, on autostradas, over mountain roads and through towns. At one point I nearly reached 200mph in it, the only restrictions being my conscience and a lack of space.
I also drove it as quickly as I dared for an hour across a fantastic B-road with another Veyron dancing around in the mirrors. And I drove it through towns where, predictably, it pretty much brought Sicily to a standstill.
So what’s it like, driving the world’s fastest car? In truth it’s nowhere near as scary as it sounds, which is testament to what Bugatti wanted to achieve. When you climb aboard there are no particular physical contortions required, as there are in so many so-called supercars.
You pull on the beautifully crafted aluminium doorhandle, open the door wide and, once you’ve negotiated the highish, thickish sill, insert yourself easily into the seat, crafted from carbonfibre and covered in thick leather.
First thing you notice is the beautiful centre console with its gorgeous turned aluminium fascia. To achieve the desired consistency of finish they had to use a highly expensive and rare blend of aluminium and magnesium and to fashion just the indicator stalks alone out of this material costs four-and-a-half grand a time.
The Veyron, you soon conclude, is not a car VW will make money on, even at £800k a pop.
From behind the wheel the instruments look small and surprisingly fussy, especially the speedometer, yet the overall look is sensational. This is the most exquisite car cabin on earth, no question, even though the driving position seems intimidatingly low at first and the A-pillars are so thick there are big blind spots.
As ever there’s a starter button to press, and when you press it there’s the inimitable whirr of a supercar’s high-pitched starter motor, followed by what sounds remarkably like a big V8 firing up behind you. Except in this instance there’s a whole range of other noises to take in, including numerous whistles and fizzes from four big turbos and their collective wastegates.
It is not, however, a bullying, all encompassing noise, not like it is in a Lamborghini or Ferrari. The Veyron announces itself to the world in a more subtle manner than that.
Move away and immediately you notice how smoothly weighted the steering is, how easy the accelerator is to modulate, how unbelievably fast and slick the gearbox is as it moves seamlessly up and down the ratios, and how calm the ride is; also how good the visibility is out of the back, and how bad it is out of the front.
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Griffin911
Re: Bugatti Veyron
Is there any possibility of a full UK road test on the Veyron, and any chance of that claim that Jeremy Clarkson KEEPS banging on about, that if you set a McLaren F1 off and let it get to 120mph, the Veyron would still beat it to 200mph? That would be one cool video.
aamu
Re: Bugatti Veyron
This is the most expensive car .....!!!!!! who would buy it = bill gates
sk8ter11224
Re: Bugatti Veyron
not just bill gates if i had the money i would buy it and i like think it's valule for money !!!!
Dan McNeil
Re: Bugatti Veyron
Clarkson banged on last week about the Veyron being the fastest car in the world or some such dubious accolade. I know Bristol Cars banned him after he made disparaging comments about their vehicles, but maybe he should get somebody not related to him to try the Bristol Fighter T......"maximum speed of more than 270 mph has been electronically limited to a more than sufficient 225 mph at only 4500 rpm" (from the Bristol website). Knowing Bristol's legendary understatement, I imagine that this car is if anything faster than their claim.
aceman
Re: Bugatti Veyron
I think that this car is way to expensive, who would buy buy it anyway. It's great a car but I've only ever seen this car on TV, and thats saying something. I think VW have tried to make this Bugatti too perfected
moe360
Re: Bugatti Veyron
when top gear put the Veyron around the top gear track everyone thought it would top the list, however as we all know it did not. Main reason its to heavy around the corners and on a track there are bends which the Veyron mass bulk and power struggle to cope with. to much power can corrupt the car
JacobE
Re: Bugatti Veyron
Aceman - I don't know where you live but in the Mayfair/Knightsbridge/Chelsea belt you see these on the street and for sale (if you want to see one there is one currently displayed at Jack Barclay's on Berkeley Square).
As to the question of who buys it anyway, London has plenty of people whose annual earnings are into 8 figures - these people buy these because they can, and owning such a machine comes with a certain amount of prestige in certain circles. I know of an owner now on his 3rd Veyron - also has the Koenigsegg, a Carrera GT etc. I think you'll find that above a certain level buyers do not so much worry about the price as the Veyron will be an iconic car in supercar history.
kerrecoe
Re: Bugatti Veyron
Who keeps dragging these old threads up? This one is nearly 18 moths old for crying out loud.
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