Bugatti Veyron

Bugatti Veyron at a glance

The Veyron was the car that relaunched Bugatti under Volkswagen ownership. Volkswagen bought the Bugatti name in May 1998 and decided in 2001 to put the car into production. The target was more than 1,000 PS and over 400 km/h, figures no road car had reached. The name honours Pierre Veyron, a Bugatti development engineer and racing driver who won the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jean-Pierre Wimille. "EB" stands for Ettore Bugatti, and "16.4" for 16 cylinders and four turbochargers. The brand's story is in the history of Bugatti.

From concept cars to production

Bugatti showed a series of concept cars before the Veyron took shape. The EB 118 coupé appeared at the 1998 Paris show, the EB 218 saloon at Geneva in 1999, and the mid-engined 18/3 Chiron at Frankfurt in 1999, with an 18-cylinder engine. The EB 18/4 Veyron followed in Tokyo in October 1999. In 2000 the EB 16/4 Veyron, shown at Detroit, Geneva and Paris, introduced the W16 engine of the production car. Development took longer than planned, and the first customer cars appeared in 2005.

The W16 engine, gearbox and cooling

The engine is effectively two narrow-angle V8s joined on one crankshaft, with four turbochargers. In the standard car it produces 736 kW (1,001 PS) at 6,000 rpm and 1,250 Nm. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox built by Ricardo sends the power to all four wheels. Keeping this engine, its charge air and the drivetrain oils at the right temperature takes ten radiators in total.

The old 1cars text adds 0–200 km/h in 7.3 seconds and 0–300 km/h in 16.7 seconds for the 16.4. It also describes a power gauge on the dashboard, marked up to 1,000 horsepower, that shows how much of the engine's output the driver is using.

Speed, aerodynamics and the top-speed key

The Veyron's aerodynamics change with speed. According to the old 1cars text, the rear wing rises at 220 km/h, which increases drag but adds downforce on the rear axle. In this handling mode the car also lowers its ride height from 125 mm to about 80 mm at the front and 95 mm at the rear. To go beyond the normal limit of 343 km/h, the driver must stop and turn a second key, the top-speed key, which lowers the car further and retracts the wing for minimum drag. Under hard braking the wing tilts up to act as an air brake.

The 16.4 reached 408.47 km/h at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track in April 2005, measured by German inspection officials. In 2010 the Super Sport averaged 431.072 km/h there, a record for a production car at the time; customer cars of that version are electronically limited to 415 km/h. In 2013 the Grand Sport Vitesse averaged 408.84 km/h with the roof off.

Size, weight and cabin

With about 1,900 kg, the Veyron is heavy for a two-seater, mostly because of the engine, the all-wheel-drive system and the cooling equipment. It is built as a grand tourer as much as a sports car: the cabin is trimmed in leather, aluminium and carbon fibre, and every car was configured to its owner's wishes. Luggage space at the front holds little more than a soft bag. The tyres were developed specially for the car, with brakes using carbon-ceramic discs and eight-piston calipers. Fuel use is high: the US EPA rated it at 29 l/100 km in town and 17 l/100 km on the highway.

Veyron versions

On top of these, Bugatti built many special editions. The old 1cars text lists the 2007 Pur Sang with bare carbon and aluminium bodywork and the 2008 Fbg par Hermès with an interior by Hermès. It also names the 2008 Sang Noir in black with an orange interior, the 2009 L'Édition Centenaire of four cars honouring Bugatti racing drivers, and the 2009 Nocturne. The last car, a Grand Sport Vitesse named "La Finale", was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2015.

Bugatti Veyron compared with other hypercars

Compared with the McLaren F1, the Veyron has 60 per cent more power but weighs about 630 kg more. All-wheel drive and the dual-clutch gearbox make it much easier to drive fast. The Chiron kept the W16 but raised output to 1,500 PS. Our fastest cars ranking puts these figures in a wider context. At about 2.6 kg per kW, the Veyron 16.4 is lighter for its power than the McLaren F1 at 2.7 kg per kW, as the power-to-weight calculator confirms.