After four years of development, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, as it will
now be called, is ready for series production. The most exclusive
sports car of all time is following in the footsteps of the
legendary Bugatti, those universally-coveted limousines and
unbeatable racing cars of the 1920s and 1930s which today are among
the most sought-after creations from the early days of automobile
construction.
This brings to an end the era of design models and concept cars
which since the late 1990s have signposted possible paths to the
Bugattis of the future. Design and technological concept have
finally become reality in the Veyron model's final form and will be
available from the beginning of 2004 as a strictly limited edition
of just 300 cars. Technologically futuristic and packed with
creative engineering, the first Bugatti of the 21st century has
arrived.
|
Specifications |
|
Engine |
|
8
liter W16 |
|
HP |
1001 HP@
6000 rpm |
|
Displacement |
7993
cc (488 cu. in.) |
|
Torque |
923 lb-ft @
2200-5500 rpm |
|
Weight |
4162
lb(1890 kg) |
|
Acceleration 0-186 mph |
16.7
sec. |
|
Top speed |
253 mph
(406 km/h) |
|
Driveline |
All
Wheel Drive |
|
Price (approx) |
$ 1.7 million |
Merging the Past and the Future
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4’s home is in Molsheim-Dorlisheim, the
French town where, almost 100 years ago, Ettore Bugatti began to
realize his lifelong dream of being a car manufacturer.
The new workshop is not just where the engine and vehicle are
assembled and tested, it is also the place where customers collect
their Bugattis and drive them out onto the streets for the first
time.
The aim is to turn Molsheim into an all-round Bugatti centre once
again. While up to 70 new vehicles a year are built by hand in the
new facility, neighbouring specially-equipped workshops are the
scene of expert restoration work on historic Bugatti vehicles. Both
past and future have found a new home here.
High Performance
The car’s safety systems have been designed to cope with its
extraordinary performance, acceleration and speed. The single-piece
carbon fibre monocoque alone scores maximum points in crash tests,
while airbags give the driver and passenger additional protection.
The high-speed tires designed specially for the Bugatti Veyron 16.4
(for vmax. > 350 km/h), sizes 265-68 R 500 A (front) and 365-71 R
540 A (rear), incorporate a further innovative safety feature in the
form of the PAX System fitted to the wheels and tires, ensuring safe
handling even after sudden pressure loss. Another Bugatti Veyron
16.4 component with a safety element is the rear spoiler. As well as
providing the necessary downforce during high-speed travel, it acts
as a kind of ‘parachute brake’ during emergency braking. Once
precisely-defined deceleration forces are registered the spoiler
tilts and the additional air resistance this generates reduces the
braking distance to that of a lorry.
The Art of the Machine
The W16 alloy engine developed by Bugatti for the Veyron 16.4
will have a special and absolutely unique place in the history of
sports car construction. Its design employs the space-saving VR
principle with two particularly slender eight-cylinder blocks
arranged at a 90° angle to each other.
1001 horsepower equip the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 with a level of
acceleration unheard of in the sports car segment, propelling it
from 0 to 60 mph in just three
seconds and past the 200 mph mark in a mere 14 seconds. Thanks to
its 923 lb-ft, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4’s enormous propulsive power
is not exhausted until it reaches
252.3 mph (406 km/h): the maximum speed for which chassis and drive
train have been designed. Any further performance escalation is
limited by current design and construction.
Also unique is the power transmission via an innovative directshift
gearbox. Without any interruption in the power flow, the sequential
seven-speed gearbox transmits the engine’s power to the wheels via
permanent four-wheel drive. Put simply, this means uninterrupted
acceleration from a standing start to maximum speed: a feeling
previously known only to jet pilots.
Exclusive, Classical, Functional
Both exclusive and highly functional, the interior of the
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 will transport you to a world of your own.
Superb leather, also two-tone if desired, quality metallic trim and
beautifully designed and ergonomically laid-out controls
characterize the Veyron cockpit.
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 instruments, with a large central rev
counter surrounded by four smaller additional instruments also
conjures up memories of the marque’s legendary motor sport past.
The deliberate avoidance of superfluous instruments and modern
extras are an unmistakable statement of the car’s uncompromising
sportiness.
Unchanged on the series version of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the
classical two-tone paintwork. The designers have selected five
separate colour combinations for the car: Each of the combinations
features the bonnet, roof and rear in the darker of the two colours,
with the sides and front wheel arches in the lighter colour.
Buggati Factory in Molsheim
On Saturday, 3 September 2005, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. hosted
opening festivities for the ‘Atelier’ in Molsheim, its new plant
dedicated to production of the new Bugatti. At the same time, the
company’s headquarters, the Château St. Jean, along with the
neighboring buildings, were officially opened for their intended
purpose.
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