Auto Trader

It's not often anyone gets to see a Veyron, let alone sit in one. It's the most powerful, and most expensive production car in the world.

Guest columnist Alex Eckford takes over the 'Look at the Wheels on That' reins this week, and tells the tale of the day he got to sit in the driving seat of the fastest supercar in existence.

I sat in a Veyron this week. I can’t stop saying it.

London's Hurlingham Club hosted the Salon Privé show - a collection of luxury cars and supercars not to be sniffed at. Auto Trader went along to take some snaps of the cars for this weeks slide show. From Lamborghinis to Mercedes McLaren SLRs, the show was packed with jaw-dropping motors most of us can only dream of owning.

But the car that really caught my eye was the Veyron.

Standing on its own in the entrance hall, the car was treated with a hushed reverence you'd expect in the National Gallery. And make no mistake; it is a work of art.

Right, let's get into the specs. Its top speed is 253mph, it has a W16 engine (that's 16 cylinders in a W formation), goes from 0 to 62mph in a neck-breaking 2.5 seconds, and looks like a spaceship on its way to destroy a planet.

The Veyron was first introduced to the world at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show as the EB 18/3 Veyron concept car (featuring a W18 engine), and was designed by Volkswagen's Hartmut Warkuss. The supercar is now built by Volkswagen owned Bugatti at a factory specially constructed by the German carmakers, more famous for their affordable 'people's car'.

Back at the show, as Bugatti sales manager John Morrison fetches the keys to the world's fastest car, I feel like a kid waiting to open a present on Christmas morning.

"Every time you unlock the doors the computers start up – they think the car's going somewhere," says John as he returns and presses the magic button.

As you slip into the seat of a Veyron, you get an idea of why the car has a £800,000 price tag. The interior is immaculately styled and luxurious - with smooth curves and a steering column that costs more than a house. Ettore Bugatti's initials are emblazoned on the centre of the steering wheel.

There is, however, one thing I can't help thinking when I look at the Veyron. I don’t know if I should say this…sometimes it reminds me of…of an Audi TT.

Sorry, pretend I didn’t say it.

So I'm sitting in the driving seat of a Veyron, key in the ignition, and no security guards. Why didn’t I steal it? That's a question I'll be asking myself for the rest of my life.

They wouldn’t have been able to catch me, that's for sure.