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Bugatti Veyron on sale this year
25 April 2005
The Bugatti brand has lain dormant for the past decade, but new owner VW has finally overcome development hitches to launch the world's fastest road car. Bugatti's concept car was first shown in 2000, but the programme has been blighted by the technical conundrum of making a car capable of being driven everyday, but also hitting 248mph in safety. VW has spent millions on achieving this 400kph target top speed, prematurely promised by former boss Karl-Heinz Neuman in 2001. Four years later, the Veyron is finally ready to be launched. Only 50 cars a year will be built, each costing a million euros, plus local taxes; that means around £800,000 in the UK. The telephone-number price tag secures the fastest production supercar the world has seen. An 8.0-litre W16 engine develops 987bhp - enough to propel the supercar to 60mph in well under 3.0sec'. Four-wheel drive is standard, helping to transmit 922lb ft of pulling power to the road safely. A seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox, similar to the DSG gearbox on the more humble VW Golf GTI and Audi TT, is the only transmission choice. A spokesman declined to say how many orders for the Veyron had been placed by British enthusiasts, but revealed to Whatcar.com how the car would be bought and sold in the UK. Buyers will contact the factory direct in Molsheim, France, where they can visit to watch their car being built, while after-sales work and servicing will be done by a handful of nominated Bentley dealers. | ||
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