Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse WRC, 2013

 

 

 

•  Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse WRC, 2013

Bugatti is presenting the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse fresh from its record-breaking 408.84 km/h drive. Its appearance at China's biggest motor show will be the first time that enthusiasts from all over the world get the chance to see the world record holder for the fastest production roadster. China is one of the most important markets in the French luxury marque's future strategy. The new world record has inspired Bugatti to design a World Record Car (WRC) edition, the production of which will be limited to just eight vehicles.

The time has come to unveil the fastest production roadster the world has ever seen: just a few days after setting a world speed record, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse is celebrating its world debut at China's biggest automotive show, Auto Shanghai 2013. After reaching a top speed of 408.84 km/h, which was gauged and confirmed by the renowned independent German organisation for Technical Inspection and Certification TÜV, the car has officially been crowned the world's fastest open-top production sports car. The 1,200 PS Vitesse was unveiled in Shanghai by the President of Bugatti, Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, and Chinese entrepreneur and world record setting driver, Anthony Liu.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse has been on the market since spring 2012. None of the technology in the vehicle was modified for its record-breaking trip. Its power comes from an 8-litre W16 engine, which hits the streets with 1,200 PS and a torque of 1,500 Mm at 3,000 to 5,000 rpm. Its high performance handling can be attributed to a racing chassis which, together with extremely fast-acting shock absorbers and reinforced anti-roll bars, guarantees exact control of both the four-wheel-drive system and the entire vehicle. Other factors that help to push the car to the upper limits of performance include a standard carbon monocoque with high torsional rigidity and an outer shell made entirely of carbon fibre.

Keeping wind noise and air turbulence to a minimum in the vehicle's interior is a particular concern with open-top vehicles. The Vitesse is equipped with a specially developed roof spoiler along with an intricately designed windbreak to guarantee calm open-top driving. These features were key in helping the car reach the record-breaking speed of 408.84 km/h.

World record-breaking Vitesse with dynamic styling
For its record-breaking drive, the Vitesse has been made over with a powerful dual-colour scheme in black and a bright Arancia orange, perfectly blending its inner qualities into its exterior appearance.

The entire vehicle exterior, including its air ducts and the fuel and oil cap, are made out of black visible carbon. The Arancia orange paintwork, which glides from the bumper, across the wing to the behind the door, ensures that the car turns heads wherever it goes. Fine details, such as the Arancia paintwork on the bottom of the rear wing and the inside of the striking double diffuser, accentuate the car's eye-catching design. The strong colour scheme is also mirrored in the orange EB logo on the fuel and oil cap and the Vitesse lettering on the engine cover, while the classic Bugatti horseshoe radiator grill is framed in Arancia for this special edition design. The car's distinctive look is rounded off by striking wheel rims also in eye-catching orange, a feature that is only available in the Vitesse World Record edition. A black version of the famous Bugatti emblem, known in French as the Macaron, on the front of the car and a stylish black carbon EB logo framed in aluminium add another touch of elegance to the design.

Interior
The black and orange motif continues into the vehicle's interior where the black inner parts of the leather seats are highlighted with orange leather on their sides. An orange quilting stitch on the black areas of the seats and orange seatbelts add another splash of colour. The colour scheme continues in the contrast and quilting stitch on the centre tunnel, on the selector lever, and in the trim of the door pockets and door handle recesses. The striking Arancia orange also highlights the Vitesse lettering on the headrests and knee bolsters.

An orange stitching trim adds a dash of detail to the black leather steering wheel, which features a ring of visible carbon at the 12 o'clock position. The concept of bringing the vehicle's carbon exterior into its interior design is also visible in the door inserts, the extension of the centre console, the edging of the iPad console and the belt outlet trims on the seats. The EB logo in the leather back panel is also made of visible carbon.

Production of the World Record Car (WRC) Edition of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse is limited to just eight vehicles. The price per vehicle is €1.99 million (plus tax).

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Bernar Venet, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

• Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Bernar Venet, 2012

French artist Bernar Venet has been invited by Bugatti, legendary supercar-maker, to create a work of art that combines the artist's vision and passions with Bugatti's celebrated Veyron Grand Sport. Through a congenial synthesis of artistic concept and technical possibilities, Venet has created an object that integrates the symbol of speed with a fascinating, painterly exterior and an interior that alludes to haute couture. This one-of-a-kind sculptural work will be on view at the Rubell Family Collection in Miami during Art Basel Miami Beach.

Bernar Venet remarks, "A Bugatti is already a work of art in itself, one that transports both its beholder and its driver into new dimensions of reality. I realized how I could translate my passion for mathematical equations and scientific treatises into three-dimensional form. My works are usually self-referential. So I found the idea of translating the equations of the Bugatti engineers onto the bodywork of the car very appealing. It was, so to speak, a logical conclusion and a new challenge in terms of the specific form of collaboration and implementation. To me, the result is also exceptional when measured by artistic standards and bestows the object with a mythical character."

The artistic avant-gardes of the first half of the twentieth century found inspiration in the car as an object of desire; they depicted it in drawings, paintings and sculptures that projected absolute speed as their point of orientation. In the 1970s, the car served as an unconventional canvas for many artists, such as Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, who painted what became known as "art cars". This practice continued to be embraced in the 1980s.

Since the 1990s, international artists have concentrated on exploring the shifting cultural historical significance of the car. This has resulted in sculptural and conceptual responses such as those by Erwin Wurm, Gabriel Orozco, Christoph Keller, Olafur Eliasson and Damian Ortega, which tend to contextualize the car as a paradigm for the acute social and cultural changes of a globalized world.

Bernar Venet´s approach is radically different from these movements and art works. He takes on the Bugatti Grand Sport by selecting a totally original solution, which distinguishes itself from the more traditional work of his predecessors. The application of mathematical formulae calculating the enormous power of the Bugatti engine on the car itself, allows him to implement the self-referential character inherent for his paintings. In doing so he pays tribute to the genius of technological science as well as the German Know-How of automobile production.

In his 2012 artistic adaptation and exploration of the Bugatti Grand Sport Bernar Venet has combined image and object to highlight the fascination with this model's absolute beauty and speed. His work unites a conceptual approach and sculptural craft on equal footing. In this work for Bugatti, Venet links the Pop artists' claim to the car as a canvas with the utilization of every technical and aesthetic means available for designing the fastest and costliest car in the world today. Venet incorporates signs taken from the realm of production into his visual idiom and creates a total work of art that harmonizes object and outer surface, interior and exterior, and evokes the exhilarating speed of the Bugatti Grand Sport.

Achim Anscheidt, Chief Designer at Bugatti, states, "Our collaboration with Bernar Venet, one of the most demanding artists of our time, has led to creative impulses and inspiration that will continue to motivate us in the fields of concept and design. We are pleased that this collaboration has resulted in the creation of a significant, collectible work of art. The self-image of the Bugatti brand derives from an artistic identity that unites sketch, drawing, technical planning and realization into an intermedial whole. Bernar Venet doubly honors our brand by making reference to the technical formulae of our engineers without fully revealing their secrets. It is an homage to the principle of dialogue and to the human capacity to question and redefine established boundaries. Venet is always focused on the essentials and so is Bugatti."

The Rubells have a long history with the artist, and Mera Rubell notes, "Our friendship with Bernar Venet began in the mid-1970s. Our young families bonded over dinners and great conversations in his SoHo loft. The children played and the adults engaged in endless talk about contemporary art. Don [Rubell] and Bernar have always shared an obsession with the beauty and complexities of mathematics. When we met Bernar he was already an accomplished artist and a very intuitive collector of emerging art. We benefitted from his generous insight into the artist's perspective and his artwork has been part of our collection since the 1970s. Bernar's life-long, signature obsession with mathematical formulas has found a ready-made canvas on the Bugatti, which is both original and dynamic. We're proud to present the Venet/Bugatti collaboration at our Foundation's museum."

Bugatti Galibier Concept, 2009

 

•  Bugatti Galibier Concept, 2009

As the climax of its centenary celebration ceremonies, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. presented customers and opinion-makers with the Bugatti Galibier Concept, intended to be the most exclusive, elegant, and powerful four door automobile in the world last weekend in Molsheim. At the historic site where Ettore Bugatti once laid the cornerstone of his company, Bugatti's current president, Dr. Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen emphasised that the Bugatti Galibier 16C is one of several concept studies with which the company is considering for the future of the Bugatti marque.

Technique: those are the brand values to which Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean oriented themselves in order to develop even more powerful engines and even more noble body designs for each new model, which were without equal in quality, handling, speed and elegance. In the process, they experimented again and again without compromise with new materials; thus was Bugatti one of the first manufacturers to use aluminium parts for bodies, engine blocks and wheels.

Technique are also the brand values to which the design and engineering team of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. oriented themselves in the development of the Bugatti Galibier. With this new four-door concept car, Bugatti assumes anew a leading role in the use of new material combinations. Thus the body is constructed of handmade carbon fibre parts coloured dark blue so that, when illuminated, the woven structure shimmers through strikingly. Carbon fibre not only possesses unusually great rigidity but is also especially light. The wings and doors are out of polished aluminium.

The Bugatti Galibier's design masters the challenge of uniting sportiness with the comfort and elegance of a modern four-door saloon. The basic architecture picks up on the torpedo-like character of the Type 35, which was already revived in the Bugatti Veyron, and reinterprets it. With the typical Bugatti radiator grille, big round LED headlights and the clamshell running the length of the vehicle which became synonymous with the brand identity under Jean Bugatti in the Type 57, this car transports the Bugatti genes into the modern world.

Beneath the bonnet, which folds back from both sides, there resides a 16-cylinder, 8-litre engine with twostage supercharging. What makes this engine special is that it was developed as a flex-fuel engine and can optional be run on ethanol. Four-wheel drive, specially developed ceramic brakes and a new suspension design enable the agile, always-sure handling of a saloon of this size.

The interior reflects the elemental design of the exterior. The dash panel has been reduced to the essential; two centrally located main instruments keep even the rear passengers constantly informed of the actual speed and previous performance. Parmigiani, the Swiss maker of fine watches, created the removable Reverso Tourbillon clock for the Bugatti Galibier, which may be worn on the wrist thanks to a cleverly designed leather strap.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport LOr Blanc, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport LOr Blanc, 2011

With the partnership between Bugatti and the Königliche Porzellan-Manufatur Berlin (KPM) the renowned manufacturer emphasizes the ability in creating pieces of automotive art. The "L'Or Blanc" celebrates its world premiere with an exclusive unveiling ceremony on June 30, 2011 at the KPM workshops in Berlin. This unique version of a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is the world's first motor car to wear the finest porcelain on its body, as well as in its cabin. It captivates with an abstract exterior design.

The security officer nods, the door opens. Amidst pure white walls bright spotlights illuminate a Bugatti Grand Sport that is placed in the center of the spacious room. We have entered the hidden world of the Bugatti Design Studio. The team around Bugatti's Head of Design Achim Anscheidt works in a quiet and focused atmosphere as they walk around their latest object of desire. Several times they stop, take a step to the left and to the right; they bend down and up again, looking intensely at the Grand Sport from different angles. They analyse the reflections of light on the car's body before they step back for a moment to get an overall impression of their work. Thin blue lines flow over the bright white exterior of the fastest convertible in the world. It feels like visiting the atelier of an American pop-art artist.

The creation bears the name "L'Or Blanc." It represents an automobile that redefines the art of design. If you look at it through the eyes of a designer, you will recognize that it is the reflection of the studio lights on the body that attracts their interest. Positioned beneath a special light, the car is set in an ideal environment that provides an excellent image of the reflections. The studio light is reflected on the invisible edges between the body shapes of the Grand Sport. In numerous stages each reflection line is translated by Bugatti's designers onto the car body that has been pre-painted in a vibrant white tone. They use a precision tape made of Japanese soft tissue that can be easily torn off by hand. It adheres perfectly to sulphur-containing plasticine. By stretching them to a certain degree, these tapes are "lined" in pieces up to five meters long across the whole exterior of the car.

If the line does not fully meet the intention of the designers, they place a correction tape above the original line. The process is repeated until the final line has the right tension and character. Between the styling steps, the team looks at the car from a distance to evaluate the relation of the stripes to the white spaces. This is also the best way to ensure that lines flow from one side of the body across the roof and the rear to the opposite side. Even the smallest imperfections are being revised meticulously, as the final target is to achieve unrivalled perfection. Finally, the lines stretch across the perfectly shaped Bugatti like a grid of light reflections. Over the course of several weeks, the team of designers develop the final composition of dynamic bends and delicate lines that run over the automotive piece of art like the serpentines of the Italian Stelvio Pass.

In the next step, Bugatti's paint specialists dedicate themselves to the further completion of the masterpiece. Over the course of three weeks, each millimeter of the marked lines are being filled by hand with the characteristic blue color. In addition, the whole body receives five layers of clear lacquer. A varying and powerful gradient of the two colors is generated because the team had used a combination of tapes with different widths. While the blue lines dominate over the white spaces in the lower section of the convertible, the relation of colors inverts on the way to the roof so that the intense white appears even stronger. Twelve elements, made of finest porcelain at the Berlin based manufactory, complete the aesthetic approach of this special Grand Sport.

Let us change the location and visit the workshops of the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur in the heart of Berlin. Following a tradition of around 250 years, at this location more than 170 craftsmen and specialists produce precious items, as today's expression of porcelain art. Hand-made plaster moulds are needed to craft the unique porcelain elements that appear in the exterior and interior of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport "L'Or Blanc", and with a tremendous attention to detail, each mould is created and optimized in a several-week-long process at the research and development department. The team has to run a number of dedicated tests with the raw material to check the impact of the natural shrinkage of around 16 percent during firing and drying. Finally, the porcelain elements fit seamlessly to the Bugatti components.

The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport "L'Or Blanc" is the world's first automobile to be equipped with porcelain, and the development team invested a lot of effort to guarantee that each item is capable of performing in every driving situation in the most powerful car on the market. Before their application to the car, the porcelain elements were extensively examined in regard to automotive safety and quality to optimally protect the passengers in case of an accident.

As part of the exterior design, porcelain is used for the inlays of the centre wheel badges, the fuel filler cap and the oil filler cap as well as the signature "EB" badge at the rear. Their shiny white surface blends in with the brilliant bright finish of the paint suggesting that the car would be coated with a thin layer of porcelain, too.

Besides the signed porcelain inlays on the sides of the centre console, an intarsia made of finest porcelain is fixed to the rear panel between the seats. Similar to the exterior porcelain elements this item carries the relief of the famous elephant in an upright standing position that has been created by sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti. His brother Ettore had used the original draft to cast the radiator mascot for the Bugatti Royale. This elephant is a synonym for the brand still today. Embedded in the top of the centre console, there is a fine porcelain dish with edges finished in an exclusive diamond polishing - a technique that has been applied by the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin for the very first time. The precious dish can be removed and is part of a picnic set that was exclusively designed by KPM for the Bugatti car.

The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport "L'Or Blanc" presented in Berlin, is a one-of-a-kind creation. Nevertheless, the partnership is supposed to be continued, and Bugatti's designers received a lot of inspiration from porcelain painting offering a variety of new opportunities for the design. The price of the Bugatti L'Or Blanc is 1.65 million EUR.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

• Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, 2012

Following the success of the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, Bugatti did not have to wait long before it received the first inquiries about an open-top version of the Grand Sport that could also deliver 882 kW (1,200 hp). "We were instantly electrified by the idea of transferring the power of the Super Sport to the Grand Sport, which previously delivered a maximum of 1,001 hp, and thus taking the roadster to a new level," says Wolfgang Dürheimer. The President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. continues: "Our team has managed to transfer the world's most powerful car engine to the open-top sports car while taking all vehicle dynamics and aerodynamic parameters into consideration. We are proud to present the fastest roadster ever at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show with the world premiere of the 1.200 hp Grand Sport Vitesse."

Dynamics in figures
The new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse boasts a remarkable maximum torque of 1,500 Nm (at 3,000-5,000 rpm) from the 7.9-litre capacity of its W16 engine. The maximum output (1.200 hp) is reached at 6.400 rpm. These figures allow the car to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) from standing in unbelievable 2.6 seconds. The top speed of 410 km/h (255 mph) makes the four-wheel drive (like all Veyrons) Grand Sport Vitesse the fastest production roadster ever. The maximum speed is reached on closed tracks with special safety precautions. In "normal" handling mode, the Grand Sport Vitesse is electronically limited to 375 km/h (233 mph).

Optimized drive system
The 199 hp increase over the Grand Sport has been mainly achieved by using four larger turbochargers with new intercoolers. Furthermore, Bugatti has extensively reinforced all drivetrain components in order to safely transfer the immense forces at all times. The gearing of the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) in particular has been adapted to the new requirements. In this context, as on the Super Sport, Bugatti has also modified the air ducting in the area of the drivetrain. As a consequence of the larger turbochargers and the overall reduced back pressure, it was even possible to reduce the fuel consumption slightly despite the increased output. The fuel system, with a four-pump tank, has been taken from the Super Sport.

Chassis
In order to put the unrivalled power onto the road absolutely safely and masterfully, the engineers have reconfigured the chassis of the Vitesse. Thanks to the quick-responding dampers that have been adapted from motor racing, the control of the vehicle has been further improved and perfectly balanced. Body roll and pitching during hard acceleration and braking are now virtually imperceptible. Optimised wheel-load fluctuations have further reduced understeer and allow a maximum level of active safety. In addition to the incomparable lateral acceleration of up to 1.4 g, the precise interaction of the tires (on all-new, lighter 20-inch "Vitesse"-type alloy wheels), together with the intelligent all-wheeldrive system, ensures extremely good handling. The chassis, all-wheel-drive system and the revised ESP form a dynamic alliance: since the reconfigured ESP kicks in slightly later, for example when you accelerate out of corners, the Grand Sport Vitesse also provides a more dynamic performance in these situations. It goes without saying that Bugatti has adapted the brake-cooling system to account for the even higher engine output. The brakes, which are unparalleled in terms of stability and performance, now have additional and larger air intakes.

In general, it can be said that the Grand Sport Vitesse is even sportier than the 1,001 hp Grand Sport, but at the same time it has not been turned into a full-blown racing car. It therefore remains easy to master for the driver. In this context, it is simply astounding that Bugatti managed to increase comfort in the chassis area by reducing the dynamic natural frequency.

Body
Bugatti has developed a new roof spoiler for the Grand Sport Vitesse that significantly reduces wind noise and buffeting in the interior. Furthermore, there will be a new windbreak for the roadster that can be stored away compactly in the luggage compartment when not in use. Both details will also be available for the Grand Sport. Together, they allow extremely relaxed, open-top driving even at speeds of around 200 km/h (124 mph).

Numerous aerodynamic measures at the front and rear that appeared on the Super Sport have been adapted for the Grand Sport Vitesse. The front end is therefore characterized by larger air intakes; the two central air intakes to the left and right of the Bugatti radiator grille are divided horizontally by a bar. The bottom air vent stretches sideways into the wheel housing and gives this exceptional sports car an extremely masterful appearance. Immediately below this air intake, you will see a new, visually refined front spoiler that has been designed in a similar way to the splitters used in motor racing. The improved xenon headlights from the Super Sport, which are now framed in black, are also new. The rear end, which is also derived from the Super Sport, is characterised by a double diffusor and a centrally positioned twin tailpipe. A new Park Distance Control system (PDC) watches over the front and the rear.

The two air scoops on the left and right of the engine cover (redesigned for the Vitesse) are a characteristic of the Grand Sport and thus also of the Grand Sport Vitesse. These air scoops fulfil two tasks on the roadster. On the one hand, they pull in air for the engine, and on the other, they are an elegantly integrated part of the anti-roll protection system. As on the Super Sport, a full-carbon-fibre monocoque, which allows an extremely high torsional rigidity combined with maximum passive safety, is also used on the Grand Sport Vitesse. The outer skin is also made completely from carbon fibre and, consequently, the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse is available in clear-coated visible carbon.

Interior
Carbon fibre is (along with stainless metals such as Aluminium and Magnesium) also the dominant material in the interior of the Grand Sport Vitesse. Numerous interior parts are now made from carbon fibre in the 1,200 hp roadster. This includes the centre console extension, a cover with EB logo in the rear-bulkhead leather trim (between the seat backrests) and the belt outlet covers on the seats. The décor on the centre console, the door inserts and the adjoining trim on the instrument panel are also made from carbon fibre. The bicolor black trim parts are also new in the Grand Sport version, and so is a special seat design for the Grand Sport Vitesse. The two-tone leather seat covers are enhanced by contrasting stitching between the seat base and the side sections. Contrasting stitching is also featured on the leather armrest between the seats, which comes without the typical quilting. Also new: knee pads in the centre tunnel area, an additional 12 V socket (in the glove compartment), the restraint systems, the illuminated start and parking lock button (same as Super Sport), an instrument cluster with shift-up information and - as a matter of honour - the power gauge that now goes up to 1,200 hp!

Configuration of the show vehicles
There is no end to the individualisation options for the Bugatti. Each one of the 350 Veyrons built is therefore unique. This also applies to the two Grand Sport Vitesse models that Bugatti is exhibiting at the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show. The blue version of the new roadster is finished in visible carbon fibre. The upper area of the body is finished in "Blue Carbon" while the roof area and air scoops are "Lake Blue". The lower body panels (side skirting, front spoiler, radiator grill frame and rear apron with diffusor), the inner surfaces of the wheel rims and the underside of the automatically extending rear spoiler are in "Light Blue Sport", which has a hint of turquoise. The exterior colours are picked up again in the interior. While the large surfaces feature dark blue tones, "New Light Blue" is used for the contrasting stitching and the Vitesse labelling on the seats. This Vitesse version costs 1.91 million euros.

The second Grand Sport Vitesse is painted in dark "Jet Grey". Instead of two colours, this model uses an interaction between shiny areas (lids, roof and air scoop) and matte surfaces and elements (side parts, exterior mirrors and door handles). The radiator grill and wheel rims have been painted black. The orange underside of the rear wing matches the "Tangerine" colouring that Bugatti has used, for example, for the seats, the carpets, the underside of dashboard, the door edging, the contrasting stitching and the Vitesse labelling in the interior. All other surfaces, including the carbon parts, are black. In both cases, the aggressive, dynamic look of the vehicles fits in with the positioning of the new Grand Sport Vitesse. Its price is 1.75 million euros.

The classic Grand Sport, a sports car with an elegant, artistic orientation, will, of course, remain in the range. Following the success of the L'Or Blanc (created in cooperation with Berlin-based porcelain makers Königlichen Porzellan-Manufaktur), Bugatti is currently working on further unusual ways to individualize the Grand Sport. In Geneva, the world's most exclusive car manufacturer is presenting a version of the roadster in visible carbon fibre in a brownish finish for the first time. One challenge for the production is to give the visible carbon a transparent gleam while allowing the colour to radiate vibrantly in a certain light. On the Grand Sport presented in Geneva, the carbon parts made in the new colour "Brown" (lids, rear end, front spoiler and side skirting) shimmer in an almost bronze shade depending on how the light falls. To create a contrast, the side parts on this Grand Sport, right up to the rear air intakes, are made from polished aluminium. The interior of the sports car, with "Gaucho" coloured leather and dark stitching (colour "Coffee"), complements the exterior. It costs 1.79 million euros.

Bugatti

Bugatti, 2011

= Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, 2011

 

  

 

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, 2011

On a beautiful sunny day at 25 degrees the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport achieved a new landspeed world record for production cars, on the proving grounds of the Volkswagen Group at Ehra-Lessien (nearby its headquarters at Wolfsburg). In the presence of the German Technical Inspection Agency (TÜV) and a representative of Guinness Book of Records the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport achieved an average top speed of 431 km/h.

The climax of the Veyron series: the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
Had a model been especially popular or highly successful in races, Ettore Bugatti's customers often pushed the master to tease out of the engine a few horsepower more for their future car. Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. had been in a similar situation when their existing customers asked the company to not only design their second model optically differently but to also create a version with a sportier and more extreme driving experience. The result is a car with a uniquely high performance of 1,200-hp (882 kW) offering experienced drivers a whole new dimension of excitement, with a maximum torque of 1,500 Newton metres and a limited top speed of 415 km/h (to protect the tyres) but, the technique of the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is identical to the record car. The first five Bugatti Veyron Super Sports to come off the production line will constitute a special series of their own, with the same configuration as the landspeed record car.

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is a consequent of the further development of the classic exclusive 1,001-hp Bugatti Veyron 16.4, launched in 2005. This model offers a stunning set of specifications, such as the twin clutch gearbox with seven speeds, the extraordinarily precise driving performance in bends and excellent stability when braking and accelerating.

Continuous work in extreme performance ranges lead to constantly new conclusions, which enabled the engineers at Bugatti to develop the Veyron into a direction in which the driver can reach new dimensions. Every modification is designed to produce an even more powerful car for an agile ride. Four enlarged turbochargers and bigger intercoolers have been used to boost the power of the 16-cylinder engine, and the chassis has been extensively redesigned to maintain safety at extreme speed - thanks to slightly raised main-spring travel, stronger stabilisers, and new shock absorbers with a complex architecture originally developed for racing cars. This gives noticeably more precise control of the wheels and the car as a whole. With lateral acceleration of up to 1.4 G and improved interaction between the tyres and the intelligent all-wheel drive system, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport offers perfect handling and even more powerful acceleration of 1,500 Newton metres on corner exits.

The body has been fine-tuned to improve aerodynamic efficiency and maintain perfect balance in every situation, while the new fibre structure of the all-carbon monocoque ensures maximum torsion rigidity and passive safety - at reduced weight. The skin is made entirely of carbon-fibre composites, and the new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is available in 100 per-cent clearlacquered exposed carbon on request.

Dynamic exterior
Every detail of this car, and not just its use of advanced motorsport technology, harks back to the pioneering spirit of company founder Ettore Bugatti. This brilliant designer came from a family of artists, and his philosophy was always to combine mechanical perfection and exterior beauty. This ethos remains alive and well at the company, and the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is wholly unmistakeable, with every external modification serving to coax greater performance from the car.

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport's flat, elongated silhouette is immediately recognisable. The 16-cylinder engine gets its air from two NACA ducts integrated into the roof, rather than from scoops above the engine. The front air intakes have been expanded and reshaped, with the lower one extending elegantly around the sides to the wheel arch. The revised back looks sportier due to the double diffuser and a centrally arranged exhaust system.

Bugatti has a tradition of making super-sport versions of successful models, usually with racing chassis and supercharged engines. These cars were considered as true racing machines for diehard Bugatti devotees. The most successful were the type 55 and type 57S; only around forty of each were built.

Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. has sold 260 Veyrons and 35 Grand Sports by now, of which 249 Veyrons and 22 Grand Sports had been delivered. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport will begin production in the autumn of 2010 at Molsheim along with the Veyron and the Grand Sport. The first five cars - known as the World Record Edition - are in a special black exposed carbon and orange finish and have already been sold.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport will appear for the first time in public in California at the Pebble Beach Concours weekend in mid-August and will be featured at The Quail, Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca and on the concept lawn of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.