The Stig takes on the Bugatti Veyron SS - Click above to watch the video after the jump
Recently, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport made headlines by setting a new land speed record, hitting 267.81 miles per hour out on Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track. It may be the fastest production car ever built, but straight-line speed isn't everything, you know. Just ask the Top Gear boys - the standard-spec Bugatti Veyron may be an insanely fast machine, but out on the test track, it failed to earn first (or even second or third) place honors.
Naturally, it didn't take long for Top Gear to get the new Veyron SS in the hands of its tame racing driver, The Stig. Captain Slow may have managed the top-rung Bugatti up to 259.11 mph, but how does it fare on the track? Does it take the first place spot, or merely fall somewhere near the top? Hit the jump to watch the video of Stiggy's power lap and find out for yourself.
Last week, we told you that the Top Gear crew was smirking about having some sort of involvement in the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport's land speed record. And while it was easy for us to chalk it up as simple Top Gear embellishment (they did take credit for the erupting Icelandic volcano, remember), it appears that the TG team - James May, specifically - had a pretty big part in all of this record-setting madness. Apparently he wasn't the 267.81-mph record-setting driver, but Captain Slow did manage to pilot the new Veyron Super Sport up to an extremely respectable 259.11 mph, and the high-speed tale is recounted in the magazine's August issue, which should be hitting newsstands as you read this.
This isn't May's first experience with the Veyron, of course. We all remember that the Captain did a similar test run in the standard-spec Bug, hitting 253 mph out on Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien high-speed oval. (We have the video available after the jump for those of you who want to re-live the experience.) Now, the one question that remains - is the Super Sport fast enough to finally reconcile that lost race between Hammond and the jet fighter? Hot tips, PS3 and Brandon!
Pierre Henri Raphanel in the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery
We hate to be the ones to break this to you, but chances are you will never manage to drive 267.81 mph. That's OK though, because neither will we, nor will the fair majority of humanity. Speeds of 250+ mph plus are relegated to the select few who have played their cards right enough to become factory test drivers for the likes of Bugatti. Such is the case with Pierre Henri Raphanel, the guy who just piloted the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport into the history books.
0-60 magazine phoned Raphanel to discuss his recent run down the Ehra-Lessien track and found out just what it takes to put your right foot down and hold it there well beyond the point when your sane mind tells you to let off. Raphanel gives up some really interesting details. For instance, running the course backwards presents unique challenges, as the grain of the asphalt wreaks havoc on the direction of the vehicle at speed. Hop over to 0-60 for the full read.It's a good one.
Bugatti Veyron Super Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery
By now, you've read all about the new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and its startling run to 267 mph. No matter how you look at it, that's plenty quick for a production car, complete with a full interior, frosty air conditioning and plenty of other creature comforts. Now word has cropped up on the Top Gear web site that everyone's favorite trio of auto TV personalities may have had something to do with the high-speed dash.
The site doesn't say much other than that we should keep our eyes pinned to "all things Top Gear" over the next few weeks for more information. Considering that Captain Slow slung a Veryon all the way up to 253 mph, it's entirely possible that someone from the cast was either in or around the car during its jaunt to the danger zone at the Ehra-Lessien test facility. While you would have thought we would have heard something if Jezza, the Hamster or Captain Slow were at the tiller of the mad machine, you never know. Stay tuned. Thanks for the tip, Dylan!
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Chris Shunk, Alex Nunez, Chris Paukert and Dan Roth wrap up the 4th of July long weekend with Episode #185 of the Autoblog Podcast. Topics are Toyota's valve-spring recall, a new engine in the Mercedes CL-Class, the Bugatti Veyron's speed record, and the newly teased Volvo V60 Wagon. We go off on a Saab tangent and finish up by responding to your questions before wrapping at an hour and twenty minutes. Thanks for listening, see you next time!
Autoblog Podcast #185 - Valve Springs, Speed Records, Wagons and Tangents
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Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery
As production of the Bugatti Veyron winds toward its eventual conclusion, Bugatti has created what is likely to be the ultimate version of its world-beating hypercar: the Super Sports. Bugatti sent its official test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel out on Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessian high-speed oval with the first Super Sports to see just what it could do. With representatives of the Guinness book of records and German Technical Inspection Agency (TU?V) on hand, Raphanel made passes around the big oval in both directions.
With output bumped up from 1,001 horsepower to 1,200 horsepower, torque swelling to 1,106 pound-feet and a revised aerodynamic kit, Raphanel managed runs of 265.9 and 269.8 mph for an average terminal velocity of 267.81 mph and a new world record for a production car.
The first five production Super Sports will sport the same black and orange finish as the record car and all production models will be electronically limited to 257.9 mph to protect the tires. The Veyron Super Sports will be publicly shown for the first time at the Pebble Beach in August. Click past the break for the full details.
Top Gear magazine spent some getting-to-know-you time with the Bugatti Galibier at the Bugatti factory in Molsheim, and scribe Jason Barlow was all kinds of smitten. The Galibier he crawled all over was painted black, a "Bugatti insider" avowing that the two-tone hue previously on show was "a distraction."
But get this for a real distraction: Bugatti wants to build it and a "top VW engineer" claims the chances are better than 50% that such a thing will occur. A production car would swap the Veyron's four turbos and DSG for two superchargers and a torque converter, because you want your 16-cylinder sedan a little more... sedate, you know? It will take the vote of a man named Piëch to truly make this happen, but we'll have no problem dreaming in black in the meantime. Top tip, Brandon!
2010 Dana Point Concours d'Elegance - Click above for high-res image gallery
It seems a bit odd calling this the 28th Annual Dana Point Concours d'Elegance when it's only been in this city for three years and has only had that name officially for one, but after spending a good portion of Sunday at the St. Regis and its Monarch Bay golf course, it really felt like this is where this show was always meant to be. With dramatic views of the ocean, the rolling greenery of the links and the surrounding mansions, the venue feels like it was built solely to play host to Southern California's premiere concours.
Second only to Pebble Beach in prominence among the California concours, Dana Point has really come of its own. With nearly 200 judged entries and perhaps an equal number of display vehicles, it's a big show that still manages to feel manageable, and the field of entrants was once again amazing. This year's show honored 100 years of Alfa Romeo, 80 years of Pininfarina and 20 years of the Ferrari F40, as well as drag racing legend Don "The Snake" Prudhomme. Classes included American Pony & Muscle Cars, Corvettes to 1967, Kustoms & Hot Rods, and the second annual exhibit of Supercars, as well as a new category for vintage motorcycles.
With proceeds going to support the Ocean Institute, the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital and other Southern California youth charities, the Dana Point Concours is run as a Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Concours, but with some of those additional classes thrown in to showcase particularly interesting and relevant automobiles. Just take a look at the photo above and you'll see the wide variety of outstanding vehicles that this show attracts. Click through the rest of the gallery and you'll see everything from a Bugatti 57SC to the nicest Oldsmobile Starfire you're ever likely to encounter.
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery
Rumors of an even more powerful version of the Bugatti Veyron have been around almost as long as the Veyron itself. But after abating for a couple of years, now that the Veyron's production run is winding to an end, the reports have begun creeping up again.
The gossip suggest that the Bugatti will send off the Veyron with a final run tuned to 1,200 horsepower, trimmed of 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of excess weight and capable of hitting 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in 2.2 seconds en route to a 425 km/h (264 mph) top speed.
Reports further suggest that the ultimate Veyron will revive the SuperSport label used on the most powerful version of the 90s-era EB110 and the 30s-era Type 55. Only 30 examples are said to be in the pipeline, each carrying a €1.5 million ($1.8M) price tag. Sources expect the Veyron SuperSport to make its debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show in the Fall, so truth or speculation, we'll find out one way or another in a few months.
1:18 scale Bugatti Veyron replica in solid gold - Click above for image gallery
How do you make the Bugatti Veyron - widely touted as the most expensive new production car in the world - even more costly? By miniaturizing it and forming it completely out of 24 karat gold and 7.2 carats worth of diamonds, naturally. Apparently, this pint-sized Bugatti replica is the work of Robert Gulpen of Munich & Stuart Hughes of Liverpool, and the result is a 1:18 scale Veyron that costs a reported £2 million ($2.93 million at today's exchange rates). Only three will be made.
Now, we don't want you to think we don't appreciate the engineering and detail that went into making this ultimate tribute to the diecast car, especially since this one comes complete with working hoods and steering, but if we were going to be spending that kind of coin on a Veyron, it would definitely be on a real one from the factory floor in Molsheim. That said, this golden supercar would look pretty darn great on our nightstand...
Bugatti Veyron replica made from recycled cigarette packs - Click above for image gallery
Is there anything more environmentally friendly than recycling? Well, perhaps not using so much raw material in the first place, but at least recycling is a major step in the right direction. In any case, students from Xi'an University in China decided it was high time to do something constructive with all those used cigarette packs that clog the world's trash heaps... and construct something they did.
Using a total of 10,280 empty cigarette packs, the students assembled something that kinda-sorta looks like a Bugatti Veyron. It reportedly weighs over 660 pounds and is powered by an electric motor. Though the machine doesn't really appear to have much purpose in life, it was used to raise awareness for World No Smoking Day, which apparently came and went on May 31st. Check it out in the image gallery below... we'd say the project was - *ahem* - a smoking success!
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery
With production of the Veyron coming to an end, speculation has been rampant over what Bugatti will build next. A super-sedan based on the 16C Galibier concept could still get the green light. A 1,200-horsepower "Super Veyron" has also re-entered the rumor mill of late. Even an entry-level roadster was mooted at one point. But a new project could give us a clearer (and more radical) picture than ever before.
According to the rumormongers over at Auto Express, Bugatti is currently working on a massively powerful electric supercar that could eclipse the notions of what was previously thought possible with battery power. A test mule based on sister-company Bentley's ubiquitous Continental GT is reportedly undergoing testing at present, powered by two giant electric motors and an advanced lithium-ion power cell to deliver the equivalent of 800 horsepower and some 1,600 lb-ft of torque, all available instantly from a standstill. Yowza!
Such technology would doubtlessly draw from the work sister-company Audi has been doing with its successive e-Tron concepts. But as AE points out, this wouldn't be the first time Bugatti has experimented with electric power: Back in its heyday under founder Ettore Bugatti's direction, the original company built the Type 56. Originally built as a one-off, public demand prompted the Molsheim marque to bring it to market.
The rumored Continental-based prototype may be strictly a one-off at the moment, but if demand could force the Type 56 to market in the 1930s, it certainly could do the same today.
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery
A car as powerful as the Bugatti Veyron can do a great many things. Crest the 400 km/h mark. Burn through fuel and rubber faster than a jumbo jet on take-off with the parking brake engaged. But how about stop time? Maybe if you lay down all that twist in the opposite direction off the earth's rotation. Or bring back a rumor that first reared its head some four years ago.
We're talking about the long-rumored 1,200-horsepower "super Veyron." Its arrival has been anticipated for years, and now accounts from Germany are bringing it back to life. According to the reports, Professor Ferdinand Piëch - the former Volkswagen chairman, Porsche heir and father of the Veyron - recently delivered a lecture at the Vienna University of Technology, wherein he briefly alluded to the emergence of the 1,200-hp Veyron, but revealed no further details.
That the quad-turbocharged, sixteen-cylinder Bugatti engine is capable of more than its stated output of 987 horsepower is no secret. And if such a car is in the works, surely Piëch would be among the few in the world who'd know about it, even if he's not sitting in the big seat these days. With the existing Veyron's production run winding to a close, if there were ever a time to make it happen, surely that time is approaching at Veyron-esque velocity.
The Williamson Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic - Click above to enlarge
Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful automobiles ever created, it's not every day that a Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic changes hands. Only four of examples were ever made, and only two or three of them are still around today. One is owned by Ralph Lauren, and another belonged to the late Dr. Peter Williamson. Californian auction house Gooding & Company has now announced that the Williamson Bugatti has changed hands for a record sum, and though the buyer and exact amount paid remain undisclosed, reports place it between $30-40 million, easily eclipsing the $12.2 million paid for a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa this time last year.
Until his recent passing, Dr. Williamson had amassed a considerable collection of classic Bugattis. Gooding had helped assemble the collection, and since his passing has helped his estate sell them off. But the Atlantic - the crown jewel of the collection and winner of the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance - was saved for last. According to reports, the car was acquired through Gooding by the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, where we recently went to check out the soon-to-be-rebuilt Bugatti Type 64 Coupe, so with a little luck we might have the opportunity to bring you the Atlantic in due course. Follow the jump for the press release from Gooding.
Bugatti Type 64 Coupe Chassis - Click above for high-res image gallery
Bugatti buffs know that only one Type 64 was ever built way back in 1939. What they may not know is that an extra two Type 64 chassis were stamped at the factory in Molsheim but sadly never finished. That is, never finished until now. One of the two Type 64 chassis wound up in the hands of car collector extraordinaire Peter Mullin and is currently on naked display at his new Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, CA. Thanks to a design contest at Pasadena's Art Center, Stewart Reed Design will be building a brand new body for chassis #64002. A new gullwing body, we should add. Continue reading, after the jump.
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery
We've all pulled off stupid stunts that lead to severe punishment from our parents, but we've never gone this far. The Dutch Daily News reports that a 20 year-old driver has been caught by police going 100 miles per hour. That's hardly news, except the lead-footed youth was driving his parent's Bugatti Veyron at 50 mph over the speed limit and the Dutch police confiscated the vehicle and the driver's license. There is no word whether the family will ever get the Veyron back.
We're thinking this young man is likely to receive more than five minutes in time out for his 1.8 million euro "mistake," but then again, it isn't every parent that lets their 20 year-old son drive the family Veyron (assuming he had permission in the first place). It's also important to note that it really doesn't pay to drive too fast in northern Europe outside of select derestricted portions of the Autobahn. Here in the States, reckless driving can carry the same weight as a drunk driving arrest, but chances are your vehicle won't be confiscated.
The tale begins, or so we're told, in Paris in 1934 when a Swiss man acquired the car from legendary racecar driver Rene Dreyfus in a game of poker. The man headed home in his new car, but when he arrived at the Swiss border, he was required to pay customs on the car. Not having enough money, the man left the car at Lake Maggiore. By law, the Swiss officials were supposed to destroy the car, and they apparently did so by pushing it into the lake.
A little more than thirty years later, the Bugatti was discovered by a local diving club in the summer of 1967. The car became a local attraction for divers who would plunge more than 170 feet to see the remains at the bottom of the lake. It would seem that the Bugatti would forever remain there until a tragedy changed its fate. A young local man, Damiano Tamagni was brutally beaten and killed, and the diving club decided that they would try and retrieve the car and sell it to benefit the foundation created in his name to combat youth violence. It took more than thirty volunteers and nine months, but the Bugatti was finally lifted from the lake on July 12, 2009.
From there the Bugatti was put up for auction for the highest bidder. At Bonham's Retromobile sale in Paris earlier this year, the Type 22 Brescia brought a top bid of £228,000 - around $350,000 USD - much higher than the pre-auction estimate. The winning bidder? None other than the Mullin Museum in Oxnard, CA. The museum has decided to not restore the Bugatti and display it in its current condition.
We were overjoyed to see the Type 22 Brescia in person at the museum's grand opening last week, and were fascinated with the different parts of the car that survived three-quarters of a century submerged underwater. The right side of the body is completely gone, but other items like the tires and some of the gauges are perfectly intact. You can see the car in detail in the high-res gallery below.
Mullin Automotive Museum Grand Opening - Click above for high-res image gallery
The Mullin Automotive Museum celebrated its grand opening this last week with a black tie event for media and distinguished guests. Of course, museum founder Peter Mullin will tell you that his new museum isn't just about cars. The 50,000 square foot facility, located in Oxnard, CA, was built as a homage to the art deco period, and plenty of historic artwork and furniture can be found throughout the building.
The cars, however, are the main attraction. More than 100 French automobiles with names like Bugatti, Delahaye, Delage, Hispano-Suiza, Talbot-Lago and Voison can be found in the museum. Immaculate restorations are featured alongside original cars from the legendary Schlumpf Reserve Collection. A collection of race cars takes residence on the second floor in a display that mimics the Le Mans pre-WWII.
Perhaps our favorite car on display, though, was an incredible 1937 Delahaye Type 145 V12 Coupe. It seems like such a beautiful car would be confined to carrying around dignitaries and celebrities, but in reality the gorgeous coupe raced at Le Mans and the German Grand Prix. Since purchasing the car in 2002, Peter Mullin has taken the car to the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Pebble Beach Concours, and it has won Best in Class at both events.
The Mullin Museum is currently open to the public on Saturdays with a reservation only, so if you're interested in going, call them up and get a spot as quickly as you can. Can't make it out to the museum? You can see all of our photos from the event in the gallery below or hit the jump to read the press release for the grand opening.
Delahaye USA Bugnotti Coupe - Click above for high-res image gallery
There was time in the late '70s and early '80s in America when a few misguided industrious souls decided to recreate some of the most iconic shapes in motoring history. Kit cars with shapes emulating classic Bugatti, Delahaye, Auburn, Pierce-Arrow, Mercedes, Bentley and Rolls-Royce designs flourished, many poorly made and based on cars like the Buick Regal or Lincoln Town Car. With the originals selling for six, seven or even eight figures, it wasn't surprising that anyone would want a budget alternative, but the offerings were generally more of an insult to the originals than a tribute.
Flash forward a few decades and you'll now find companies like Delahaye USA taking up a similar charge. Rather than offering unfortunate fiberglass bodies for existing vehicles, however, the NJ company is building modern interpretations of some of those classic designs, with the intent to show what those legendary designers of yore might be building today. Take their "Bella Figura" Bugnotti Coupe above, for instance. Inspired by the 1937 Bugatti Type 57S, it's said to be a tribute to Ettore Bugatti's son, Jean. At least as it shows in these renderings, we think it is beyond gorgeous.
The company has been showing off a 1/4-scale model of the project at certain shows and concours recently, but will have a full-size version to display for the first time this Fall. The full-scale carbon fiber body is set to debut at Retro Auto Aug. 13-15, in Pebble Beach, during the annual classic car festivities in Northern California. Delahaye USA plans to offer a turnkey version of the coupe on a custom chassis with an alloy body for $450,000, while a clear-coated or painted carbon fiber version will sell for around $250,000. Plans are to make a targa-style roof and drophead version as well. Check out the small gallery below and be sure to click over to the Delahaye USA site to see some of their other beautiful projects.
Ron Dennis with the McLaren MP4-12C - Click above for high-res image gallery
When you've been responsible for as many Formula One World Championships and devastatingly fast supercars - including the new McLaren MP4-12C (pictured above) - as Ron Dennis, you're entitled to speak your mind... and for others to listen up. The executive chairman and part owner of the McLaren Group, Dennis has earned a reputation for his outspoken opinion, and this time directed his criticism toward the venerable Bugatti Veyron.
In a recent interview, Dennis characterized the Veyron as a "piece of junk" and "pig ugly". Why don't you tell us how you really feel, Ron?
The speed guru went on to allege that the race staged by Top Gear between the Veyron and McLaren's own venerable F1 supercar on the streets of Abu Dhabi was exactly that... staged. According to Dennis, the McLaren had the Bugatti handily beat on every run, and that the video footage was edited to make it seem like the Veyron was the quicker of the two. Check it out after the jump and decide for yourself.
