When you talk about iconic supercars, the Bugatti Veyron has to be mentioned. I remember seeing one on Top Gear in the early 2000s, as James May managed to clock over 250mph while driving it, and instantly realised how cool I thought this machine was.
The Launch of the Bugatti Veyron
Launched in 2005, the Veyron didn’t just raise the bar on what a road car could do; it absolutely obliterated it. It was built to answer a very simple question: how fast, powerful, and extreme can a road-legal production car be?
Built around its 8-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine, the original Veyron produced just under 1000bhp and 1,250 Nm of torque. Despite the engine weighing almost 500 kg on its own, the advanced design meant that it was capable of continuous full-load operation, something normally only seen in race engines. That’s part of why the Veyron’s performance isn’t just theoretical; it’s actually doable (repeatedly).
Performance
In standard form, this mid-engine, all-wheel-drive coupe could go from 0-62mph in around 2.5 seconds, then keep going all the way up to around 254 mph. However, speed wasn’t the only thing the Bugatti Veyron was built for; it was designed to be drivable at regular driving speeds, too. Things like the ride quality, interior comfort, steering, and braking were all built to a standard that let you enjoy the car without needing a race licence and a private track. That blend of hypercar performance with usability was part of what made it so special and so unique when it debuted.
A bespoke 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox was built to handle all that torque and can shift almost instantaneously, and Bugatti’s all-wheel-drive system kept all that horsepower planted under acceleration. Add to that a suspension and brake system capable of managing the enormous forces, including aerodynamically deployed air brakes and active aero, and you’ve got a car that could handle its own ridiculous performance.
Over its production run, Bugatti released several versions of the Veyron, including the open-top Grand Sport and the Super Sport, which increased the power even further and set a Guinness World Record with a top speed of over 267mph.
One of my favourite things about the Bugatti Veyron is that it effectively told the world that production cars could be engineered to previously unthinkable standards, and that luxury and usability didn’t have to be sacrificed in exchange for performance. It was also extremely exclusive, with about 450 being made.
Even now, twenty years after its release, the Veyron still excites me, and it still sets the bar for what a cool car should be (from my point of view anyway!)
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