Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron is an unbelievable piece of machinery. Based on the Ettore and manufactured in Molsheim, words can’t really begin to describe the appearance and performance of this futuristic supercar. The 16.4 is a masterpiece of modern engineering and has gained recognition all over the world for the engineering feats accomplished beneath its stylish exterior. The president of Volkswagen Ferdinand Piech wanted the 16.4 to “revive the heritage” of the classic Ettore Bugatti. No easy task on it’s own, but even further he had some very difficult technical requirements. A top speed above 400 KMH and 1000+ HP to start.
The Veyron’s interior is remarkably luxorious and stylish while the exterior successfully resembles the design of the classic Bugatti masterpiece. In fact one could say the only tradition that the new Bugatti breaks is that the old Ettore sometimes made performance compromises in exchange for aesthetic enhancement. The Veyron 16.4 is flawless outside and in.
Technology - Futuristic Supercar
How many cylinders does it take to generate 1001 naturally aspirated horsepower? Apparantly 16, and with AWD the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 may be the dream machine of the future. The intrinsic detail put into every single component of the cars insides is something out of a science fiction novel.
The car tops out at over 400 kilometers per hour, unotouched by any other sports machine on the market. An amazing feat in itself, but whats even more spectacular is the comfort at which that speed is reached! In fact to keep the car “idling” at 250 kilometers per hour the veyron only uses about 25% of its available power!
The car implements a magnificent handling program called Electronic Stability Program or ESP. Not to be confused with being able to detect ghosts and goblins. This program allows maximum manueverability at just about any speeds. That is no simple task as the car would literally take off like an airplane if the cars pitch and design weren’t flawless. The ESP program automatically compensates by pivoting the rear spoilier, lowering the suspention to move the car closer to the ground, and automatically closing and opening the damper lids.
One would think with all of this going on that it wouldn’t be easy to slow this speed demon down. The Bugatti engineers have t hought of everything. This mean machine is equiped with giant ceramic brakes that slow it down even faster than it can accelerate.
The car takes 2.5 seconds to go to 60 MPH or 100KMH, while it takes 2.3 seconds to stop from that speed.
Acceleration 2.5 – 7.3 – 16.7 – 55.6
The acceleration of the Bugatti Veyron feels something like being launched in a space shuttle… on steroids. Just 2.5 seconds to get to 60MPH (100KMH), this machine implements some of the same launch control methods as used by Formula one racing cars. The accelleration process is of course electronically controlled and the car can reach over 400MPH in under 1 minute.
Speed - 400KMH and Beyond
If 400KMH or 240MPH is not enough for you then you might as well go play some imaginary racecar game, because the 16.4 Veyron is absolutely the fastest and most impressive production car of any generation.
The car docs state the top speed as being 407KMH, but proven tests have showed that to actually be understated! In 2005, April 19, an inspection team recorded a top speed of 408.47 KMH! Okay maybe its only 1.47 MPH better than the document states but when you are reaching these speeds each additional MPH is much much much harder to obtain than say going from 60 to 61 MPH.
Handling - Driving the Ideal Line
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4’s first ESP trials at speeds above 300KMH were first performed at the famous dried salt lakes in Southwestern America. The extremely flat, low-friction surface is ideal for finding the true max velocity of any car, or anything for that matter. The system performed better than expected and it’s handling at almost 200MPH was unmatched even pre-production.
Besides the electronics in the handling system (ESP). The handling is also improved by double traverse control arms in both front and rear. As well as improved suspension, front/rear stabilizers, cushioning components and even the steering system itself. All work in unision with hundreds of moving, electronically controlled parts reading data on the fly and working together to provide the most unbelievable ride fathomed.