Car of the Decade

Car of the Decade

The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined grand touring car, developed by German manufacturer Volkswagen Group, and produced by French marque Bugatti. It was first introduced in 2005.

The Super Sport version of the Veyron is the fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of 431 km/h (268 mph).

The original version has a top speed of 408.47 km/h (253.81 mph).

It was named Car of the Decade (2000–2009) by the BBC television programme Top Gear.

Based on the Bentley Hunaudières concept and built at Bugatti's HQ (Château Saint Jean in Molsheim, Alsace, France), the Veyron's chief designer was Hartmut Warkuss, and the exterior was designed by Jozef Kabaň of Volkswagen, with much of the engineering work being conducted under the guidance of engineering chief Wolfgang Schreiber. Although commissioned by Volkswagen, the Veyron is sold only through the Bugatti manufacturer channels and cannot be found at any Volkswagen dealer.

The car is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti company. The 16.4 refers to 16 cylinders and 4 turbochargers.

Specifications and performance

The Veyron features an 8.0 litre, quad-turbocharged, W16 cylinder engine, equivalent to two narrow-angle V8 engines. Each cylinder has four valves for a total of sixty four, but the narrow staggered V8 configuration allows two overhead camshafts to drive two banks of cylinders so only four camshafts are needed. The engine is fed by four turbochargers and displaces 7,993 cubic centimetres (487.8 cu in), with a square 86 by 86 mm (3.4 by 3.4 in) bore and stroke.

The transmission is a dual-clutch direct-shift gearbox computer-controlled automatic with seven gear ratios, with magnesium paddles behind the steering wheel and a shift time of less than 150 milliseconds, built by Ricardo of England rather than Borg-Warner, who designed the six speed DSG used in the mainstream Volkswagen Group marques. The Veyron can be driven in either semi- or fully automatic mode. A replacement transmission for the Veyron costs just over US$120,000.

It also has permanent four wheel drive using the Haldex Traction system. It uses special Michelin PAX run-flat tyres, designed specifically to accommodate the Veyron's top speed, which cost US$25,000 per set.

The tyres can be removed from the rims only in France, a service which costs US$70,000.

The car's wheelbase is 2,710 mm (106.7 in). Overall length is 4,462 mm (175.7 in), width 1,998 mm (78.7 in) and height 1,204 mm (47.4 in). The Bugatti Veyron has a total of ten radiators.

Engine output

According to Volkswagen Group and certified by TÜV Süddeutschland, the final production Veyron engine produces 1,001 metric horsepower (736 kW; 987 bhp) of motive power, and generates 1,250 newton metres (922 lbf·ft) of torque.