Bugatti Veyron Review
March 17, 2008 by Anthony Crawford
As we handed over Passports in exchange for Bugatti ID badges, we caught a glimpse of our car through some trees in the distance. We had arrived. After six months of planning and requests, we were about to get an introduction to the world’s fastest production car.
Julius Kruta has been with Bugatti for just on seven years and take it from me, he’s not going anywhere. His title on his business card reads “Leiter Tradition” which I translate as Head of Bugatti tradition.
He’s a mild mannered yet confident guy, about thirty-five years old and while I’m not sure about his cooking, his performance behind the wheel of the Veyron borders on the astonishing!
And if you need to know anything at all about the Veyron or Bugatti the company, I mean down to what colour shoes Ettore Bugatti wore on Wednesdays, ask Julius. He’ll know.
The first thing that hits you about the car, is how much better it looks in the metal as opposed to the photos we have all seen. Its quite beautiful, yet utterly daunting.
Julius starts to explain the car but at this point I’m finding it hard to focus on what he is saying to us about the Veyron. I should be listening intently, but all I can think of, is how on earth I can raise the AUD$2.7 million to buy one!
The Bugatti hugs the ground in standard ride height but you’ve got three suspension heights, (the other two are lower again) depending on how brave you’re going to be when you commit your right foot to the throttle. I’m not kidding about the brave part either!
It’s surprisingly short. Shorter even than a Mercedes Benz SL class and only fractionally longer than Porsche’s diminutive 911 pure bred.
But its almost as wide as a Range Rover, so you need to watch your step on narrow mountain passes otherwise you could put a wheel or two off the side of the road and at over EU40,000 a set, you don’t want to do that.
You can’t quite believe the size of the tyres on board the Veyron either. Initially, I couldn’t make out the digits on the tyre wall. Too many numbers. 365-710 ZR 540A (108Y) PAX System is inscribed on the rears for example. What you’re looking at are the widest set of run flat tyres on the planet, jointly developed with Michelin for speeds over 400km/h.
Strange thing is though; they don’t look as wide as those on the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, which are 335’s. I suppose that’s testament to the creative balance of the car.
I believe that it’s luxurious like a Maybach and the automated seven-speed makes possible everyone to drive it. In a world full of expensive caprices you may have a wild dream with Bugatti Veyron 16.4.
Those photos are amazing. thank you for them. I had never seen the veyron so close in some places, like the back of the bucket or the pedals, and i had searched a lot. thank you
Good onya boys! :) Nice website you’ve got here…so how do you think the Merc SL 55 driver (that wanted to take on the Veyron) must’av felt when VW spooled up and boosted into the next country?
Now, any chance of a ‘Veyron Title Battle’ :)
vs
CaparoT1
Quote=”You can sit in peak hour traffic or travel between countries faster than France’s TGV (very fast train) listening to…”
Regarding the TGV it set the train speed record at 515km/h some years ago. It has since broken it’s own record, but regularly travels between 300 and 400km/h. The Veyron drinks the whole tank in less than 20mins on speed runs, but I take your point. ;-) It’s damn fast and is just as happy dawdling down to the corner shop.
I’d be over the moon for a “ride” in a Lambo let alone driving a Veyron. Lucky buggers and thanks for the great review.
Fascinating article and a truely peerless car. It’s close to perfection with the letdown being the interior. Not so much retro as dated. Why make a modern technological wonder and give it a 50s look inside??!
its a god dam looking car and a fast beuty
Who is this other AW. WTH using my username.
I will never EVER be able to describe how much I love that car.
I am willing to have my life cut short for 3 years just to get a taste of this damn thing!!!
Hello my good guys,
I think about how would you feel and write if you could drive my Bugatti Linea Vincero Mansory. Your review is ok, thanks for normal people that you can give them that idea of feelings. Good night my dear fellow, good night…
thank’s for any information
I think other than sheer fascination with this thing, I hope that one day Australia with our own imagination, can build a machine like this. Once we get over our John Simpleton mindset and lack of motivation to succed as a country not just as individuals then we will be on the right path, we do not have the capability now but we do have the capability to gain that capability. Most of us also dont have the capability to start a car company but those who do in this country also just cant be bothered it seems, this is the naive, take-it-for-granted mindset that we can just continue this western way of life without making a meainingful contribution to sustaining and improving it, other than silly little under-done efforts. To start with we should actually get a few Veyrons into Australia.
Is this the only car to have gotten six starts by CA