Bugatti Veyron Review
March 17, 2008 by Anthony Crawford
What does blow you away, is the view from the rear of the Veyron. The fully exposed engine is breathtaking. Two huge polished metal heat exchangers, beautiful in form, sit either side, ready to suck in the enormous volume of air needed to cool over 1001 plus horsepower, at full throttle.
The whole car is a study in heat reduction. There are air intakes everywhere you look, and that’s apart from the twelve, (not ten as has been widely reported) overall radiators on board. It’s as if the form of the car was the product of function and creativity, and it all came together perfectly.
At a staggering $2.7 million Australian dollars each, the Veyron is the definition of Bespoke. Hand made over 300 hours, in a stunning glass building called the Atelier, by twenty specialists using Bugatti designed components if you will. And it shows.
Carbon-fibre and forged aluminium components are well represented, as are other exotic lightweight materials such as the large titanium bolts used extensively in the car’s construction. These are almost weightless yet offer enormous tensile strength, that is, until they have to be removed as part of the maintenance schedule. At that point, they are discarded as waste material and at 60 euro each; I placed dibs on the scrap metal bin.
Oh, and you’ll love this. The W16 engine, that’s 16 cylinders, 4 turbos and all those radiators I mentioned above, is hand assembled by a talented young French glamour, Fanny.
She has worked on Ferrari and Maserati engines and is also one of France’s best Rally co-drivers. As expected, the two unmarried journalists, Paul and Alborz, were infatuated when they found this out (they are currently both learning French via CD’s from their local libraries).
At just on six times the price of Lamborghini’s Gallardo Superleggera, you don’t just hop into the Veyron and drive out the gate in the only press car in Europe. No sir. Not on your sweet life!
Julius will decide whether you get a drive at all, and that’s only if you pass the initial “Veyron Experience” but more on that shortly.
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