What’s it like to crash a Bugatti Veyron? – Video

The idea of being a test driver for someone like Bugatti sounds glamorous, but it's also a risky game.

The test-driver in question here, Loris Bicocchi, was involved in developing the Veyron, having previously had a hand in the final Lamborghini Countach, Pagani Zonda, Bugatti EB110 and Koenigsegg CCX.

In other words, he's no dummy behind the wheel, which makes his story of binning a Veyron at speeds nudging 400km/h all the more incredible.

His thoughts on early Veyron prototypes ("the car was simply a support for the engine and the transmission") and insight into the attitudes of engineers ("frame, tyres, wheels, suspensions were things that the could even do without") are fascinating, but the juicy details take a little longer to reveal themselves.

You'll need to turn on closed captioning – unless you're fluent in Italian, that is – and set aside some time. The full interview is 15 minutes long, but we promise it's worth the watch.

If the embedded video isn't working, click here to watch it on YouTube.

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