Bugatti Veyron
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| Bugatti Veyron 16.4 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Volkswagen AG |
| Production | 2006– 300 cars |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Supercar |
| Body style | 2-door Mid-4WD coupé |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 8.0 L quad-turbo W16 |
| Transmission | 7-speed dual clutch sequential manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2700 mm (106.3 in) |
| Length | 4466 mm (175.8 in) |
| Width | 1998 mm (78.7 in) |
| Height | 1206 mm (47.5 in) |
| Curb weight | 1950 kg (4300 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | None |
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a proven top speed of over 400 km/h (407 km/h or 253 mph). It reached full production in September 2005. The car is built by Volkswagen AG subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS and is sold under the legendary Bugatti marque. It is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm.
History
Development of the vehicle began with the 1999 EB 18/3 "Veyron" concept car. Introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show, it was similar in design and appearance to the final Veyron production car. One major difference was the EB 18/4's use of a W18 engine with three banks of six cylinders. The Veyron was designed by Hartmut Warkuss of Volkswagen rather than Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign who had handled the three prior Bugatti concepts.
VW chairman Ferdinand Piëch announced the production Veyron at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show. It was promised to be the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car in history. Instead of the W18, the production model would use a VR6/WR8-style W16 engine. First seen in the 1999 Bentley Hunaudières concept car, the W16 would get four turbochargers, producing a quoted 1001 horsepower (see engine section for details on the power output). Top speed was promised at 403 km/h (250.4 mph), and pricing was announced at €1 million (US$1.3 million at the time).
Development continued throughout 2001 and the EB 16/4 Veyron was promoted to "advanced concept" status. In late 2001, Bugatti announced that the car, officially called the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, would go into production in 2003. However, the car experienced significant problems during development. Achieving the required high-speed stability was difficult - one prototype was destroyed in a crash and another spun out during a public demonstration at the Monterey Historics event in Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. Production of the Veyron was delayed pending resolution of these and other issues.
Piëch retired that year as chairman of the Volkswagen Group and was replaced by Bernd Pischetsrieder. The new chairman promptly sent the Veyron back to the drawing board for major revisions. Neumann was replaced as Bugatti president by Thomas Bscher in December of 2003, and substantial modifications were made to the Veyron under the guidance of former VW engineer, Bugatti Engineering head Wolfgang Schreiber.
After the release of the car, it has been reported that while each Veyron is being sold for £840,000, the production costs of the car are approximately £5 million per vehicle. As Bugatti, and therefore Volkswagen, are making such a loss, it has been likened by automotive journalist Jeremy Clarkson to Concorde; in that they are test-beds for advancements in technology and developed as exercises in engineering.
In the case of the Veyron, it will be several years before Volkwagen will be able to see if their investment in developing ground-breaking technology has paid off. One key measure is how much (if any) of the technology developed for the Veyron finds use in mass-produced cars.
The first personally owned Veyron was debuted in front of Hotel De Paris in Monte Carlo during the 2005 Grand Prix.
Specifications
The Veyron features a W16 engine—16 cylinders in 4 banks of 4 cylinders, or the equivalent of two narrow-angle V8 engines mated in a vee configuration. Each cylinder has 4 valves, for a total of 64, but the narrow V8 configuration allows two camshafts to drive two banks of cylinders so only 4 camshafts are needed. The engine is fed by four turbochargers, and it displaces 8.0 L (7,993 cc/488 in³) with a square 86 by 86 mm bore and stroke.
Putting this power to the ground is a dual-clutch DSG computer-controlled manual transmission with 7 gear ratios via shifter paddles behind the steering wheel. The Veyron can be driven by full automatic transmission. The Veyron also features full-time all-wheel drive helping to transfer power to the road. It uses special Michelin run-flat tires designed specifically for the Veyron to accommodate the vehicle's top speed.
The car's wheelbase is 2700 mm (106.3 in). Overall length is 4466 mm (175.8 in). It measures 1998 mm (78.7 in) wide and 1206 mm (47.5 in) tall.
Curb weight is estimated at 4,160lb (1890 kg). This gives the car a power to weight ratio of 529 Bhp/tonne.
The Bugatti Veyron has a total of 10 radiators.
- 3 radiators for the engine cooling system.
- 1 heat exchanger for the air to liquid intercoolers.
- 2 for the air conditioning system.
- 1 transmission oil radiator.
- 1 differential oil radiator.
- 1 engine oil radiator.
- 1 hydraulic oil radiator for the spoiler.
Performance
According to Volkswagen, the final production Veyron engine produces between 1020 and 1040 metric hp (1006 to 1026 SAE net hp), so the car will be advertised as producing "1001 horsepower" in both the US and European markets. This easily makes it the most powerful production road-car engine in history. Torque is 1250 N•m (922 ft·lbf).
Top speed was initially promised to be 252 mph (406 km/h), but test versions were unstable at that speed, forcing a redesign of the aerodynamics. In May, 2005, a prototype Veyron tested at a Volkswagen track near Wolfsburg, Germany, and recorded an electronically limited top speed of 400 km/h (248.5 mph). In October, 2005, Car and Driver magazine's editor Csaba Csere test drove the final production version of the Veyron for the November 2005 issue. This test, at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track, reached a top speed of 253 mph (407 km/h).
The Veyron is the quickest production car to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) with an estimated time of 2.5 seconds. It also reaches 200 and 300 km/h (124 and 186 mph) in 7.3 and 16.7 seconds respectively. It should also be noted that the Veyron's 0-200 mph time is quicker than the McLaren F1's 120-200 mph time. This makes the Veyron the quickest-accelerating production vehicle in history. It also consumes more fuel than any other production car, using 40.4 L/100 km (4.82 mpg) in city driving and 24.1 L/100 km (10 mpg) in combined cycle. At full-throttle, it uses more than 125 L/100 km (2.1 mpg)—at full throttle, the Veyron would empty its 100 L fuel tank in just 12.5 minutes. The car's everyday top speed is listed at 234 mph. When the car reaches 137 mph, hydraulics lower the car until it has a ground clearance of about 3 1/2 inches. At the same time, the wing and spoiler deploy. This is the "handling" mode, in which the wing helps provide 770 pounds of downforce, holding the car to the road. The driver must, using the key, toggle the lock to the left of his seat in order to use the maximum speed of 253 miles per hour. Theoretically it can go faster but it is electronically limited to 253 miles per hour to prevent tire damage. The key functions only when the vehicle is at a stop when a checklist then establishes whether the car—and its driver—are ready to enable 'top speed' mode. If all systems are go, the rear spoiler retracts, the front air diffusers close and the ground clearance, normally 4.9 inches, drops to 2.6 inches.
The Veyron uses unique cross-drilled and turbine vented carbon rotors for braking that draw in cooling air. Each caliper has eight titanium pistons. Bugatti claims maximum deceleration of 1.3 g on road tires. Prototypes have been subjected to repeated 1.0 g braking from 194 to 50 mph without fade. With the car's fearsome acceleration from 50 to 194 mph, that test can be performed every 22 seconds. At speeds above 124 mph, the rear wing also acts as an airbrake, snapping to a 70-degree angle in 0.4 seconds once brakes are applied, providing up to 0.6 g (6 m/s²) of deceleration. Bugatti claims the Veyron will brake from 252 mph to a standstill in less than 10 seconds. The braking is also so evenly applied that the car will not deviate from a straight path if the driver lets go of the steering wheel, even with the brakes fully applied starting from close to top speed. [1]
Reviews
Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 said the following about the Bugatti Veyron in UK auto magazine evo during its development period: "The most pointless exercise on the planet has got to be this four-wheel-drive 1000 horsepower Bugatti. I think it’s incredibly childish this thing people have about just one element – top speed or standing kilometre or 0-60. It’s about as narrow minded as you can get as a car designer to pick on one element. It’s like saying we’re going to beat the original Mini because we’re going to make a car 10 mph faster on its top speed – but it's two foot longer and 200 kilos heavier. That’s not car designing – that just reeks of a company who are paranoid."[citation needed]
However, after the car had made production, Murray went on to write an article for another UK auto magazine, Top Gear conceding a lot of his past resentment of the car. "One really good thing, and I simply never expected this, is that it does change direction. It hardly feels its weight. Driving it on a circuit I expected a sack of cement, but you can really throw it at tight chicanes" He also declared in the article that: "The braking is phenomenal," "The primary ride and body control are good too" and "It's a huge achievement."[citation needed]
The trend of backtracking on negative comments about the Veyron continued when prominent UK car show host Jeremy Clarkson declared that it was "The best car ever made" after initially saying it was ridiculous and would never exist on motoring show Top Gear.[2]
Official unveiling
The production Veyron was shown for the first time on October 19, 2005 at the Tokyo Motor Show. The official United States launch for the production version occurred at the 2006 Los Angeles International Auto Show in January. Visual differences between the prototype and production Veyrons are slight, but noticeable marks include the addition of marker lights or reflectors on the front fenders and a more pronounced "dorsal spine" on the hood (reminiscent of the Bugatti Atlantic), especially near the windshield.
Six Veyrons were sold at the 2005 Dubai Motor Show in December, reportedly including the demonstration models used on the stands there. These would be the first reported private sales of the car.[3] Reports also indicate that deposits have been taken on 45 Veyrons as of December.
Sales and service
Bugatti originally planned to build 300 Veyrons over five years. In March 2006, Bugatti president Bscher claimed to have 70 firm orders, selling out 14 months of production. In response, the company is reportedly speeding up production, with all 70 cars expected to be built in 2006. Bscher also reported that 14 cars have been completed and most will be shipped to the United States. It is not clear how many are in the hands of customers.[1]
The cars will be sold directly from the factory to customers or at 20 Bentley dealers worldwide. These include dealerships in London, Miami, Troy, Beverly Hills, San Diego, Pasadena, and Greenwich.
Maintenance will be possible at Bentley dealerships, but repair service will require a flown-in mechanic, whom the company promises will be available 24 hours a day.
Final numbers
Vehicle type: mid-engine, all-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
Base Price: € 1,000,000 (£810,000, 1,300,000 USD)
Engine type: quad-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 64-valve W-16, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 7998 cm³ (488 in³)
Performance ratings (C/D est):
- Zero to 62 mph (100 km/h): 2.4 s
- Zero to 100 mph (162 km/h): 5.7 s
- Zero to 150 mph (243 km/h): 10.6 s
- Zero to 200 mph (324 km/h): 21.5 s
- Zero to 100 km/h: 2.5 s
- Zero to 200 km/h: 7.3 s
- Zero to 300 km/h: 16.7 s
Top speed (observed at governor): 253 mph (407 km/h)
Projected fuel economy (C/D est):
- EPA city driving: 7 mpg U.S. (34 L/100 km)
- EPA highway driving: 10 mpg U.S. (24 L/100 km)
- Steady 253 mph (409 km/h): 2.1 mpg U.S. (112 L/100 km)
Trivia
- In a speed race, the McLaren F1 could be allowed to reach 120 mph before the Bugatti started, with the Bugatti still being first to reach 200 mph, according to the host of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson.
- In one of Top Gear's races, Richard Hammond and James May attempted to beat Clarkson in a race across Europe using transport other than a car, from Italy to England to transport a truffle. Clarkson used the Veyron, while Hammond and May used a variety of transport, with May flying the Cessna 182 due to his newly obtained pilot's licence, and the use of the Eurostar, when it was revealed that May was not qualified to fly at night.[2]
- The Transformers: Cybertron character "Crosswise" transforms into a noticeably modified Veyron.
- Jeremy Clarkson has said that, if placed on a long enough straight, the Veyron will empty its 100-Liter tank of petrol in approximately 12 minutes, if run at full speed.
References
- Jeremy Clarkson Review Timesonline.co.uk
- Ray Hutton (2005). "Inside Château Bugatti". Car and Driver. 50 (11): 112–118.
{{cite journal}}: External link in|title= - "Bugatti's Veyron back on test track". AutoWeek. Retrieved May 12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - Csaba Csere (2005). "Bugatti Veyron 16.4". Car and Driver. 51.
{{cite journal}}: External link in|title= - Bugatti Veyron wallpapers
- "2006 Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4". Automobile Magazine. Retrieved December 13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - European First Drive: 2006 Bugatti Veyron. Edmund's.
- mph Magazine's take on the Veyron
- www.bugattipage.com/ride
- Bugatti Veyron - When pigs fly
- Bugatti Veyron - Technik im Detail (in German)
- Official Specifications by Bugatti
- Bugatti EB Veyron 16.4 on Xelopolis.com
- Bugatti Veyron news
Notes
External pictures galleries
- Bugatti Veyron High Resolution Bugatti Veyron Images
- Bugatti Veyron Picture Gallery
- Wallpapers, Pictures : Bugatti EB Veyron 16.4