Bugatti Veyron – Still the planet’s number one supercar
“What colour is your Bugatti?” That’s a question that a certain divisive social media influencer has made part of modern culture in recent months. And whatever your view of said influencer is, you can’t deny that he does indeed have a point.
Unbelievably it has been almost two decades since the French supercar was released onto the market, and the road legal rocket ship still remains the planet’s number one sports car. It’s the car that billionaires and playboys the world over strive to own, and with only 450 of these 1,000+ horsepower beasts on the planet today, if you own a Bugatti Veyron, you are certainly in the most elite of clubs.
Even Formula One teams have been unable to knock the Veyron from its lofty perch. The likes of Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari regularly battle it out for the F1 World Championship on a yearly basis, and all three of them have released supercars of their own in recent years, but none of them can hold a candle to the Veyron.
In 2022, Ferrari released their SF90 Stradale, and while that also is a monster of a machine, it doesn’t match up to Bugatti’s Volkswagen-assisted creation. Neither does the McLaren Artura nor Mercedes’ ‘The One,’ which will cost any potential suitors upwards of $2m.
Even if you are a petrolhead like us, you will find yourself transfixed to Formula One. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is the current reigning champion, and online bookmakers such as Bovada, which provide Motor Sports odds and outrights, have made the young Dutchman the favourite to retain his crown next season. But one has to wonder how he would compare in a race against the mighty Veyron.
The story of the Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron is one of the most coveted luxury cars of all time. It was first released in 2005 and it has been the topic of conversation ever since. This car is so special that it is almost like a work of art.
So what makes this car so special? Let’s start with the basics.
The Veyron is powered by an 8.0-liter, four-turbocharged, sixteen-cylinder engine that produces 1,001 horsepower and 1,250 pound-feet of torque. It goes from 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds and has a top speed of over 250 mph. It’s designed with an all-wheel-drive system and is equipped with an advanced suspension system that helps it handle exceptionally well.
When the Veyron was first released, it wasn’t one of the cheapest super cars and had a starting price of $1.7 million. Nowadays, the prices range from $3-8 million, depending on the age and model of the car. Of course, that price tag comes with a lot of additional features, such as carbon-ceramic brakes, LED headlights, and even a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Veyron is a rare car and only 450 have been made in its 18-year existence. This makes it an even more desirable and coveted car for collectors and luxury car aficionados alike.
It’s no wonder why the Bugatti Veyron has been the topic of conversation for the past 18 years. It’s a car that combines power, performance, and style into one package. It’s a car that is truly a work of art and is worth every penny of its hefty price tag.
Everyone’s favourite Top Gear special
Such is the mastery of the Bugatti Veyron, it even had its own Top Gear special back in the day. No, we aren’t talking about the modern Top Gear, which is presented by former England cricketer Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, motoring journalist Chris Harris, and comedian Paddy McGuinness. We are talking about the original Top Gear, which was perhaps the finest motoring-related TV show in entertainment history.
Back in 2005, shortly after the Veyron was unleashed on the public, presenting geniuses Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond contested a race across Europe. Clarkson was at the wheel of the Veyron, while Hammond and ‘Captain Slow’ flew in a Cessna 182 light aircraft.
The race started in Alba in Northern Italy and would cross through Switzerland and France before finally arriving in the United Kingdom. The episode of the TV show was a masterpiece and displayed the Veyron in all its glory.
Clarkson repeatedly got the best out of the car, even lowering the machine’s rear wing in an attempt to reach the French beast’s top speed. Meanwhile, May and Hammond were encountering some difficulties and had to use the Eurostar from Paris to London on the final leg of their trip. In the end, it was the Veyron that won, and won comfortably.
The car clearly impressed the notoriously hard-to-please Clarkson. The Doncaster-born journalist turned presenter ran out of superlatives when he was trying to describe the car. Any car that impresses Jeremy Clarkson to such an extent is always going to be difficult to top.
And in the 18 years, since its release, no manufacturer has successfully managed to nock the Bugatti Veyron off of its lofty perch at the top of the supercar mountain.
How does Bugatti’s newest creation compare?
In 2016, French manufacturer Bugatti added another supercar to their collection, the Bugatti Chiron. And this machine is also a beast of epic proportions. The car has a whopping top speed of 261mph, some eight mph faster than that of its predecessor.
The Chiron has a mammoth 8.0L quad-turbocharged W16 engine which generates almost 1,500 horsepower and ensures that the missile of a car goes from 0-60 in barely two seconds. Blink and you’ll miss it.
Should you be interested in acquiring Bugatti’s newest creation, you’ll need to stump up €2.4m, including the placement of a €200,000 deposit to ensure production on your vehicle starts. Yes that’s right, even though the super machine was created back in 2016 and Bugatti stated that they would create just 500 of the vehicles, all 500 still haven’t yet been manufactured.
In the famous words of Jim Carrey from Dumb and Dumber: “So, you’re saying there’s a chance?”
