Autoblog

Britain's Autocar magazine recently gathered a formidable roster of supercars (and one of the greatest sportbikes ever produced) for its annual 0-100-0 showdown.

The winner of the gathering was the Bugatti Veyron, which continues to walk the walk like no supercar before it. Consider the breakdown of the Veyron's performance:

• 0-60: 2.8 seconds (!)
• 0-100: 5.5 seconds (double-!)

By the time the car came to a stop, 9.9 seconds had elapsed.

That is insane.

The Veyron weighs 4,100 pounds. This kind of performance should not be remotely possible. But it is -- and the Veyron carries its passengers in unapologetically luxurious surroundings to boot. This isn't a stripped out Ariel Atom (3rd place) or a Lotus 340R. This is a luxury machine that happens to be able to make the jump to hyperspace regardless of whether or not Chewbacca is riding shotgun. For heaven's sake, it beat a Suzuki GSXR-1000 (2nd place) . A Gixxer 1000! Good grief.

It is astonishing in every respect. Some are going to come out and say that other cars on the list after the jump are almost as fast for a tiny fraction of the Veyron's cost.

True.

But none of those cars have the presence of the Veyron. It is the ultimate showstopper. It breaks all ties. It is worth every single penny.

(Pics, press release, competition results all after the jump)

[Source: Autocar]
Photos:


Press Release:

Triumph for Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron has wiped the floor with the opposition in Autocar's annual 0-100-0mph contest, featured in the current issue of the world's oldest car magazine, even managing to beat a Suzuki GSX-R1000 superbike.

Featuring 25 of the world's fastest cars, from the 14th placed £79,995 Aston Martin V8 Vantage to the second-placed £34,995 Ariel Atom, the shoot-out pitches the cars against each other in a straight fight to see which is the fastest to 100mph. There's more to it than just outright speed though – slowing from 100mph to a dead halt is just as important.

The Veyron, with its 987bhp 16-cylinder engine, wasn't necessarily the favourite to win. "A low weight tends to be the key to a good 0-100-0mph car," said Autocar's road test editor Adam Towler. "Cars like the Ariel Atom and Caterham Superlight historically dominate this contest."

But the 1890kg £880,000 Bugatti ripped through the gears to hit 60mph in 2.8sec and 100mph in an astonishing 5.5sec. It then stopped in just 3.4sec, giving a 0-100-0mph time of 9.9sec.

Not only is the Bugatti faster than the Suzuki, it creates more g-force at maximum acceleration than you'd experience in an F-16 jet fighter at take off or when skydiving.

But the lightweights still turned in an impressive performance, from the relatively unknown £32k Brooke Double R in fourth place to the £35k Ariel Atom 300 in second.

"Although the Veyron is undoubtedly the quickest road car ever, you can still have nearly as much fun for much less money," said Adam Towler. "It's good to see British sports cars doing so well against such an impressive machine as the Bugatti."

Autocar also brought along an A1 GP car, driven by Brit Robbie Kerr, to see how a purpose-built race car would compare with road-going machinery. The 550bhp single seater weighs just 695kg, and proved to be the fastest vehicle on the day with a 0-100-0mph time of 8.4sec.

Competing Cars        0-100-0 Time (seconds)   

A1 GP            8.40

Bugatti Veyron         9.90

Suzuki GSX-R1000    10.70

Ariel Atom S'Charged    11.00

Ariel Atom 450        11.05

Atom Private Owned    11.05

Caterham CSR260        11.95

Brooke Double R        12.50

Porsche 911 Turbo    12.50

Ford Focus WRC        13.57

Lambo Gallardo        13.65

Ascari KZ1        13.80

Corvette Z06        13.80

Alpina B6        14.80

BMW M6            14.95

TVR Tuscan 2        15.00

BMW M5            15.20

Audi RS4        15.80

Aston V8 Vantage    15.81

BMW Z4M Roadster    15.95

Porsche Cayman S    16.46

Lotus Exige S        16.60

Nissan 350Z        18.80

Vauxhall Astra Sprint    18.85

Vauxhall Astra VXR    19.05

Renault Megane F1    20.55

Mazda 6MPS        21.00

Ford Focus ST        21.35

Vauxhall Vectra VXR    22.35

Vauxhall Astra Thurlby    22.65