Filed under: Convertibles, Supercars, Bugatti, Misc. Auto Shows
Monterey 2008: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport
by Damon Lavrinc on Aug 16th 2008 at 9:04PM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport.
The wraps – and the roof – have come off the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport here in Monterey, finally answering a question few have asked and even fewer will sample.
As you'd expect, Bugatti hasn't just hacked the roof off the Veyron and gone to the pub. The windshield is slightly higher, the daytime running lights have been tweaked and then there's the showpiece: a removable, transparent polycarbonate roof, which blends the A-pillars into two painted carbon fiber strips that lead into the massive air intakes feeding the 1001 hp, quad-turbocharged, W16.
If you stow the roof at home for the world's fastest open-air, four-wheeled experience and the heavens decide to open, a folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be – according to Bugatti – "opened like an umbrella." With the soft-top in place, speeds are limited to an incredibly low 130 km/h (81 mph), otherwise, the Grand Sport can hit 252 mph with the polycarbonate roof and 224 mph with the top removed.
Bugatti made several structural enhancements to ensure the Grand Sport shares the same chassis rigidity and safety standards as its fixed roof counterpart. The monocoque has been reinforced around the side skirts and transmission tunnel, the doors feature new longitudinal beams, and the air intakes have been redesigned to include ten-centimeter-wide carbon fiber elements to protect occupants in the event of rollover.
Only 150 examples will be made available, with the first 50 going to registered Bugatti customers. The first model will be auctioned off at the Gooding & Company auction tomorrow night, with all the profits over the 1.4 million euro ($2.05 million) sticker going to charity.
Hit the jump for the press release.
Gallery: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport
Live Photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.
PRESS RELEASE
Bugatti expands product range
New Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport to be unveiled on 16 August 2008 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Molsheim/Pebble Beach, August 16, 2008 – The world's most significant celebration of the automobile takes place annually in Monterey, California. This year, it will see some of the most elegant, exclusive, and valuable vehicles ever produced in over 100 years of motoring, with Bugatti set to play a prominent role. On the evening prior to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the highlight of the event, the marque renowned for impeccable automotive solutions, aesthetics and driving dynamics will unveil a second model to the world – the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with a unique removable roof.
In response to customer demand, significant modifications have been made to the vehicle's complex structure to make possible open-top driving, thereby adding a new dimension to this high-performance sports car. Incorporating a host of new and innovative safety and equipment features, it is the world's fastest and most exciting roadster. It is immediately recognizable as a result of its slightly higher windscreen, stylized daytime running lights, and lightweight, transparent polycarbonate roof.
The main challenge in developing the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with removable roof resulted from the unique structure of the fixed-roof Bugatti Veyron. An optimum combination of rigidity and lightweight engineering ensures the monocoque passenger cell of the original model is extremely strong while weighing an absolute minimum – it is a central element of the vehicle's structure. As the roof is an integral part of this, removing it meant the load paths had to be completely redesigned to maintain the vehicle's rigidity and crash safety, and to offer additional protection from side impacts and rolling.
As a result, the monocoque structure has been reinforced around the side skirts and the transmission tunnel. The B-pillars have been cross-stiffened using a carbon fibre support, and a central carbon plate has been positioned beneath the transmission tunnel to ensure the vehicle suffers from less torsional flexing than any other roadster.
The doors of the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport are made of carbon fibre, and house an integrated longitudinal beam.
In the event of an accident, this transfers the load from the A to the B-pillar, thereby dissipating impact energy. Furthermore, the two redesigned air intakes for the 16-cylinder mid-engine now feature 10-centimetre wide carbon-fibre elements to offer protection should the car roll.
Along with moisture-resistant, backstitched leather, a range of new equipment features has been added to the interior, including a reversing camera with 2.7-inch monitor in the rear-view-mirror, and the "Puccini" sound system with digital signal processor. When the roof is closed, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport can reach 407 km/h, while speeds of up to 360 km/h are possible with roof off. Should it rain, an innovative folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be opened up like an umbrella at any time. When this
folding roof is in place, the car can travel at up to 130 km/h. Assembled by hand at the company's headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport will be available from March 2009 at the price of 1.4 million euros (excluding tax). Just 150 examples will be made, with the first 50 of these going exclusively to registered Bugatti customers. The first vehicle is certain to be highly sought after, and Bugatti has taken the decision to donate this specific car to charity. It will be sold to the highest bidder at the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
meshies 9:17PM (8/16/2008)
DROOOOOOOOOOOOOL. Looks great, headlights are real smooth.
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3seriesisking 9:45PM (8/16/2008)
I agree. Very, very nice. Gorgeous.
xplode 12:01PM (8/17/2008)
why do the front and real tires appear to be different profiles? sure they're staggered, but you'd want to end up with the same profile? looks weird... might be the angle. if i read the tire markings right there's not that much of a difference (10mm) but it caught my eye. strange, that, as it's such a beautiful car :)
WhyNotTheC63? 3:12AM (8/18/2008)
Boring--All the time they spent re-developing the 16.4 to Gran Sport, and this is it. I expected something, more sexy. This is mega exclusive, but doesn't scream or even whisper, "Look at me", "I'm special", or "I'm way better than you regular Veyron owner" anymore than the coupé does. Not worth it. I'd take the money, buy Zonda Clubsport [http://www.anamera.com/en/detail/car/25076/index.html] Can still take her top of and show off the tits inside. In Monaco, you'd get noticed quicker in the Zonda than the Veyron, I'm sure. They might be thinking, "WTF is that thing, looks crazy." But they'd notice.
User 1:16PM (8/18/2008)
"but doesn't scream or even whisper, "Look at me", "I'm special", or "I'm way better than you regular Veyron owner" anymore than the coupé does."
Not everyone needs that. It's a sad thing if you have to tell the world you're very rich...
I think this car speaks to people who already know luxury. This car is about details, not about a radical design or the brightest shade of orange you can paint it in. Look at that leather. (It's like it's straight off a Hermes saddle.) Look at those headlights. (They're as sharp as a Breitling watch.) Look at those mirrors and wheels. (They look like they were bought at Tiffany & Co.) This car clearly shows that every part of it is the best of the best without requiring the bright green paint of a Porsche GT3 or the over-styled stance of a Lamborghini.
V3LOCIP3D3 9:19PM (8/16/2008)
224mph with the top off . . . . that just doesn't sound safe
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2007RC46SP2 11:38PM (8/16/2008)
as your passenger gets sucked out
Hakem 9:20PM (8/16/2008)
Yes, because the rest of the earth just can't spend that 1 million dollars in spare change fast enough.
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Mike!!ekiM 10:35PM (8/16/2008)
What an incredible waste of money.
This is what we get with our new 1929 like "gilded age", extravagant waste of money, instead of people covered by health care plans. Go WalMart!
The top 1% is driving this country into the toilet.
Jeff Banks 10:58PM (8/16/2008)
Well, if you want to get into a debate over economics 101, i'd rather take the Bugatti. This car by itself is a massive engineering feat...there are probably hundreds of engineers and artists who styled and designed everything, as well as many, many (I would imagine well paid) mechanics and assembly workers who work to keep these rediculous things on the road.
why not the LS2LS7? 1:12AM (8/17/2008)
Making something more powerful by doubling the size of the engine isn't the toughest engineering task in the world. No, it's not trivial either, but any major company that felt they could sell a 987HP car (like this) in sufficient numbers to make financial sense could probably put something together.
Daniel 2:48AM (8/17/2008)
WhyNot:
Finally someone responds to a post about this car with the same views as me. It's NOT impressive to build a car like this considering it's coming from the Volks Group. It might be an amazing car, but far from impressive. Anyone could build a car like this given the appropriate (read: unlimited) funds. It's for reasons like this that I'm more of a Konig/SSC fan
Pdex 6:28AM (8/17/2008)
Yes every car company could do this... but the fact is that they don't have something like this in production.
Bugatti isn't even the fastest car anymore, but like many reviews i have read have said that the most amazing thing with this car is that you dont actually even notice the speed when you are going 350km/h. While Koenigsndjhc feels like it's going to broke at any moment. Yes it goes like ****, but still it's less a hassle than some lower end sport cars.
Bugatti ain't my dream car, but i do think that it deserves some of the hype it have had.
MONTE 4:21PM (8/17/2008)
Mike!!ekiM if you hate it here so much then you can either:
1. Get a job and buy your own expensive cars
2. Move to a Communist or Socialist country where you can be poor like everyone else there.
3. Shut the hell up and get over it.
This is a Capitolist country and it's not my job to make enough money to pay for lazy ass people's welfare babies. If everyone in this Country had the desire to work then maybe people would feel a little more like helping them, but until then to hell with them. By the way, some people don't have computers in this country so it's only right that you give a more deserving person your's.
Zane 9:21PM (8/16/2008)
Is it just me or does the Veyron in white look a bit sporty in that picture?
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richmajor86 5:05AM (8/17/2008)
really dont like the white. Nor the chrome rims. How gross.
Azael 9:32PM (8/17/2008)
I saw this car in person yesterday and it just stole the show by distracting the 30 people gawking at a standard Veyron in black with red. It is absolutely gorgeous.
tufcustomer 6:17PM (8/19/2008)
i like chrome rims...but thats only some..i really dont like these
coolremo 9:43PM (8/16/2008)
i'll take it!
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3seriesisking 9:45PM (8/16/2008)
This is one of the few cars I like in white. Looks very good.
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