Roofless Tyrant: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport enters production
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport – Click above for a high-res image galleryThe marque's faithful (read: the obscenely wealthy) have been waiting a long time for a convertible Bugatti. The last time a roadster rolled out of Molsheim was in the company's heyday before WWII, and despite our teenage fantasies, no roofless EB110 ever materialized from the Romano Artioli era. But after over a half century's wait, Bugatti has officially returned to the world of open-air motoring.
The most exclusive of exclusive automakers came to Pebble Beach last year with the Veyron Grand Sport, and auctioned off the first example for a whopping $2.19 million. Now the targa-topped Veyron is officially beginning its production run, with deliveries to commence in July. If you're one of those who's been waiting for the opportunity, good economy or bad, you'd better act quickly: Bugatti is only making 150 examples of the world's fastest roadster, with the first 50 units going to existing Veyron owners. Asking price, before the inevitable succession of special editions, is nearly $2 million, which ought to make your eyes water even more than the air kissing your face at 224 mph. Check out the details in the press release after the jump and the fresh crop of high-res images added to the gallery below.
Gallery: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport
[Source: Bugatti]
PRESS RELEASE
Production start for the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport
Media and customers complete first test drives
Cannes, May 2009 - Last year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California was the setting for the very first public presentation of the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. The response was extremely positive and now production of this roadster – limited to 150 units – is to begin at Molsheim. At the same time, the media and customers are taking their first test drives.
The new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport confronted the marque renowned for impeccable automotive solutions, aesthetics and driving dynamics with a whole new set of challenges. In response to customer demand, significant modifications have been made to the vehicle's complex structure so as to enable 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 its 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 . As the roof is an integral part of the vehicle's structure, 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 in the event of a 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 integrated 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 the roof off. Should it rain, an innovative soft-top roof, like an umbrella, stored in the luggage compartment, can be opened up at any time. With this soft top in place, the car can
travel at up to 160 km/h.
More than just an open Veyron
"When I had the chance to test-drive the new Grand Sport for the first time myself, I was filled with excitement", said Pierre Henri Raphanel, Bugatti's Pilot official, "as soon I shifted into second gear, I knew this was a completely different car. I could immediately feel the difference. Even with the roof still on, in the tips of my fingers and at the base of my spine everything was more present, more intimate. More precise with less understeer, almost as if you had taken away some filters from the suspension and the steering." The former Le Mans winner has probably driven more kilometres in a Veyron than anyone else, presenting the car to numerous customers and the press. Taking off the roof "the excitement comes directly from the engine – giving you the feeling that you had a horsepower factory just thirty centimetres behind your head, trying to suck you up and swallow you," he raves.
Assembled by hand at the company's headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace, the Grand Sport will be delivered from July 2009 onwards at a price of 1.4 million euros (excluding taxes and transportation). Just 150 units will be made, with the first 50 of these going exclusively to registered Bugatti customers. So far 30 Grand
Sports have been ordered. The Chassis Number one auctioned at the Pebble Beach Auction by Gooding and Company last summer and sold for 3.19 million Dollar. The additional revenues of 900.000 Dollar were donated by Bugatti to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation Charity.
Production start for the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport
Media and customers complete first test drives
Cannes, May 2009 - Last year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California was the setting for the very first public presentation of the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. The response was extremely positive and now production of this roadster – limited to 150 units – is to begin at Molsheim. At the same time, the media and customers are taking their first test drives.
The new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport confronted the marque renowned for impeccable automotive solutions, aesthetics and driving dynamics with a whole new set of challenges. In response to customer demand, significant modifications have been made to the vehicle's complex structure so as to enable 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 its 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 . As the roof is an integral part of the vehicle's structure, 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 in the event of a 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 integrated 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 the roof off. Should it rain, an innovative soft-top roof, like an umbrella, stored in the luggage compartment, can be opened up at any time. With this soft top in place, the car can
travel at up to 160 km/h.
More than just an open Veyron
"When I had the chance to test-drive the new Grand Sport for the first time myself, I was filled with excitement", said Pierre Henri Raphanel, Bugatti's Pilot official, "as soon I shifted into second gear, I knew this was a completely different car. I could immediately feel the difference. Even with the roof still on, in the tips of my fingers and at the base of my spine everything was more present, more intimate. More precise with less understeer, almost as if you had taken away some filters from the suspension and the steering." The former Le Mans winner has probably driven more kilometres in a Veyron than anyone else, presenting the car to numerous customers and the press. Taking off the roof "the excitement comes directly from the engine – giving you the feeling that you had a horsepower factory just thirty centimetres behind your head, trying to suck you up and swallow you," he raves.
Assembled by hand at the company's headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace, the Grand Sport will be delivered from July 2009 onwards at a price of 1.4 million euros (excluding taxes and transportation). Just 150 units will be made, with the first 50 of these going exclusively to registered Bugatti customers. So far 30 Grand
Sports have been ordered. The Chassis Number one auctioned at the Pebble Beach Auction by Gooding and Company last summer and sold for 3.19 million Dollar. The additional revenues of 900.000 Dollar were donated by Bugatti to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation Charity.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kumail 3:08PM (5/31/2009)
Going 250 with the top down would be amazing.
Reply
Aloysius Vampa 3:22PM (5/31/2009)
Unfortunately, it can't. Top down you can "only" do 360 km/h.
Carlos 3:18PM (5/31/2009)
For as ridiculously fast it goes, I don't like it. It isn't a very nice looking car.
Reply
JDM Life 3:26PM (5/31/2009)
That is hot.
Reply
bgkeen 3:29PM (5/31/2009)
To be honest, with those wheels and no roof it kind of looks like a kit car.
Reply
smythe 3:33PM (5/31/2009)
Man this thing is a driving disaster, you could only drive this thing in not so busy areas, people are so busy looking at the thing in aww they will probably crash into you or someone else like that lady on the scooter. I know i almost crashed into a bus when i first saw a mc12 in vancouver.
Reply
Hike15 3:46PM (5/31/2009)
This i why i dont drive around such nice cars...I let other people drive and make sure i get the front seat.
chop 3:56PM (5/31/2009)
i like how the pictures of the blue veyron, wherever it is, is photographed with some "hot" bikini models. checkout the babe on pic 2 and the yoked out bodybuilder in pic 3.
Reply
Aloysius Vampa 4:02PM (5/31/2009)
Ugh... that's just cruel.
VW GTi 4:03PM (5/31/2009)
Enough with the special edition Bugatti Veyrons already!!!
Reply
Aloysius Vampa 4:34PM (5/31/2009)
To be fair, this isn't a new "special edition."
VW GTi 4:40PM (5/31/2009)
True, but there have been at least 6 different versions of this car though.
Visnick 7:21PM (5/31/2009)
At least this one is special
PJ 4:39PM (5/31/2009)
I'm probably in the minority here, but I really don't like the way the convertible conversion turned out. Those giant nacelles over the air intakes give it a really awkward rear aspect, and taking away the roof has turned a curvaceous rump, aesthetically, into a huge ass--as in Nissan's 350Z Convertible.
I'm not a huge fan of the Veyron anyway. There's something crass about building a 1,000 hp, two-ton, 4WD, quad-turbo supercar, not for use in competition or as a tech testbed, but simply to be impressively *excessive* to its nouveau-riche buyers. For that kind of money, give me a Miura, a Daytona, a couple of 440 Super Bees, and one of each Lotus--and a couple hundred grand in change.
Reply
VW GTi 4:43PM (5/31/2009)
Agreed. Besides, hardtops are generally stiffer and are lighter. Could you imagine wind noise at 224 mph with the top down? That would hurt if you got hit by a bug!!!
Hike15 4:45PM (5/31/2009)
I never really saw much of a difference between the two, especially with the top up.
I think with the top up they are exactly the same, with the exception that you can still see the sky on the convertible.
sparrk 4:58PM (5/31/2009)
the Veyron is a car for people that already have a Miura , 5 Daytonas, 3 yachts, 5 Houses, 2 private jets... you get the picture.
there is always some smartass posting "with that money i would buy ". no one cares what you would buy, if you have to look at the price than the car is clearly not for you. let the rich spend their money how they chose.
what's with the hatred towards rich people , is communism taking over the world ?
PJ 5:05PM (5/31/2009)
Wasn't aware that I had to be rich to express my opinion.
Cory 3:55PM (6/01/2009)
Hating on rich people is more fun than hating on poor people. The Veyron is awesome in its existence. I don't care who buys it or what they do with it. But if no one ever buys cars like this no one will make cars like this. And that would be sad.
Redline 4:59PM (5/31/2009)
It looks really nice in white. Veyron remains an awesome car.
Reply