Just like the last time, when we drove the Bugatti Veyron, it began with an e-mail from Bugatti's PR firm: "Give me a call when you have a moment." And then, again, just like the last time, there came the question: "We have a Grand Sport. Can you do something with it?" Let. Me. See.

And that's how we ended up spending a day with the roofless Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport on a reference-resetting trip from Los Angeles to San Diego and back. Although you'll read many words after the jump to describe it, we really only need one word, and we'd draw it out in the same kind of smiling stupor we get when the dentist pumps us full of happy gas: "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh...."

Follow the jump for the story.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Episode 2 of Top Gear's 13th season aired last night in the UK, and the main event was a one-mile drag race between the McLaren F1 and the Bugatti Veyron. Notice that we didn't say a McLaren F1 and a Bugatti Veyron. These two supercars are so super (and rare) that any single example tends to represent the whole run of each, and since your chances of encountering two of either kind in the same place are practically nill, they might as well be the only ones in existence.

The Top Gear crew chose Abu Dhabi as the location for its supercar shootout. With an arid climate that sees practically no rain or freezing-and-thawing cycles, the roads in Abu Dhabi are long, straight and, most importantly, free of pot holes. Richard Hammond chooses to pilot the Bug and The Stig takes the centrally located wheel of the F1. We won't spoil the results except to say that this is the most real and nail-biting competition that we've seen on Top Gear in a long time.

Follow the jump to watch yesteryear's supercar, the McLaren F1, go head-to-head with today's top dog, the Bugatti Veyron. Thanks for the tip, Will!

[Source: YouTube]

French graphic designer Bruno Delusso didn't want to be bothered with the engineering and mechanical issues that plague the average concept car – he just wanted to create something stunning. So by throwing production feasibility, drivetrain components and caution to the wind, he succeeded.

Inspired by the Bugatti Type 57, Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Mille Miglia and Raymond Loewy's locomotive designs, Delusso rendered up this: the Bugatti Stratos. Aside from the rear window and grille, it's difficult to peg the Stratos as anything more than futuristic, Photoshop-enhanced navel-gazing, but the design speaks for itself, so check it out in the image gallery below.



[Source: Delusso via Carscoop]

Production of the Veyron Grand Sport, Bugatti's roadster version of the ultimate super car, is just getting underway at the automaker's factory in Molsheim, France. Accordingly, Bugatti has released a batch of new high-res pics that were taken last year in such places as Napa Valley (hence the wine reference), Rome and Sardinia when the car debuted. Now, keep in mind, you don't just take a Sawzall to a Veyron's roof and get a Grand Sport. The GS gets a higher windscreen, daytime running lights and a transparent polycarbonate roof panel or umbrella-like soft top. There's also enough extra bracing beneath the carbon fiber skin to survive a black hole, and the two large air intakes above the engine are now reinforced to act as rollover bars.

The Veyron GS can go nearly 253 mph with its roof panel on, almost as fast as the straight coupe. Sans roof panel it can still hit almost 224 mph, and the soft top brings things down a top speed of just 99 mph. Only 150 units will be made, which means the 1.4 million euro Veyron Grand Sport is an ultra exclusive version of an already ultra exclusive car. Deliveries start in July and 30 have already ordered.

BONUS: This image is extra special because we took it while driving the car ourselves. Keep an eye out for Autoblog's First Drive of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, coming soon.

Yesterday we happened to be in Beverly Hills and came across a dealership that had not one, but two Bugatti Veyrons for sale. Of course, we had to stop in to check the cars out, and found that one was actually production #001. According to the dealer, O'Gara Coach, the car only has 400 miles on the odometer. The price tag? As the saying goes, if you have to ask then you can't afford. We'll tell you anyway. O'Gara Coach has the price tag listed at just under $2.4 million. While having #001 would be pretty cool, we'd actually opt for the black-on-black model that was also in the showroom. Not that we will ever come close to being able to afford either, but we can always dream. We've uploaded a high-res gallery of both Bugattis that can be browsed below.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Not all of us have over a million to spend on a new car, otherwise we'd all be driving Bugatti Veyrons, right? Or at least most of us would. So how about $25,000 – that's a bit closer, right? Well now you can get your hands on a Veyron for just that amount. Unfortunately the twenty-five grand will only get you one day behind the wheel of the super-fast, super-expensive supercar.

Holders Vehicle Contracts, an exotic rental company in England, has got a Veyron on its hands that it's willing to rent out to anyone who can shell out the £16,000 (about $25k). Oh, and did we mention would-be renters will need to put down a $160,000 deposit? That's a little bit steeper than the typical contract down at the your local Hertz, but then that Chevrolet Impala or Ford Mustang convertible isn't going to get you up to 250 miles per hour, now is it?

[Source: Top Gear]

The concept of an "ordinary Bugatti" doesn't exist, all the more so when you're talking about the ultra-desirable Type 57. But even by Bugatti standards, this example is... well, exemplary. What you're looking at here is Ettore Bugatti's own Bugatti, a unique example built in 1936 for the founder's birthday, and managed to stay in pristine condition ever since. While restoration is commonplace for vehicles of this vintage, this example is strictly original. Despite its embattled location in Alsace right on the French-German border, Bugatti managed to keep this Type 57 safe during WWII. Following the war after Ettore died, the company upgraded the car and sold it in the 50's. Since then it has only changed hands a couple of times, and is poised to do so once again at the upcoming Gooding & Company auction at Pebble Beach in August. If the controversial Auto Union D-Type #19 can't do it, then this vehicle surely stands a chance at breaking the auction record set last month by the $12m 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, especially considering that the long-neglected Type 57 Atalante found in a barn recently sold for $4.4m. More information in the press release after the jump, and high-res images in the gallery below.




[Source: Gooding & Company]

The 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.



[Source: Bugatti]

Last night we got the chance to live out a lifelong fantasy of sorts when we attended The 15th Annual Petersen Automotive Museum Gala. The theme this year was California Dreaming, and along with several woodys and Cal-cool hot rods, there were tons of Hawaiian shirts around to support the cause. This year's fundraising event honored Tom McKernan of the Auto Club of Southern California (aka AAA), with a private concert by Brian Wilson and his band. While the party was being staged upstairs, we were free to wander around the downstairs exhibits in near isolation. It was almost like that childhood dream of being locked in a museum overnight by ourselves. Fortunately, Ben Stiller never showed up, but we did get a chance to say hello to Ashley and John Force, Rita Moreno, Tom Selleck and Billy Gibbons, among others. Follow the jump to read the rest of the story and don't forget to check out the gallery as well.


All photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Ever since the first Bugatti Veyron laid ply on public roads, the automotive industry's rumormill has periodically buzzed about a sedan stablemate for the plutocratic supercar. While a sedan variant makes a good deal of sense (especially as Bugatti parent Volkswagen is unlikely to realize a profit from Ettore's brand until it can expand the range), we have yet to see any tangible four-wheeled evidence that plans are afoot.

Even now, we still don't, but that hasn't stopped AutoExpress from issuing some new artist's renderings that it says depicts a four-door model that will be unveiled at this September's Frankfurt Motor Show. The "hyper-saloon," will reportedly inspired by Bugatti's 1927 Type 41 Royale, though we're not really seeing anything approaching an homage to that car in sketches shown.

In any case, AE says Bugatti may be collaborating with Bentley (another VW Group luxury property) to co-develop a new front-engine platform that would underpin both the Bug sedan and the next Arnage. Even if that is the case, the UK publication maintains that the Veyron's all-wheel drive and 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine will be maintained.

Assuming the project gets the green light, AE says to expect 60 mph in three seconds and a top whack of 250 mph.

[Source: AutoExpress]