Tag Archives: Bugatti Veyron

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Followup: Guinness reconfirms Bugatti Veyron's world record top speed

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By John Neff

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After taking last week to review the record category for World’s Fastest Production Car, Guinness World Records has reconfirmed that the holder of this hotly contested superlative remains the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

The Veyron Super Sport set the official record back in 2010 with a Guinness-verified speed of 267.8 miles per hour, but other interested parties have recently contested that record’s validity because the Veyron used that day had its speed limiter removed. With the speed limiter in place, the Veyron Super Sport tops out at 258 mph.

Guinness rules state that a record-setting production car must be unchanged from what is available to customers. While some, particularly Hennessey Performance, have claimed that removing the Veyron’s speed limiter violated that rule, Guinness has settled the matter by stating that “a change to the speed limiter does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine.”

This is a nice win for Bugatti on top of the news last week that the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse also set a record for the fastest open-top production car with a speed of 254.04 mph. That record, however, as far as we know, has not been verified by Guinness World Records.

For its part, Hennessey, whose claim against the validity of Bugatti’s record didn’t work this time, could potentially break the record outright if given enough road for its own Venom GT to run. The 1,244-horsepower Venom hit 265.7 mph earlier this year before running out of room on a two-mile runway, though those runs were not officially verified by Guinness. Nevertheless, there still remain questions about whether or not the Venom GT counts as a production car by Guinness standards. The world record authority defines “production” as building at least 50 examples and only 29 Venoms are supposed to be built, though Guinness does permit itself to grant exceptions.

Continue reading Guinness reconfirms Bugatti Veyron’s world record top speed

Guinness reconfirms Bugatti Veyron’s world record top speed originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse is World’s Fastest Roadster—Is Anyone Surprised?

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By Jens Meiners

2013 Shanghai Auto Show full coverage

Open-top motoring is about taking in the scenery more than about speed, but it’s good to have the capability to do both. This line of thinking has been taken to an extreme at Volkswagen’s ultra-luxury subsidiary Bugatti, which produces the open-top Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse. Powered by a 1200-hp, quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W-16, it is the world’s fastest production roadster, and this claim has just been cemented at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien, Germany, test track, where one of these monsters achieved 254.04 mph.

The Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse can be bested by few, one of them being the fixed-top Veyron Super Sport. Bugatti’s record run eclipses the original target for the open-top Veyron, which was set at 233 mph. The Grand Sport Vitesse is equipped with a “racing chassis” and reinforced anti-roll bars; the windbreaker and roof spoiler have been modified to cope with the extreme aerodynamic forces near the vehicle’s top speed.

Chinese businessman and racing driver Anthony Liu, who drove the car during its record run, eloquently gets to the heart of the major advantage of the roadster: “With an open top, you can really experience the sound of the engine.” Celebrating the record is the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse WRC edition, which will set customers back by a cool €1.99 million, or $2.6 million. Just eight units will be built, the first of which will debut at the Shanghai auto show.

The record run proves that Bugatti is as vibrant and alive as ever; the company’s engineers are busy working on the next-generation Veyron, as well as the Galibier four-door supercar. Based on what the Grand Sport Vitesse has delivered, they should be every bit as spectacular as we’ve come to expect from Bugatti.

From: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/nR3jh2Tyicw/

Automobiles

Bugatti Veyron… On a Track (Fuji Speedway attack): Video

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By Darryl

bugatti-veyron-track-fsw-attack

We all have seen the Bugatti Veyron on many straight tracks and long roads. But have we ever seen it attack a track? Here is the Veyron Grand Sport taking on Fuji Speedway by 2004 Le Mans winner, Seiji Ara. Enjoy!!!

From: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AutomotiveAddicts/~3/DoFoFjIvJB0/bugatti-veyron-on-a-track-fuji-speedway-attack-video

Automobiles

Bugatti Teases High-Performance Hangar Doors—Or Possibly a Car

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By Alexander Stoklosa

Cue dramatic music—Bugatti has released a preview image of . . . a pair of aircraft hangar doors slightly ajar. Okay, so that’s just the cutesie image Bugatti posted to its Facebook page, but it was accompanied by the promise that “the latest example of exceptional Bugatti performance” is on its way. It’s not clear whether the next big thing from Bugatti is even a car; rampant speculation within the Car and Driver office pegs it as anything from a Bugatti Edition Gulfstream V jet to the fastest-opening, highest-horsepower production doors of all time, or perhaps a high-performance cargo dolly developed specifically for use in that giant warehouse where the government keeps the Ark of the Covenant.

More likely, however, is that the next expression of exceptional Bugatti performance is the rumored replacement for the Veyron Super Sport. Speculation persists that the Super Sport’s successor will pack upward of 1600 horsepower in an effort to return the production-car speed record to Bugatti—recently lost to Hennessey’s Venom GT. It’s just as probable, though, that the French marque will reveal some kind of special-edition Veyron model. The Veyron is on its way out, meaning Bugatti’s got to keep churning out limited-edition rides to keep the car’s already high profile, uh, high. The Shanghai auto show kicks off this week, so Bugatti could be previewing a China-centric special edition. (We’d list all of the unique Veyron variants that have spawned in the past few years, but it’s far easier to direct you to search “Bugatti Veyron” on our site.) There’s a slim chance Bugatti could be rolling out its four-seat, ultra-expensive Veyron successor, but it’s not likely. Well, neither is a Bugatti-branded private jet—even if it does make tons of sense.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Video: Hennessey Venom GT goes 265.7 mph, claims top-speed crown from Veyron

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By Zach Bowman

Hennessey Venom GT

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It’s official: The Hennessy Venom GT has crested 265.7 miles per hour over the course of two miles during testing at the United States Naval Air Station in Lemoore, CA. Hennessey used two VBOX 3i data logging systems to document the run and even had VBOX officials on hand to certify the numbers. As you may recall, the Venom GT gets its thrust from a twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8 engine good for 1,244 horsepower and 1,155 pound-feet of torque. Needless to say, the lump has no problem pushing the 2,743-pound mid-engine coupe down a runway.

Now, Hennessey claims the new speed run makes the Venom GT the world’s fastest production car, seeing as how the Bugatti Veyron is limited to 258 mph from the factory. We’re thinking the Hennessey machine is on the bleeding edge of what we’d refer to as “production.” After all, the company used the seventh car produced for this test.

Even with two miles to stretch its legs, the Venom GT ran out of runway before it ran out of steam, which means Hennessey will be looking for even more space to attempt to find the car’s upper limits. Check out the video below to see the full run for yourself. You can also read through the full press release.

Continue reading Hennessey Venom GT goes 265.7 mph, claims top-speed crown from Veyron

Hennessey Venom GT goes 265.7 mph, claims top-speed crown from Veyron originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Rumormill: Rolls-Royce mulling V16 roadster, SUV

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By Zach Bowman

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe - dead-on front view

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Rolls-Royce may be working on a new, mega-powerful roadster for 2017. CAR reports the convertible would conceivably boast a V16 engine. Of course, the report gets a little muddled here, with CAR saying the engine would be very similar to that of the one that powers the Bugatti Veyron – the French machine makes use of a W16 mill. Even so, the article says the Rolls-Royce version could put down around 700 horsepower. Design wise, we’re told the creation will feature a suitably long nose with the passenger compartment pushed far to the rear.

Of course, 2017 is a long way off, and the thought of a 16-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine bowing under the crush of ever more stringent government fuel efficiency and emission regulations seems unlikely. We’ll just put this one in the wait-and-see file for the time being. In the interim, you can hop over to CAR for a closer look at the magazine’s rendering of the would-be roadster. If a V16 convertible does happen, look for a smug look on Rowan Atkinson’s face.

Oh, and about that SUV? There’s not much to report, though CAR does note that officials are keeping a close eye on rival Bentley and its plans for a luxury utility vehicle. Rolls brand boss Harald Krüger has even gone so far as to admit “we’re regularly debating whether to take action.”

Rolls-Royce mulling V16 roadster, SUV originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Report: <i>Robb Report</i> chooses Porsche 911 as its Car of the Year

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By Michael Harley

Porsche 911 - yellow - front three-quarter view

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Robb Report has picked the seventh-generation Porsche 911 Carrera S as its 2013 Car of the Year, saying the two-door captivated its judges with “agility, driving dynamics and balance.” The German coupe bested 12 others who were also in the running – the impressive list of nominees included the BMW M5, Audi S8, Ferrari FF, Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG and the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse.

Judging involved more than just throwing darts at pictures on the wall, as the publication enlisted a panel of automotive experts to test drive each vehicle for close evaluation. The panelists included 100 members of the Robb Report Club (comprised of top corporate executives and influential readers), Editor-in-Chief Brett Anderson and automotive consultant Robert Ross. Full results of the competition will be revealed in the luxury magazine’s March issue, hitting newsstands in about a week. For more information, visit Robb Report online or check out the full press release from Porsche below.

Continue reading Robb Report chooses Porsche 911 as its Car of the Year

Robb Report chooses Porsche 911 as its Car of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Official: Father and son create What's Faster app for iPad [w/video]

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By Zach Bowman

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What's Faster App

If you’ve ever pondered on whether an Apache helicopter is faster than a Bugatti Veyron, a father and son duo have come up with an iPad app that can help you out with your quandary. The What’s Faster app lines up over 625,000 comparisons across a total of 32 categories, including everything from cars and motorcycles to commercial aircraft and South American roller coasters. The game pairs selections from each category and asks the user to pick the quickest to proceed. Get in a bind, and you can us a handy radar gun to figure out each selection’s top speed.

The app also has plenty of information on each vehicle/beast/aircraft you come across. If you like the sound of that party, you can download What’s Faster from the App Store for $1.99. For those of you who aren’t counting, that’s 0.03 cents per comparison. Seems like a steal to us. Head over to the app’s site for more information, and be sure to check out the video below.

Continue reading Father and son create What’s Faster app for iPad [w/video]

Father and son create What’s Faster app for iPad [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog