First Impression: Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Bugatti has been making high-performing, luxurious cars since 1909. In 1998, Volkswagen bought the rights to make cars under the Bugatti name. In 2005, Bugatti released the 253 mph Veyron, which was the fastest production car at that time. In 2007, an American independent automotive company, Shelby Supercars (SSC), released the 257 mph Ultimate Aero TT. Volkswagen and Bugatti were not pleased. In 2010, in order recapture the fastest production car title, Volkswagen and Bugatti released the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. On June 26, 2010, on the Volkswagen test track while taping a review for Top Gear, the Veyron Super Sport reached a speed of 267.856 mph, dethroning the SSC Ultimate Aero TT as the fastest production car.

I first saw the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport at the 2011 Houston Classy Chassis: Concours d'Elegance. There was a consistent large crowd around the car. There was a 1930 Duesenberg Model J, 1931 Bugatti Type 40A Roadster, and a 1922 Hispano Suiza H6B Labourdette Skiff near the Veyron Super Sport, yet it was the Veyron Super Sport that got more attention than these three legendary cars. My first thought on the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is this is one exciting car. When I see pictures of the Veyron Super Sport, it has a two-tone paint job with black on top, orange on the bottom, and orange wheels. The Veyron Super Sport on displayed had a beautiful dark blue paint job. No matter where Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is, it will always stand in a crowd. There is nothing on the road like a Bugatti.

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is powered by a quad-turbocharged W16 engine, paired with a seven-speed DSG semi-automatic transmission, that produces 1184 hp and 1,100 lb-ft of torque. It takes this car just 2.2 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. The top speed is electronically limited to 258 mph to protect the tires. The record run was done using a different set of tires and the limiter was turned off. Only thirty Veyron Super Sports will be produced, and each one will cost $2.4 million. The Veyron Super Sport is 447 lbs lighter than the standard Veyron. The standard Veyron cost $1.44 million when it was first released. The Veyron Super Sport is nearly $1 million dollars more expensive than the standard Veyron.

Top Gear's James May drove the Bugatti Veyron on the Volkswagen test track during Series 15, Episode 5. He reached a speed over 258 mph. His speed was latter beaten by the Bugatti test driver, Pierre Henri Raphanel. The Stig drove the Bugatti around the Top Gear test track in 1:16.8. It was the fastest car around the test track until the V8 Ariel Atom went around the test track in 1:15.1. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is playable in Test Drive Unlimited 2 ($1.00 DLC) and in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (part of the $7.00 Super Sport Pack DLC).

Final Thought: This is one very quick, extremely fast, bank-breaking car. There is nothing like it on the roads. Only thirty will be made, so those who are fortunate to get a Veyron Super Sport will be part of a highly exclusive club. Cars like the Bugatti Veyron, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT, and the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport push the limits of what a car can do. I wonder what SSC's responds to the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a digital camera