Hasta La Ideas

Bugatti’s lighter, more agile take on their carbon-fiber Veyron

by Ariel Adams

Debuting last weekend at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours de Elegance, the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport sees luxury French automaker Bugatti improve upon their original version, the Veyron Super Sport. With enhanced aerodynamics and aesthetics, the 16.4 is an extravagant ride that will deceive you with its power and grace. I got to ride in one and can say that the Veyron 16.4 arguably offers the most extravagant riding experience available—deceiving you with grace and beauty inside the world’s fastest, and most powerful street legal car.

The 16.4 Super Sport’s performance advancements include 1.4 lateral Gs (the gravitational force of a free fall) and its 1,200 horsepower will have you accelerating from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds. Additionally, driver Pierre Henri Raphanel utilized the 16-cylinder engine in breaking the Guinness World Record for fastest speed by a production car with a mind-blowing 267.8mph.

Lighter than ever, the entire body and frame are made from high-tech carbon fiber, lifting roughly 110 pounds off the original model. Additionally, Bugatti has stiffened the super car’s suspension, giving the 16.4 an even sportier ride.

Exterior color choices include blue with gray accents or a black with orange, (a color scheme found on Bugatti’s collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani), while interior details include milled metal parts, carbon fiber, layers of leather, and more.

With a sleek sportiness that arguably only a European design can offer, the only major drawback to the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is its steep price tag ($2,000,000) and high maintenance cost (tires alone will set you back $25,000).

So far, Bugatti has sold all five of the World Record Editions and plan on producing more models Fall 2010 with an electronically limited speed of 257.9 mph for tire protection.