Bugatti crowns the 2011 Dubai International Motor Show with three spectacular Middle East versions of the Grand Sport

 

At the Dubai International Motor Show the legendary French brand presents three very special models of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, which is the fastest, most powerful and exclusive open top car in the world. It is Bugatti’s intention to honor the very important Middle East market with this threefold variety and to provide its highly exclusive clientele in the Middle East an insight into how creativity and inspiration can be successfully driven to individualized luxury.

 

The first Grand Sport on display at Dubai Motor Show has a horizontal color split with a bright yellow body and an underside in visible black carbon, including black-tinted wheels. The striking contrast of black and yellow, Ettore Bugatti’s favorite colors, is continued by seats finished in yellow-colored leather with black stitching. The middle console is in black carbon, while the dashboard, steering wheel and gearshift are encased in black leather with yellow stitching. This Grand Sport model comes at a price of 1.58 million Euros ($2,170,000.00 USD).

The second individualized Grand Sport model is also presented in a two-tone horizontal color split consisting of visible blue carbon, framed in polished, anodized aluminum. The rims are highlighted in an aluminum polished and Diamond Cut two-tone finish. The grills at the front and the air intakes are in aluminum with a mirror shine finish. The interior of this car is finished with tangerine leather throughout. Only the door panels, dashboard, steering wheel and console are covered in dark blue Indigo leather or exposed blue carbon fiber, with tangerine stitching on the steering wheel and gearshift knob. This special edition model has a price of 1.74 million Euros ($2,390,000.00 USD).

The third Grand Sport comes in the newly developed green carbon fiber tone with polished aluminum. This special model takes up the traditional Bugatti two-tone-specification. The rims, the exterior rearview mirrors and even the EB-logo at the rear are of polished aluminum to create an elegant and harmonious overall appearance. The interior, especially and tastefully selected, is also dominated in green and silver which matches perfectly with the flamboyant exterior. The third Dubai Motor Show 2011 special edition model will be delivered at a price of 1.74 million Euros ($2.390,000.00 USD).

All these models fully stand in the tradition of Ettore Bugatti’s constant strive to use new color schemes and materials to provide his clientele with unique cars for its exclusive taste. Today Bugatti is still expanding the possibilities of options to offer more and more sophisticated individualization.

In cooperation with the Bugatti design and engineering teams, Bugatti customers can tailor their vehicles to their personal preferences by choosing from a broad array of exquisite materials and colors. The three models in Dubai display an ever growing number of options available to existing and new Grand Sport owners.

Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. has limited the Grand Sport to 150 units of which 45 have been sold and 105 slots are still open. The cars will be manufactured at the Bugatti factory in Molsheim, France.

Source: Bugatti Press Release

Bugatti debuts Veyron 16.4 Super Sport & achieves a new landspeed world record for production cars

The new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport takes production sports cars to a whole new dimension

Wolfsburg/Molsheim, July 4, 2010 – on a beautiful sunny day at 25 degrees the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport achieved a new landspeed world record for production cars, on the proving grounds of the Volkswagen Group at Ehra-Lessien (nearby its headquarters at Wolfsburg). In the presence of the German Technical Inspection Agency (TÜV) and a representative of Guinness Book of Records the Super Sport achieved an average top speed of 431 km/h.

Saturday, 2 pm – Bugatti’s Pilote Officiel Pierre Henri Raphanel puts his helmet and gloves on, pulls the safety belts tight whilst the engineers check the car a very last time: tyre pressure, temperature, all systems go. Then the orange black Super Sport crosses the light barrier, from now on the time will be taken, within one hour the car has to drive from South to North and then in the opposite direction. No one but the driver is allowed to touch the car during this time. The tension rises. A few minutes later we can hear from the left side the sound of a starting jumbo jet coming closer towards us. First we perceive the headlights of the Veyron, then we can recognize the shape of the car, a loud wooosh…. and Raphanel dashes in top speed past us. The GPS-tachometer stops at 427, 933 km/h. Now the same procedure from the opposite direction. This time the car reaches 434, 211 km/h. As average top speed the representatives of the “TÜV”and Guinness generate a value of 431, 072 km/h (268 mph). This even hit Bugatti’s engineering team by surprise.

“We took it that we would reach an average value of 425 km/h,” explains Bugatti’s chief engineer Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, “but the conditions today were perfect and allowed even more.”

The climax of the Veyron series: the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport

Had a model been especially popular or highly successful in races, Ettore Bugatti’s customers often pushed the master to tease out of the engine a few horsepower more for their future car. Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. had been in a similar situation when their existing customers asked the companyto not only design their second model optically differently but to also create a version with a sportierand more extreme driving experience.  The result is a car with a uniquely high performance of1,200-hp (882 kW) offering experienced drivers a whole new dimension of excitement, with a maximum torque of 1,500 Newton metres and a limited top speed of 415 km/h (to protect them tyres) but, the technique of the Super Sport is identical to the record car. The first five Super Sports to come off the production line will constitute a special series of their own, with the same configuration as the landspeed record car.

The Super Sport is a consequent of the further development of the classic exclusive 1,001-hp Bugatti Veyron 16.4, launched in 2005. This model offers a stunning set of specifications, such as the twin clutch gearbox with seven speeds, the extraordinarily precise driving performance in bends and excellent stability when braking and accelerating.

Continuous work in extreme performance ranges lead to constantly new conclusions, which enabled the engineers at Bugatti to develop the Veyron into a direction in which the driver can reach new dimensions. Every modification is designed to produce an even more powerful car for an agile ride. Four enlarged turbochargers and bigger intercoolers have been used to boost the power of the 16-cylinder engine, and the chassis has been extensively redesigned to maintain safety at extreme speed – thanks to slightly raised main-spring travel, stronger stabilisers, and new shock absorbers with a complex architecture originally developed for racing cars. This gives noticeably more precise control of the wheels and the car as a whole. With lateral acceleration of up to 1.4 G and improved interaction between the tyres and the intelligent all-wheel drive system, the Super Sport offers perfect handling and even more powerful acceleration of 1,500 Newton metres on corner exits.

The body has been fine-tuned to improve aerodynamic efficiency and maintain perfect balance in every situation, while the new fibre structure of the all-carbon monocoque ensures maximum torsion rigidity and passive safety – at reduced weight. The skin is made entirely of carbon-fibre composites, and the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is available in 100 per-cent clear-lacquered exposed carbon on request.

Dynamic exterior

Every detail of this car, and not just its use of advanced motorsport technology, harks back to the pioneering spirit of company founder Ettore Bugatti. This brilliant designer came from a family of artists, and his philosophy was always to combine mechanical perfection and exterior beauty. This ethos remains alive and well at the company, and the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is wholly unmistakeable, with every external modification serving to coax greater performance from the car.

The Super Sport’s flat, elongated silhouette is immediately recognisable. The 16-cylinder engine gets its air from two NACA ducts integrated into the roof, rather than from scoops above the engine. The front air intakes have been expanded and reshaped, with the lower one extending elegantly around the sides to the wheel arch. The revised back looks sportier due to the double diffuser and a centrally arranged exhaust system.

Bugatti has a tradition of making super-sport versions of successful models, usually with racing chassis and supercharged engines. These cars were considered as true racing machines for diehard Bugatti devotees. The most successful were the type 55 and type 57S; only around forty of each were built.

Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. has sold 260 Veyrons and 35 Grand Sports by now, of which 249 Veyrons and 22 Grand Sports had been delivered. The Super Sport will begin production this autumn at Molsheim along with the Veyron and the Grand Sport. The first five cars – known as the World Record Edition – are in a special black exposed carbon and orange finish and have already been sold.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport will appear for the first time in public in California at the Pebble Beach Concours weekend in mid-August and will be featured at The Quail, Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca and on the concept lawn of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

(Source: Bugatti Press Release)

2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Coupe

This 2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Coupe is offered by EuroMotorsport.

Description

• Stock Number: M795115
• VIN Number: VF9SA25C58M795115
• Model Year: 2008
• Make: Bugatti
• Model: Veyron
• Style Name: Coupe 16.4
• Vehicle Trim: 16.4
• Body Type: Coupe
• Vehicle Type: Exotic
• Interior Color: Anthracite
• Exterior Color: Bright Silver Metallic

Suspension

• Independent Suspension: Independent
• Stabilizer Bar: Front And Rear

In Car Entertainment

• Audio System: AM/FM Stereo
• Premium Brand: Burmester
• Speakers: 8
• Multimedia CD Location: Single In-Dash Mounted
• Antenna Type: Window Grid

Comfort

• Air Conditioning: Automatic
• Center Console Trim: Leather/Aluminum
• Dash Trim: Aluminum
• Door Trim: Aluminum
• Mats: Carpet Front
• Reading Lights: Front
• Rearview Mirror: Day-Night
• Shift Knob: Leather/Aluminum
• Steering Wheel Trim: Leather/Aluminum

Dimensions

• Front Head Room: 36.00 Inches
• Front Leg Room: 44.00 Inches
• Luggage Capacity: 1.30 Cubic Feet
• Maximum Seating: 2
• Length: 175.70 Inches
• Width: 78.70 Inches
• Height: 45.60 Inches
• Weight: Pounds
• Wheelbase: 106.70 Inches
• Ground Clearance: 2.60 Inches
• Curb Weight: 4162.00 Pounds

• Engine Description: 8.0L W16
• Fuel Type: Gas
• Cam Type: Dual Overhead Cam
• Fuel Induction: Direct Gasoline Injection
• Valves Per Cylinder: 4
• Aspiration: Twin Turbocharged
• Compressor: Quad Turbo
• MPG Manual City: 8
• MPG Manual Highway: 14

Instrumentation

• Clock
• Compass
• External Temp
• Low Fuel Level
• Tachometer
• Trip Computer

Seats

• Drivers: Heated Cushion And Seatback
• Drivers Height: Manual
• Passenger: Heated Cushion And Seatback
• Passenger Height: Manual
• Seating Capacity: 2
• Front Seat Type: Sport
• Upholstery: Leather

Features

• Aux Engine Cooler: Regular
• Aux Transmission Cooler: Regular
• Vinyl Floor Covering: Carpet
• Bumpers: Body-Colored
• Door Reinforcement

• Transmission: 7-Speed Automatic
• Drive Train Type: AWD
• 4WD Type : Full-Time
• Driven Wheels: All-Wheel Drive
• Locking Hubs: Permanent
• Wheels Rims: Forged Alloy

Roof and Glass

• Front Wipers: Variable Intermittent
• Privacy Glass: Light

Convenience

• Windows: Power
• Steering Power: Hydraulic Power-Assist
• Steering Adjustment: Manual Tilting
• Mirrors: Power Remote
• Auto Dimming Mirrors
• Remote Mirrors: Power Remote
• Power Door Locks: Power With 2 Stage Unlock
• Door Pockets
• Overhead Console: Mini
• Remote Trunk Release: Power
• Navigation System
• Phone: Portable Hands Free

Safety

• Front Passenger Airbag: Deactivated
• Driver and Passenger Airbag
• ABS: 4-Wheel
• Mirrors
• Brakes: 4 Wheel Disc
• Anti Theft System
• Brake Assist
• Stability Control
• Traction Control
• Headlights: High Intensity Low/High Beam
• Headlights Dusksensor: Auto Off
• Headlight Cleaners: Washer
• Daytime Running Light
• Front Headrests: Fixed
• Trunk Release: Power
• Engine Immobilizer
• Turning Circle: 50.00
• Door Reinforcement
• Traction Control: ABS And Driveline
• Stability Control

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LuxuryAutoDirect.com gets Exclusive Look at the Bugatti Galiber 16C Concept Car

Story & Photos by Mike Daly

Bugatti is currently attempting to elicit feedback on the recently unveiled 16C Galibier sedan concept by inviting customers and members of the media to participate in interviews that will help the company gauge the strengths of the car and its potential market viability.  Two exclusive invite-only events, a November 5 presentation in Beverly Hills and a similar effort to follow in Dubai, mark only the second and third exhibitions of the concept car.  Bugatti designer Achim Anscheidt and worldwide head of marketing and sales Alasdair Stewart were part of a contingent of Bugatti personnel that presented the Galibier at Beverly Hills’ Ace Gallery and explained how the car’s visual cues had evolved from seminal prewar models such as the Type 35 and Type 57 Atlantic, as well as the 16.4 Veyron. 

 The 16C Galibier takes its name from the 8.0 liter W16 engine also used in the Veyron, as well as the 2,645-meter southern Alpine pass whose name graced the Type 57 Galibier saloons of the 1930s.  As in the 30s cars, the C refers to compression, in this case provided by two superchargers (as opposed to the Veyron’s four turbochargers).  Anscheidt described the prodigious W16 as “our most unique selling point for this car.”

 Like the one-off Sang Bleu version of the Veyron GrandSport that was exhibited at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the 16C Galibier concept is finished in a two-tone color scheme of blue-tinted carbon fiber and polished aluminum.  Though the garish use of materials is appropriate for an exotic sports car such as the Veyron, or even a concept car such as this Galibier, those in attendance seemed to concur that the color scheme would not translate well to a production version.  Flashy materials aside, though, the Galibier concept is a stately and impressive car, true to Bugatti’s reputation for cutting edge technology and artistic craftsmanship.  From a raised center spine that traces from the front fascia through the rear hatchback (even visually continued through the windshield by an elongated mirror support), to the company monogram outlined by the headlamp filaments, this Galibier is replete with aesthetic details.  The car is larger than photos would suggest, and particularly from the front, strikes a pose of stately elegance.  In a visual cue that is probably more presentational than functional, two separate panels on the hood automatically rise from a central hinge in what the company describes as a butterfly bonnet, clearly a modern translation of the hand-lifted hood covers that granted engine access to the mechanics of yesteryear.

 Bugatti opulence is even more pronounced in the car’s interior.  A large knurled wood console that stretches from door to door is minimally accented with instruments, including two large central gauges that measure power use and speed.  Between them lies a chronograph by Parmigiani that can be removed and worn as a wristwatch.  Artfully constructed leather seats are accented with classic wicker, a suggestion of a material more common to coachbuilt cars of the 30s.  The wicker is also employed in door trim that doubles as speaker covers.  Anscheidt explained that innovation is required in using such classic cues and materials to avoid the dreaded “retro” label.  “We’re always striving for a new interpretation,” he said.  “Sometimes this new interpretation comes in technical terms, sometimes in stylistic terms, but never just the same” as the original.  Bugatti tradition is even evident in the trunk, where a handmade luggage set contains a vintage leather racing helmet and goggles. 

 As this Galibier is still a concept, Bugatti offered no hard numbers in terms of anticipated performance.   The car does not share a platform with any other, and has been engineered from the ground up as an individual model.  Bearing in mind that the car’s W16 was originally devised for mid-rear placement in the Veyron, we asked Anscheidt if challenges were posed in fitting the powerplant into a frontal location, and what impact the new placement had in the remainder of the concept’s layout and overall design.  He conceded that at first he was concerned, but soon realized that the W16’s remarkably compact construction would not affect the rest of the Galibier’s creation.  “If we had to deal with a monstrous engine in the front it would have translated on to the rear of the car which would not have been beneficial for the overall sporty character that was important for us.”

 Bugatti has also declared that the W16 will be flex fuel capable, able to run on either traditional gasoline or E85.  It is surely no coincidence that Bentley, another marque owned by the VW Group, has already begun to integrate similar flex fuel technology into their model line.  When pressed to explain the connection, Anscheidt readily admitted that Bugatti would be foolish not to capitalize on its parent’s research and development gains.  “As much as we’re looking for individual customer solutions, we’re not closing the door on the benefits that we can have from the overall Volkswagen Group in terms of the latest technology.”

 Focus group questions sought reaction to the Galibier, including opinions and criticisms.  They also asked how much such a car should cost and if a market for the car truly exists.  Though there is clearly a limit to the number of auto enthusiasts in the world that are capable of dropping $2 million on another car, it seems that Bugatti would ignore a glaring market gap by not producing a sedan.  Furthermore, Bugatti has a renowned history of producing elegant touring cars and saloons, including the original Galibiers.  A new Bugatti sedan of some kind would seem to be the long-awaited legacy to those prewar classics.

 Depending on customer feedback, Bugatti will either continue with this Galibier concept, or change course by developing one of a number of alternative sedan ideas that Anscheidt stated were in “healthy competition.”  Anscheidt would not commit to clarifying the chances that this car will reach production, but did suggest that Bugatti will likely soon field a sedan that is based on significant input from the company’s customer base.  “We very much need to and want to involve [our customers] in our processes.  Our customer base is not that vast – between 200 and 400 people.  We need them; we want to tailor our products with and for them.”

See our previous post on the Bugatti Galiber 16C Concept Car 

 

200 mph Supercars: Caruso Concours d’Elegance at Americana on Brand

“If you’ve never been at 200 mph, it’s a sensation beyond belief.”  The words of Dick Messer, the longtime Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, could hardly have better summarized the reasoning behind the museum’s sponsorship of an October 11 car show that focused on automobiles capable of 200 mph.  Reaching out to local collectors and loyal members, the museum was able to assemble 23 such supercars for a fun and free event set against the backdrop of one of the area’s most popular open air luxury retail centers, the Americana on Brand Boulevard. 

 Located in the Los Angeles-adjacent city of Glendale, nicknamed the Jewel City, Americana on Brand is the latest project of Caruso Affiliated, a regional real estate development company that has garnered a reputation for the outdoor retail malls that are becoming increasingly commonplace in Southern California.  There is a small degree of irony in the fact that a Caruso property would host an exhibition of expensive supercars, given that company founder Henry Caruso made the majority of his fortune as the founder of Dollar Rent-A-Car.  

 “To my knowledge, and I read practically every [automotive] publication, at least here in the United States, and some in Europe, this has never been done before – that this many supercars ended up in one place at one time,” explained Messer.  The Petersen, of course contributed some of the most stellar offerings on display, including a Ferrari F40, F50 and 575 Superamerica, a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, a Bugatti EB110 and Veyron, a Ford GT and a Jaguar XJ220.  Another area institution, the Riverside International Automotive Museum, supplied a freshly acquired Maserati MC12, which in concert with a handful of locally owned Lamborghinis and Ferraris, rounded out the representation of the major Italian supercar rivals. 

 Rarer contributions came in the form of a 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG, one of about 100 carbon fiber-bodied CLK models homologated for racing and one of only 40 that the manufacturer allowed to circulate into public ownership.  A Cizeta V16T, one of roughly 10 of the Marcelo Gandini-penned supercars that employ a transversely mounted V-16 engine, provided a rare glimpse of another little-known exotic.  The most unusual car on hand though was an AREX, whose acronym stands for American Roadster Experimental.  Fully looking like an experiment, the scissor-doored twin-turbo V-8 oddity was produced in the early 90s by former GM and Toyota designer David Stollery and Gale Banks Engineering.

 Though the show wore the banner of a Concours d’Elegance, there was no judging other than one People’s Choice award, which went to a Ferrari Enzo owned by Armen Aslanian of Glendale.   The show was the third such event that Americana on Brand has hosted in the last year, the previous two focusing on classic cars and the cars of celebrities.  Caruso Public Relations Coordinator Jenny Bronstein clarified that the event would probably be held on an annual basis from this point forward. 

 “This is all excess beyond excess,” concluded Messer.  “Nobody needs to have one of these cars.  You don’t need to have a car that goes 200 mph plus to drive around Los Angeles,” he said, referring to the city’s notoriously congested traffic.  “But on an open road, there’s nothing like it!”

Story and pictures by Mike Daly