Update: Bugatti's new supercar - 420km/h!

September 14, 2005

By Siegfried Mortkowitz

Molsheim, France - VW is preparing one of the boldest ventures in its history by producing the fastest and most expensive car yet made, the Bugatti Veyron. With a speedometer reading to 420km/h, an engine packed with 1001hp (aboput 750kW) and a price of €1.2-million (nearly R10-million), the Bugatti Veyron will obviously not for everyone.

To put that speed into perspective, if you could maintain it from Cape Town to Johannesburg, you'd be in Jozi faster than a passenger you'd dropped at the airport - if you include waiting, boarding and disembarking time."Only a few thousand people in the world can afford to purchase a dream like this," said Christophe Piochon, head of quality control for the car, "and they usually wish to remain discreet."

Production is scheduled to begin this month. The car is obviously intended to be fabulous, as its 1001hp figure suggests, and only 300 will be assembled at a plant in the eastern French city of Molsheim where, in 1909, Ettore Bugatti began producing the car for the few clients that were able to pay for it.

Only 8 000 units were built in 47 years of production. Volkswagen bought the rights to Bugatti in 1998 and drew a volley of criticism for its apparent megalomania. A year later a design of the Veyron was exhibited at the Tokyo auto show. Bugatti president Thomas Bscher said the purpose of the car was not to make money: "The Veyron will never be profitable," he said. "We are doing it to keep the brand alive and for the prestige." (Motoring.co.za)

An update on the world's most expensive, most bling-ed, most powerful, most fasionable euro hotrod monster. Yes, finally after many, many moons, production starts this month. I wonder....Is this a proper super exotic car? Is it any good with all that crazed mid-engined mega horses pushing a plastic tub.

Is it safe? Will it stop in time? How many visits to the petrol station in a day? Will it even make it to the next station? How could this be road legal in a nanny state like UK? Will Bugatti let Top Gear test it? Is Top Gear crazy enough to test this thing? Is the Stig gonna get kill by this monster of a car?