Bugatti Veyron

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4
Manufacturer Bugatti Automobiles SAS
Parent company Volkswagen AG
Production 2005-present, 133 produced
Assembly Molsheim, Alsace, France
Predecessor Bugatti EB110
Class Grand tourer
Halo vehicle Supercar
Body style(s) 2-door coupe
Layout Mid-engine, permanent four-wheel drive
Engine(s) 8.0 L quad-turbocharged W16
Transmission(s) 7-speed DSG sequential
Wheelbase 2,710 mm (107 in)
Length 4,462 mm (175.7 in)
Width 1,998 mm (78.7 in)
Height 1,159 mm (45.6 in)
Curb weight 1,888 kg (4,160 lb)
Fuel capacity 100 L (22 imp gal; 26 US gal)
Designer Hartmut Warkuss,
Jozef Kabaň[1]

The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine grand touring car produced by Volkswagen Group subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS and was introduced in 2005 as the fastest production car in the world. It is currently the fastest accelerating and decelerating production car in the world, with a 0 – 100 – 0 km/h time of 8.6 seconds and, at 1.1 million euro (1.5 million USD), it is also one of the most expensive cars in the world. Powered by a 736-kilowatt (1,001 PS; 987 hp) W16 engine,[2] it can reach 408.47 km/h (253.81 mph).[3] The car reached full production in September 2005, and is handcrafted in a factory that German automaker Volkswagen built near the former Bugatti headquarters in Château St Jean in Molsheim (Alsace, France). It is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti company. 133 examples of the Veyron are known to have been built since production began. There will be a total of 300 built. All the Veyron editions contribute to the 300 being built. The editions that are contributing are the Veyron, Veyron 16.4, Pur Sang, Hermes Edition, Sang Noir, Targa, Vincero, and the Bleu Cenetaire. It will be replaced with the Grand Sport, which is essentially a Veyron Convertible.[4]

Contents

[edit] History

 This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources (ideally, using inline citations). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009)

Development of this vehicle began with the 1999 EB 18/4 "Veyron" concept car, which itself had a chassis based on that of the Bugatti 18/3 Chiron concept car. Introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show, it was similar in design and appearance to the final Veyron production car. One major difference was the EB 18/4's use of a W18 engine with three banks of six cylinders. The Veyron's chief designer was Hartmut Warkuss, and the exterior was designed by Jozef Kabaň of Volkswagen, rather than Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign, who had handled the three prior Bugatti concepts.

The then – Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch announced the Veyron at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show. It was promised to be the fastest, most powerful and most expensive car in history. Instead of the W18, it would use a VR6/WR8-style W16 engine. First seen in the 1999 Bentley Hunaudières concept car, the W16 would have four turbochargers and produce a quoted (metric) 1001 horsepower (see engine section for details on the power output). Top speed was promised at 407 km/h (253 mph), and the price was announced at €1 million.

Development continued throughout 2001 and the EB 16/4 Veyron was promoted to "advanced concept" status. In late 2001, Bugatti announced that the car, officially called the "Bugatti Veyron 16.4", would go into production in 2003.

A silver and black pre-production Veyron on display at the 2004 Paris Motor Show

Piëch retired that year as chairman of the Volkswagen Group and was replaced by Bernd Pischetsrieder. The new chairman promptly sent the Veyron back to the drawing board for major revisions. Neumann was replaced as Bugatti president by Thomas Bscher in December 2003, and substantial modifications were made to the Veyron under the guidance of a former VW engineer, Bugatti Engineering chief Wolfgang Schreiber.

The Veyron costs €1,100,000 (net price without taxes);[citation needed] prices vary by exchange rates and local taxes (like value added taxes). Prices for the UK or the US are over £880,000, or around $1,400,000. The car is often compared to the Concorde as a feat of technology.[citation needed]

[edit] Special editions

[edit] Pur Sang

On 10 September 2007, a special version of the Veyron called the "Pur Sang" (French for "thoroughbred", literally "pure blood") was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The only difference from the standard Veyron is the body finishing: the Pur Sang has none, revealing the Veyron's pure aluminium-carbon fibre body. Production of the Pur Sang will be limited to five cars, which will have high-gloss aluminium wheels with a diamond cut finish.[5][6]

[edit] Fbg par Hermès

A Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès at the 2008 Monterey Moto Concorso Show.

At the Geneva motor show in 2008 Bugatti announced a partnership with the French fashion house Hermès, resulting in the "Fbg Par Hermès" trim. This has several new features as well as a redesigned front end. The interior is trimmed in Hermès leather and it comes with a specially designed Hermès suitcase to fit in the trunk. Built for Rodrigo Cañizares,[7] Bugatti later made four new color schemes available for order with the Hermès Veyron: called "Indigo Blue and Vermilion", "Indigo Blue and Lime Green", "Black and Garance Red", and "Prussian Blue and Blue Jean". The cars will also come with the bespoke luggage, special 8-spoke rims, and an H-pattern grille.[8]

[edit] Sang Noir

This car is a version that pays homage to the original Bugatti Atlantique 57S of the 1930s. Exterior styling combines an all-black colour palette with raw carbon-fiber panels, blacked-out headlamps, and aluminum trim for the grille surround and side mirrors. The production run was 15 vehicles.[9]

[edit] Grand Sport

Bugatti announced the production of a targa top version, called Grand Sport. The car was unveiled at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 15, 2008, with production set to begin in spring 2009.[10] The Grand Sport comes with small tweaks to the windshield and running lights, and two removable tops. The second is a temporary roof fashioned after an umbrella and inspired by pictures of classic Bugatti racers with umbrellas in hand. The Grand Sport can reach 407 km/h (253 mph) with the hardtop in place, the same top speed as the coupé version. With no roof the top speed is limited to 367 km/h (228 mph), and to 130 km/h (81 mph) with the temporary soft roof. The Grand Sport has extensive reinforcement beyond the standard Veyron.

The First Grand Sport (Code named Chassis 001) was sold at the 2008 Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction with a winning bid price of $2.9 million. Approximately $900,000 of the auction price went to charity.[11]

[edit] Bleu Centenaire

This version was a new edition created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Bugatti brand. The entire body was blue, the mid-section between the two wings on the hood was expanded, and a chrome strip up the middle was added. It is rumored to have increased performance, including an increased top speed beyond 250 miles per hour, but this has not been confirmed. The car is also more expensive than the standard Veyron, costing in excess of £1,000,000.

The car was unveiled at 2009 Geneva Motor Show.[12]

[edit] Specifications and performance

The Veyron's quad-turbocharged W16 engine

The Veyron features a W16 engine — 16 cylinders in two banks of eight cylinders, or the equivalent of two narrow-angle V8 engines mated in a "W" configuration. Each cylinder has 4 valves for a total of 64, but the narrow staggered 8 configuration allows two camshafts to drive two banks of cylinders so only 4 camshafts are needed. The engine is fed by four turbochargers and displaces 8.0 L (7,993 cc/488 cu in) with a square 86 mm by 86 mm (3.4 in × 3.4 in) bore and stroke.

Bugatti Veyron's 16.4 engine

The transmission consists of a dual-clutch Direct-Shift Gearbox computer-controlled manual gearbox with seven gear ratios, with red paddles behind the steering wheel and a shift time of less than 150 milliseconds. This is designed and manufactured by Ricardo of England (and not Borg-Warner who designed the 6-speed DSG used in the mainstream marques of the Volkswagen Group). The Veyron can be driven as a full automatic transmission. It also features full-time four-wheel drive, utilising the Haldex Traction system. It uses special Michelin run-flat tyres, designed specifically for the Veyron to accommodate its top speed, which reportedly cost $25,000 US per set.[13] Curb weight is 2,034.8 kg (4,486 lb).[13] This gives the car a power to weight ratio of 4.5 lb (2.0 kg)/1 bhp (0.7 kW).

The car's wheelbase is 2710 mm (106.7 in). Overall length is 4462 mm (175.7 in), width 1998 mm (78.7 in) and height 1204 mm (47.4 in).

The Veyron's hydraulic rear spoiler in the extended position

The Bugatti Veyron has a total of 10 radiators.[14]

  • 3 radiators for the engine cooling system.
  • 1 heat exchanger for the air-to-liquid intercoolers.
  • 2 for the air conditioning system.
  • 1 transmission oil radiator.
  • 1 differential oil radiator.
  • 1 engine oil radiator.
  • 1 hydraulic oil radiator for the spoiler

It has a drag coefficient of 0.41 (normal condition) and 0.36 (after lowering to the ground),[15] and a frontal area of 2.07 square metres (22.3 sq ft).[16] This gives it a CdA ft² value of 8.02.

[edit] Power

According to Volkswagen (and approved by TÜV Süddeutschland), the final production Veyron engine produces 1,001 PS (736 kW; 987 hp) and 1,250 N·m (920 ft·lbf) of torque.[2] The horsepower figure is believed by some to actually be conservative, with the real total being 1001 or more.[17]

[edit] Top speed

Top speed was initially promised to be 420 km/h (260 mph), but test versions were unstable at that speed, forcing a redesign of the aerodynamics. In May 2005, a prototype Veyron tested at a Volkswagen track near Wolfsburg, Germany recorded an electronically limited top speed of 400 km/h (249 mph). In October 2005, Car and Driver magazine's editor Csaba Csere test drove the final production version of the Veyron for the November 2005 issue. This test, at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track, reached a top speed of 407.5 km/h (253.2 mph). The top speed was verified once again by James May on Top Gear, again at Volkswagen's private test track, when the car hit 407.9 km/h (253.5 mph), which equated to precisely one-third of the speed of sound at sea level. When getting close to the top speed during the test, May said that "the tires will only last for about fifteen minutes, but it's okay because the fuel runs out in twelve minutes." He also gave an indication of the power requirements, at constant 250 km/h (155 mph) the Veyron is using approximately 270 to 280 horsepower (200 to 210 kW)[18], but to get to its rated 407 km/h (253 mph) top speed required far more from the engine. Once back in the Top Gear studio James was asked by co - presenter Jeremy Clarkson what the Veyron felt like to drive at 407 km/h (253 mph), James replied that it was "completely undramatic", and very stable at speed.

Aerodynamic friction or drag is proportional to the square of the speed; for example doubling speed quadruples drag. Work is a product of force applied over a distance travelled. Comparing a vehicle travelling at 160 km/h (99 mph) with one travelling at 320 km/h (200 mph), over a given time (e.g. 1 second), the faster vehicle must overcome 4 times the aerodynamic drag, and travel twice the distance of the slower one. Thus it does 8 times the work of the slower vehicle in that time. As power is work done in time taken it follows that the swifter vehicle, travelling at twice the speed requires 8 times the power of the slower one. German inspection officials recorded an average top speed of 408.47 km/h (253.8 mph)[3] during test sessions on the Ehra Lessien test track on 2005-04-19.

The car's everyday top speed is listed at 375 km/h (233 mph). When the car reaches 220 km/h (137 mph), hydraulics lower the car until it has a ground clearance of about 8.9 cm (3½ inches). At the same time, the wing and spoiler deploy. This is the "handling mode", in which the wing helps provide 3425 newtons (770 pounds) of downheft, holding the car to the road.[14] The driver must, using a special key (the "Top Speed Key"), toggle the lock to the left of his seat in order to attain the maximum (average) speed of 407 km/h (253 mph). The key functions only when the vehicle is at a stop, when a checklist then establishes whether the car—and its driver—are ready to enable 'top speed' mode. If all systems are go, the rear spoiler retracts, the front air diffusers shut and the ground clearance, normally 12.5 cm (4.9 in), drops to 6.5 cm (2.6 in).

[edit] Acceleration

The Bugatti Veyron has the greatest acceleration of any production car to date, reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) in approximately 2.46 seconds.[19], which equates to an average acceleration of around 1.18g. It is the first production car with an average acceleration greater than 1 g when going from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) flat out. The car is greatly aided in achieving such times by a four-wheel drive system that enables the transmission of such great amounts of power in the initial stages of acceleration.

The Veyron reaches 200 km/h (124.3 mph) and 300 km/h (186.4 mph) in 7.3 and 16.8 seconds respectively according to Bugatti. According to the February 2007 issue of Road & Track magazine, the Veyron accomplished the quarter mile (~400 m) in 10.2 seconds at an exit speed of 143.6 mph (231.1 km/h).

[edit] Fuel consumption

The Veyron consumes more fuel than any other production car, using 40.4 L/100 km (6.99 mpg-imp; 5.82 mpg-US) in city driving and 24.1 L/100 km (11.7 mpg-imp; 9.76 mpg-US) in combined cycle.[citation needed] At full throttle, it uses more than 115 L/100 km (2.46 mpg-imp; 2.05 mpg-US), which would empty its 100 L (22 imp gal; 26 US gal) fuel tank in just 12 minutes.[20][21]

[edit] Braking

The Veyron's brakes use cross-drilled, radially-vented Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) composite discs, manufactured by SGL Carbon, which have a much greater resistance to brake fade when compared with conventional cast iron discs. The aluminium alloy monobloc brake calipers are made by AP Racing; the fronts have eight[14] titanium pistons and the rear calipers have six pistons. Bugatti claims maximum deceleration of 1.3 Gs on road tyres.

Prototypes have been subjected to repeated 1.0G braking from 194 to 50 MPH (312 to 80 km/h) without fade. With the car's acceleration from 50 to 194 mph (80 to 312 km/h), that test can be performed every 22 seconds. At speeds above 124 mph (200 km/h), the rear wing also acts as an airbrake, snapping to a 55-degree angle in 0.4 seconds once brakes are applied, providing 0.68 Gs (4.9 m/s²) of deceleration (equivalent to the stopping power of an ordinary hatchback).[14] Bugatti claims the Veyron will brake from 400 km/h (249 mph) to a standstill in less than 10 seconds.[14]

[edit] Final numbers

Statistics and specifications[22]
Basic stats
Vehicle Mid-engine, 4-wheel drive 2-door coupe Base price €1,100,000 (£899,000/$1,500,000)
Engine Quad-turbocharged DOHC 64-valve W16 Engine displacement 7993 cc (488 cu in)
Performance
Top speed 408.47 km/h (253.81 mph) (average) 0–100 km/h (62 mph) 2.46 seconds[19]
0–160 km/h (99 mph) 5.2 seconds 0–240 km/h (149 mph) 8.6 seconds
0–320 km/h (199 mph)[23] 24.0 seconds 0–400 km/h (249 mph)[24][25] 50 seconds
Standing quarter-mile (402 m)[25] 10.0 seconds at 232 km/h (144 mph)
Fuel economy[26]
EPA city driving 10 miles per US gallon (24 L/100 km; 12 mpg-imp) EPA highway driving 12 miles per US gallon (20 L/100 km; 14 mpg-imp)
Top speed fuel economy 3 miles per US gallon (78 L/100 km; 3.6 mpg-imp) 1.8 gallons[clarification needed] per minute

[edit] Production figures

[edit] Criticisms and comments

[edit] Previews

Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 (which for many years was the fastest production car ever built) said the following about the Bugatti Veyron in UK auto magazine evo during its development period:

“ The most pointless exercise on the planet has got to be this four-wheel-drive 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) Bugatti. I think it's incredibly childish this thing people have about just one element—top speed, standing kilometre or 0–60. It's about as narrow minded as you can get as a car designer to pick on one element. It's like saying we're going to beat the original Mini because we're going to make a car 10 mph (16 km/h) faster on its top speed—but it's two feet longer and 200 kilos heavier. That's not car designing—that just reeks of a company who are paranoid... ”

However, Murray was impressed with the Veyron after he test drove one although still apprehensive about it in an article he wrote for Road and Track magazine.[29]

[edit] References

[edit] Citations

 This article's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.
  1. ^ "Skoda Auto". Skoda a.s.. http://www.skoda-auto.com/globalold/company/press/notice.htm?PostingGUID=%7B46BB7BA3-7572-4EC8-8FA9-D95D0C319DC0%7D. Retrieved on 2007-12-17. 
  2. ^ a b bugatti.com: "2.5 – 7.3 – 16.7 – 55.6"—official acceleration and engine specs
  3. ^ a b bugatti.com: 400 and Beyond
  4. ^ "Bugatti Veyron: Second $2 Million Bugatti Veyron Crashes, This Time Into British Wheat Field". Jalopnik.com. http://jalopnik.com/5044363/second-2-million-bugatti-veyron-crashes-this-time-into-british-wheat-field. Retrieved on 2008-10-27. 
  5. ^ "bugatti.com: The Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron “Pur Sang”". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20071011110621/http://bugatti.com/en/home/news.html?newsId=61&displayYears=2007. 
  6. ^ "Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang: pure blooded exclusivity". http://www.motorauthority.com/news/supercars/bugatti-veyron-pur-sang-pure-blooded-exclusivity/. 
  7. ^ bugatti.com: Cooperation between Hermès and Bugatti[dead link]
  8. ^ Posted Aug 28th 2008 12:59PM by Noah JosephFiled under: Supercars, Bugatti, Brabus, Special/Limited Editions. "Bugatti releases new palette for Veyron Hermes - Autoblog". Autoblog.com. http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/28/bugatti-releases-new-palette-for-veyron-hermes/. Retrieved on 2008-10-27. 
  9. ^ Update: Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir limited to just 15 cars
  10. ^ Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport roadster revealed
  11. ^ Monterey 2008: First Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport auctioned for $3.19 million
  12. ^ Geneva 2009: Bleu Centenaire is every bit as special as any other Bugatti Veyron
  13. ^ a b "John Phillips, Molsheim Moonshine, Car and Driver, Dec. 2008". http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/supercars_and_exotics/bugatti_veyron_16_4_road_test/(page)/1. Retrieved on 2008-11-14. 
  14. ^ a b c d e Adams, Eric (2006), "Inside a Street-Legal Land Rocket", Popular Science 269 (6): 73
  15. ^ "the Bugatti Page: Bugatti Veyron driving experience". Bugattipage.com. http://bugattipage.com/ride.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-27. 
  16. ^ "Telegraph | Picture Gallery | BUGATTI VEYRON". Telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowContentFrameFrag.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2005/10/17/upixbug.xml. Retrieved on 2008-10-27. 
  17. ^ "Car and Driver Road Test"
  18. ^ bugatti.com: Masterful Technology
  19. ^ a b Autocar Magazine: Bugatti Veyron Road Test
  20. ^ Top Gear Series 9 Episode 2 4 February 2007 James May: Getting close to the maximum, which means the tyres will only last for 15 minutes. But that's okay, because the fuel will run out in 12 minutes!
  21. ^ BBCWorldwide, YouTube. Top Gear - Bugatti Veyron top speed test - BBC (April 14, 2008)
  22. ^ "Bugatti Veyron 16.4 - - Car and Driver - November 2005". Caranddriver.com. http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=19&article_id=10108&page_number=5. Retrieved on 2008-10-27. 
  23. ^ "Hennessey Viper beats Veyron in 0-200 dash". Autoblog.com. http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/01/hennessey-viper-beats-veyron-in-0-200-dash/. 
  24. ^ "Bugatti Veyron | Sports Cars". Diseno-art.com. http://www.diseno-art.com/encyclopedia/vehicles/road/cars/Bugatti_Veyron.html. Retrieved on 2008-10-27. 
  25. ^ a b "ROADandTRACK.com - Cover Story - Road Test: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (2/2007)". Roadandtrack.com. http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=2&article_id=4406. Retrieved on 2008-10-27. 
  26. ^ Model 1 Vehicle Characteristics[dead link]
  27. ^ Automobil Revue, catalogue edition 2006, p. 46
  28. ^ a b Automobil Revue, catalogue edition 2008, p. 47
  29. ^ "ROADandTRACK.com - Road Tests, Comparison Tests - Technical Analysis: Anatomy of a Supercar (1/2006)". Roadandtrack.com. http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=7&article_id=3075. Retrieved on 2008-10-27. 

[edit] External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bugatti Veyron
Preceded by
Koenigsegg CCR		 Fastest street-legal production car
408.47 km/h (253.81 mph)
(2005–2007)		 Succeeded by
SSC Ultimate Aero TT
v • d • e
Bugatti road car timeline, 1910–present – a marque of the Volkswagen Group since 1998
Type 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1963–86 1980s 1990s 2000s
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Company Bugatti Bugatti Automobili S.p.A Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
Owner Flag of Italy Ettore Bugatti / Roland Bugatti Flag of Italy Romano Artioli Flag of Germany Volkswagen AG
Touring
car		 Type 30 / Type 49 Type 57
Type 46
Limousine Type 41 Royale
Roadster Type 13 / Brescia Tourer Type 55
Coupé Type 101
Sports
car		 Type 13 Type 18 Garros Type 252 EB110 Veyron
Founder: Ettore Bugatti • Bugatti corporate website • A marque of the Volkswagen Group
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Veyron"
Personal tools