One quickly runs out of superlatives when trying to describe the Bugatti Veyron. Endowed with absolute power and a daunting maximum speed, the Veyron looks and sounds like it just came out of some impossible future inhabited by gigantic gas pumps.
50 years after Ettore Bugatti's death, Volkswagen used its magic wand to resurrect the legendary firm, and to say the least, the German carmaker did a mindblowing job.
Instead of trying to match the Royale's incredible legacy, re-Volkswagen decided to look for inspiration in Bugatti's racing history to design the Veyron, rightfully using the name of the famous driver who won at Le Mans in 1939 behind the wheel of a Bugatti Type 57.
It's easy to feel intimidated by this incredible machine, so we carefully and promptly handed it back to its official tutor, French race car driver PierHenri Raphanel.
The Veyron is unbeatable. Revolutionary techniques were involved in the making of this 21st Bugatti. Needless to say, fuel efficiency was never an issue in the process, and you'll be delighted to learn that the Bugatti Veyron has given a new meaning to the term gas-guzzler by settling for a little more than 2 miles per gallon at top speed. It took several years of trial and error to achieve the Bugatti Veyron's final version. Launched by flamboyant CEO Ferdinand Piëch in 1999, the project started with a prototype equipped with a W18 engine (three flatV6's side by side).
Under the supervision of engineer Wolfgang Shreiber, the Veyron became more stable and drivable. In a classy move, Volkswagen moved Bugatti back to Ettore's original headquarters at Saint Jean Castle in Molsheim, Alsace, and the resurrected firm should even increase its production in 2006 to meet the demand.
