The rumored super Veyron has made its debut and set a new land speed record for production cars. The Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is the ultimate Bugatti performance machine, leaving its predecessor's claim to fame in its shadow.
With a target top speed of 425 km/h, Bugatti's engineering team headed for the Volkswagen Group's proving grounds in Wolfsburg, only to find that they had underestimated the car's capability. The Veyron was clocked at 428 km/h (267 mph) for the first run and 434 km/h (270 mph) for the second. Test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel (one seriously lucky dude) achieved an official record-breaking speed of 431 km/h (268 mph)! The top speed of the production version will be limited to 415 km/h (257.9 mph) due to tire limitations. Yeah, a blowout at that speed would be... disastrous, to say the least.
As if 1,001 hp wasn't enough, Bugatti has managed to coax another 200 out of the Veyron's power plant, bringing the grand total to 1,200 hp. Aerodynamic changes and 1,106 lb-ft of torque are among the highlighted improvements to the company's flagship car. Overall weight reduction has also been achieved through extensive use of carbon fiber body panels. In fact, customers can request their Super Sports come completely finished with exposed carbon in clear lacquer.
Bugatti plans to begin production of the Super Sport later this year in Molsteim, where the Veyron and Grand Sport are made. Bugatti has offered a limited (5 units) run of "World Record Edition" versions of the car with the carbon and orange color scheme. All five have already been claimed. The 16.4 Super Sport will begin touring some of the most prestigious automotive events later this year. On the itinerary are the Pebble Beach Concours weekend, the Quail, Monterey, and Historic Races at Leguna Seca.
[Bugatti via autoblog]
