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New Models
DRIVEN: 1,183hp Bugatti Veyron Drop Top
The builder of some of the world’s most outrageous supercars turns up the heat with the 225 mph Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.
Bugatti unveiled the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse prior to its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. (Photo: Bugatti)
There is nothing quite like the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. With 987 horsepower from its quad-turbocharged 8-liter W16 engine and a claimed top speed of 252 mph, it is not only the most powerful but also the fastest open-top production car in the world.
At least it was for a year or two. With the introduction of the drop-top Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, the stakes have been raised again. Packing the same upgraded engine used by the Veyron Super Sport (the world's fastest road car), this final incarnation of the modern-day Bugatti delivers an outrageous 1,183 horsepower and is said to reach 255 mph flat out in seventh gear.
With such statistics, it would be all too easy to dismiss the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse as nothing but a four-wheeled irreverence. Who needs that much power and the ability to go that fast in a road-going convertible, anyway?
But as Bugatti test driver Pierre-Henri Raphanel explains, “The only people who don't consider it worthy of the 'ultimate car in the world' tag are those who haven't driven it. There are cars that can do some of what the Vitesse does for a fraction of the price, but there are none that can do all of what it does.”
One thing no other road car comes close to matching is the heart-stopping sound it makes when you lift the throttle and experience the full force of the four turbochargers dumping pressure through their wastegates. The source of the menacing sound is the Vitesse's powerplant, a masterpiece of modern-day engineering.
Maximum power arrives at 6,400 rpm, and torque swells in a tsunami-like wave to 1,106 pound-feet at 3,000 rpm. The added 196 horsepower over the Gran Sport necessitated many modifications, including larger turbochargers and the addition of two fuel pumps to feed the engine's thirst. Drive is channeled through the same seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox used by the Veyron to a multiplate clutch that apportions drive to all four wheels depending on prevailing grip.
Despite the extensive use of carbon fiber in its structure and outer body, the Vitesse tips the scales at 4,378 pounds, which is 114 more than the coupe with the added structure. But power seems to overcome physics in the Veyron Vitesse. At peak acceleration, the new Bugatti is claimed to reach 1.4 g, not unlike the intensity of a vertical drop during a roller-coaster ride.
The car's 0-to-62-mph time is 0.1 second slower than the Grand Sport at 2.6 seconds, given its larger turbochargers and their added inertia. But once it hits maximum boost, no other street-legal car – except for its closed-roof Super Sport sibling – has a hope of staying in touch. The car's official 0-to-124-mph time is 7.1 seconds, and 186 mph comes in just 16 seconds. Bugatti says it runs the quarter-mile in 10 seconds.
For the full 255-mph experience you need the roof attached and a separate key that triggers a range of aerodynamic adjustments, including closing off front diffusers for added stability and trimming the rear-wing angle from 16 degrees to 3 degrees to reduce drag.
At least it was for a year or two. With the introduction of the drop-top Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, the stakes have been raised again. Packing the same upgraded engine used by the Veyron Super Sport (the world's fastest road car), this final incarnation of the modern-day Bugatti delivers an outrageous 1,183 horsepower and is said to reach 255 mph flat out in seventh gear.
With such statistics, it would be all too easy to dismiss the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse as nothing but a four-wheeled irreverence. Who needs that much power and the ability to go that fast in a road-going convertible, anyway?
But as Bugatti test driver Pierre-Henri Raphanel explains, “The only people who don't consider it worthy of the 'ultimate car in the world' tag are those who haven't driven it. There are cars that can do some of what the Vitesse does for a fraction of the price, but there are none that can do all of what it does.”
One thing no other road car comes close to matching is the heart-stopping sound it makes when you lift the throttle and experience the full force of the four turbochargers dumping pressure through their wastegates. The source of the menacing sound is the Vitesse's powerplant, a masterpiece of modern-day engineering.
Maximum power arrives at 6,400 rpm, and torque swells in a tsunami-like wave to 1,106 pound-feet at 3,000 rpm. The added 196 horsepower over the Gran Sport necessitated many modifications, including larger turbochargers and the addition of two fuel pumps to feed the engine's thirst. Drive is channeled through the same seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox used by the Veyron to a multiplate clutch that apportions drive to all four wheels depending on prevailing grip.
Despite the extensive use of carbon fiber in its structure and outer body, the Vitesse tips the scales at 4,378 pounds, which is 114 more than the coupe with the added structure. But power seems to overcome physics in the Veyron Vitesse. At peak acceleration, the new Bugatti is claimed to reach 1.4 g, not unlike the intensity of a vertical drop during a roller-coaster ride.
The car's 0-to-62-mph time is 0.1 second slower than the Grand Sport at 2.6 seconds, given its larger turbochargers and their added inertia. But once it hits maximum boost, no other street-legal car – except for its closed-roof Super Sport sibling – has a hope of staying in touch. The car's official 0-to-124-mph time is 7.1 seconds, and 186 mph comes in just 16 seconds. Bugatti says it runs the quarter-mile in 10 seconds.
For the full 255-mph experience you need the roof attached and a separate key that triggers a range of aerodynamic adjustments, including closing off front diffusers for added stability and trimming the rear-wing angle from 16 degrees to 3 degrees to reduce drag.
The Lyonheart K
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