bob_golfen's avatar
Author:
Bob Golfen
 
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
SPEEDtv.com Store
Check Out the New NASCAR on SPEED Online Store
Enter Code 10SPEED at checkout for an additional 10% discount (including clearance items).
Our Price: Visit the Store
Visit Button
Buy Button
DVD: David Jefferies Story
The David Jefferies Story is a reminder of the much loved and much missed Yorkshireman.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Man-Made Thunder
The book examines the sport of stock car racing through the eyes and ears of the men behind the wheel and the wrenches.
Our Price: $49.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Unisex Sandwich Cap
Unisex Velcro back hat with SPEED logo on front. PINKS logo embroidered on left and PAO logo on right. One size fits all.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Speedway T-shirt
Men's 6 oz. 100% Cotton Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. SPEED logo imprinted on the front center chest.
Our Price: $24.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
DRIVEN: Bugatti Veyron Taunts And Tantalizes
Written by: Bob Golfen   
11/19/2009
Scottsdale, AZ
 
Nothing in life is simple. Or as my buddy says, “Relationships are complicated.”

The 1001-horsepower Bugatti Veyron is a remarkable piece of high-performance engineering. (Photo: Bob Golfen) » More Photos
So it goes when you get to drive at the very top of the food chain in the fastest, most expensive and certainly the most exotic sports car in the known universe.

This would be the amazing 1,001-horsepower Bugatti Veyron. Not only that, the one that I drove was the new and exceedingly rare Grand Sport version with the removable roof panel.

Price tag: $2 million.

For about 100 blessed minutes, I got to pilot this low-flying spaceship from a tony north Scottsdale resort out to Bartlett Lake on one of my favorite two-lane desert roads. And back again. Joyful, to be sure.

The new Grand Sport version of the Veyron includes a removable composite roof panel. (Photo: Bob Golfen) » More Photos
But as usual, there has to be some weirdness attached to all this. And that would be the recent, widely reported drowning of a 2006 Veyron in a Texas salt-water lagoon.

So every time I mentioned (bragged) to my friends that I was about to drive the Bugatti, reaction was not, “Oh wow, you lucky dog.” Instead, it was more like, “Ha ha ha. Don’t put it in a lagoon.”

It also raised the anxiety level a bit. When I hooked up with the Bugatti handler, pro driver Butch Leitzinger, I was quick to mention that there are no salt-water lagoons or overly aggressive pelicans in this part of Arizona.

I also noted that I didn’t want to be the guy on YouTube who rammed a $2 million Bugatti into a saguaro cactus.

The Veyron is a remarkable achievement, worthy of the revered Bugatti name. Just because
Bugatti is owned by Volkswagen these days takes nothing away from the mind-bending engineering effort or glorious workmanship of this landmark sports car.

The only thing that might compare is the McLaren F1. Or maybe a purpose-built Le Mans race car.

The Grand Sport is another piece of wonder, with a re-engineered chassis to accommodate the lack of roof structure. As such, it will still attain the Veyron’s top speed of 250-plus miles per hour (so I’m told) if you keep the composite roof panel attached. The windows roll up automatically at 100 mph.

Driving the Grand Sport is like nothing else. The acceleration is other-worldly, sucking your body into the seat back and filling your ears with the frenzy of intake and exhaust. Probably how the Shuttle astronauts feel at takeoff.

Page 1 of 3
Next Page »
1 2 3 >
View All Comments