12 Things To Know About The Bugatti Veyron, From Its Special Top-speed Key To Its Speed Records

12 things to know about the Bugatti Veyron hypercar, from its Special top-speed key to its speed records.

Two decades after its launch in 2005, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is still inspiring emotion and enthusiasm across the globe. The Veyron isn’t only the world’s first truly hypercar but also the first series production car to break the 400 km/h barrier.

Despite the 450th car and the last example rolling off the assembly line a decade ago, the limited-edition Veyron 16.4 remains a sought-after masterpiece by enthusiasts and collectors.

Below are twelve (12) things to know about the Bugatti Veyron as compiled by Autojosh.

1) Idea

Legendary VW Group boss and engineer Ferdinand Piëch, was struck with the idea to create the world’s first truly hypercar while travelling on the “Shinkansen” bullet-train between Tokyo and Nagoya.

2) Name

The Veyron EB 16.4 is named in honor of French Grand Prix motor racing driver, Pierre Veyron, who won the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans while driving a Bugatti Type 57S Tank with Jean-Pierre Wimille.

3) EB and 16.4

The “EB” refers to Bugatti founder, Ettore Bugatti, while the “16.4” refers to the engine’s 16 cylinders and four turbochargers.

4) Engine

The heart of the world’s first 1,000+ horsepower hypercar is the 8.0-liter W16 (16 cylinders) engine with four turbochargers, which initially generated 1,001 PS, and an incredible 1,200 PS in later models.

5) 10 radiators

This 1,000+ horsepower Bugatti Veyron needed 10 radiators to keep itself cool :

3 air-to-liquid intercooler loop radiators, 3 engine water-cooling radiators, 1 air conditioning condenser, 1 transmission oil radiator, 1 differential oil radiator and 1 engine oil radiator.

6) Acceleration

Veyron can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in approximately 2.5 seconds for most models. Bugatti claims the Veyron will brake from 400 km/h (249 mph) to a standstill in less than 10 seconds.

7) Limited top-speed of 343 km/h (213 mph)

In regular use, the ability to reach the above absolute top speed is locked out – with Bugatti limiting the Veyron’s top speed to 343 km/h (213 mph).

8) Speed Key for top speed

To reach the car’s absolute top speed, a special key is used to activate its top speed mode – which triggers a checklist to establish whether the car and its driver are ready to attempt to reach 407 km/h (253 mph).

9) First series production car to break the 400 km/h barrier

Bugatti test driver Uwe Novacki on 19 April 2005 reached an unbelievable speed of 407 km/h in Ehra-Lessien high-speed track – making the Veyron 16.4 the world’s fastest series production sports car at its production launch in 2005.

10) More records follow

In June 2010, the enhanced Veyron 16.4 Super Sport reached a record-breaking speed of 267 mph (431 km/h) while the open-top Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse reached 254 mph (408.84 km/h) to became the world’s fastest street-legal roadster.

11) Limited to 450 Units

A total of 450 units of the Veyron was made from 2005 to 2015. Bugatti was reported to produce 300 coupés and 150 roadsters up to the end of 2015.

2005–2011 (Veyron 16.4)

2009–2015 (Grand Sport)

2010–2011 (Super Sport)

2012–2015 (Grand Sport Vitesse)

12) Loss

Volkswagen reportedly lost $6.25 million on every $2 million Veyron sold and a total of $2.3 billion. To offset the substantial cost, special edition Veyrons such as the Hermés-branded model and a “Legend” version were created sold at a price enough to recoup some of its losses.

• See Also : Bugatti Unveils ‘20 Years of Veyron’ Logo To Mark Two Decades Of The World’s First Truly Hypercar