Yesterday saw the end of a motoring era – one which started in 1999 at the Tokyo Motor Show when the VW Group first unveiled its 1000hp concept. Bugatti has now sold the 450th and last Veyron
Fittingly they’ve called it ‘La Finale’ and it comes in the form of a Grand Sport Vitesse. That means this lucky customer has picked up a 887kW open-topped marvel with a monstrous 1500Nm of torque and the ability to get from 0-100km/h in just 2.5 seconds.
The development of the Bugatti Veyron represented one of the greatest technical challenges ever in the automotive industry. The Bugatti developers were given four goals in the specifications for the supercar: it should transfer more than 1,000hp onto the road, drive faster than 400 km/h, accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than three seconds and – the biggest challenge – in this configuration still be suitable for driving ‘to the opera’ in comfort and style.
“The Veyron is unique in many respects even ten years after its launch,” says Bugatti President Wolfgang Dürheimer. “In the Veyron, Bugatti has created an automobile icon and established itself as the world’s most exclusive supercar brand.”
Bugatti will fittingly celebrate the icon that is the Veyron at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The Alsace-based super sports car manufacturer will present the 450th vehicle as a world première – alongside the Veyron with chassis number 1 that left the Atelier in Molsheim ten years ago.
In the meantime the blokes from Bugatti are readying their next model, which we’ll hopefully see at some point next year. No doubt it’ll go someway beyond a mere Veyron replacement.
