You could say that Bugatti has been round the houses. Originally founded in 1909, it ceased trading in the Sixties. Rich Italian maverick Romano Artioli revived the brand in 1987 and in the following eight years he created the landmark EB110 and even acquired Lotus, before the business collapsed in 1995. Three years later, it was snaffled up by Volkswagen as part of its ambitious weltpolitik expansion, spawning the extraordinary Veyron. Troubled gestation notwithstanding, it remains one of the most incredible supercars of our times.
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Make and model
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Year
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Price
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Engine
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0-60mph
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Top speed
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Bugatti EB110
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1992
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£281,000
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3500cc V12, 553bhp, 451lb ft
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3.6sec
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209mph
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 |
For
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So good to drive that Schumacher paid for one
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Against
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Went everywhere fast, including bankrupt
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Verdict
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Great car, lousy economy. We wouldn’t have VW’s Veyron had
it survived
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With Gandini styling, an ultra-exclusive name, a carbonfibre body, four turbos, up to 600bhp and well over 200mph the Bugatti EB110 had all the credentials but not enough customers.
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Make and model
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Year
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Price
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Engine
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0-60mph
|
Top speed
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Bugatti Veyron
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2005
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£840,000
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7993cc W16, 987bhp, 921lb ft
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2.5sec
|
205mph
|
 |
For
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Given VW’s eye-watering costs, even a million quid is a bargain
|
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Against
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It’s an engineering struggle to contain all that power, weight
and heat
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Verdict
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There might never be another supercar like it
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At launch, the Veyron stole all the supercar superlatives: fastest, most powerful, most expensive. We thought Ferdinand Piech’s pet project was a folly, but it turned out pretty good