Bugatti has sold the last of its 300 Veyron 16.4 supercars. The customer of the final Veyron is based in Europe and is new to the Bugatti marque.
Bugatti Veyron: the controversial king of the supercar world
Volkswagen Group picked up the Bugatti name in 1998, following the 1995 bankruptcy of Romano Artioli’s Modena-based Bugatti factory, which had produced the EB110 quad-turbo V12 supercar. VW presented the EB218 saloon, Chiron 18/3 supercar (both designed by Italdesign Giugiaro) and the Veyron 18.4 concept at motorshows in 1999, all with mammoth 18-cylinder engines. In the end VW decided to go down the supercar route, and presented the revised Veyron 16.4 in 2000.
It took VW engineers five years to develop the Veyron and its systems to harness the stated power output of 1001PS (987bhp) and reliably deliver the performance and luxury parameters set by VW supremo Ferdinand Piech. Production began at the purpose built Bugatti Atelier in Molsheim, the original location of Bugatti.
In April 2005 Bugatti broke the 400km/h barrier, clocking 253.4mph at VW’s Ehra-Lessien high-speed oval. A 0-62mph time of 2.5 seconds made the Veyron the performance champion, but the car divided opinions amongst motoring enthusiasts.
So that’s it for the Veyron?
If you’re a Veyron critic I hope you haven’t popped the celebratory champaigne cork or started your dance of joy just yet. Although Veyron and Veyron Supersports production will be ending, Bugatti is still producing the targa-topped Veyron Grand Sport model. So if you were hoping to grab a Veyron but just needed a bit more time to raise the estimated £1.5m you’d need to buy one, there’s still time…
>>Wish the Veyron was gone or sad to see it go? Share your thoughts in the comments section below: