Thursday, March 1, 2012

Bugatti says "Happy Birthday" with unique Veyron Super Sport Edition Merveilleux


It's not every day that a unique Bugatti debuts. But it sure seems that way. The ultra-high-end automaker cranks out unique one-off versions of the Veyron for discerning and well-heeled customers around the world, and this is their latest.

Called the Edition Merveilleux (from the French for "marvelous"), this special Super Sport model is distinguished by an unpainted carbon fiber body, blacked-out alloys and brightwork, and a bright blue interior. It was apparently made for a Chinese buyer named Simon as a 40th birthday present to himself, and stands as the only Super Sport sold to date in China.

The video after the jump contains about all the information there is to discern on this unique model, and includes personal salutations to the buyer from Bugatti's chief executive, general manager, sales manager and test driver. Follow the jump to catch a glimpse of how the other half lives.

Bugatti showcases the Bumblebee of Veyrons in Qatar


With a gazillion color options for every little part of the Bugatti Veyron, there's no reason why any two examples should be alike. (Except for maybe an inverse correlation between wealth and imagination.) So it would stand to reason that every Bugatti should be considered a special edition of one. And that certainly appears to be the case, as the French marque seems to bring out another special edition at every possible opportunity.

That opportunity last arose at the Dubai Motor Show, where Bugatti presented three unique examples of the Veyron Grand Sport, the vehicle that holds the title of "world's fastest convertible." Now the elite marque is returning to the Persian Gulf for the Qatar Motor Show with what appears (to our eyes, at least) to be one of the same examples, decked out in yellow and black – said to be founder Ettore Bugatti's favorite color combination. Thoughtfully, however, they've provided a brace of new real-world photos.

The lower part of the body has been done up in lacquered carbon fiber, the upper part in bright yellow and the wheels in black along. Inside, the center console has likewise been finished in black, with seats clad in yellow leather with black stitching and the inverse for the dashboard, wheel and shifter.

While Molsheim apparently didn't feel the need to give this particular example a unique name, they might as well have. And for a few euros extra, we're sure they'd be glad to. As it stands, Bumblebee's aristocratic Alsatian cousin is available for a princely 1.58 million euros – a little over two million in dead presidents. But if this particular color combination isn't to your liking, 45 out of the original allotment of 150 units are still available to order, with prices starting at 1.4 million euros.

The world's fastest convertible at Qatar Motor Show 2012

Doha/Qatar, 23rd January 2012 – The legendary European manufacturer takes part in Qatar Motor Show for the second time, presenting an exclusive and uniquely coloured model of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, which is the fastest, most powerful and most luxurious open top car in the world.

Throughout his life Ettore Bugatti experimented with different colour schemes and materials to create unique cars. The Grand Sport on display at Qatar Motor Show continues this tradition and has a horizontal colour split with a bright yellow body framed in visible black carbon, including black-tinted wheels. The striking contrast of black and yellow, Ettore Bugatti's favorite colours, is continued inside with seats finished in yellow-colored leather with black stitching. The middle console is in black carbon, while the dashboard, steering wheel and gearshift are made of black leather with yellow stitching. This Grand Sport model comes at a price of 1.58 million euros.

After the final order for the Bugatti Veyron coupé has been placed in June 2011, marking an end to the successful era and exclusive production run of 300 units of the supercar and its even faster cousin the Super Sport, the story of Bugatti's exceptional sports car is set to continue. Automotive connoisseurs have the opportunity to still acquire the Grand Sport and its supreme technology. When the roof is on, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport can reach a top speed of 407 km/h, while speeds of up to 350 km/h are possible with the roof off. This makes the Grand Sport the fastest roadster in the world.

The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport 16.4 will be assembled by hand at the company's headquarters in Molsheim, France. In cooperation with the Bugatti design and engineering team, Bugatti customers can tailor their vehicles to their personal preferences by choosing from a broad array of exquisite materials and colours. The Grand Sport model on display in Qatar demonstrates an ever growing number of options available to existing and new Grand Sport owners. Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. has limited the Grand Sport to 150 units of which 105 slots are still open. The standard version costs 1.4 million euros (excluding taxes and delivery).
















Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse is where top speed goes topless


You have to applaud an automaker like Bugatti. Not content with being second place in the production car top speed category, the automaker created the monstrous Veyron Super Sport which, with a top tested speed of 267.81 miles per hour, holds the record for the world's fastest production coupe. Now, here at the2012 Geneva Motor Show, Bugatti has officially debuted the next chapter of its top speed world domination story, because why settle for just having the world's fastest coupe when you can have the world's fastest convertible, too?

Meet the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. It's a pretty simple (yet technically astounding) package: Take the 1,200-horsepower, 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 from the Veyron Super Sport and fit it under the hood of the roofless Grand Sport. Vitesse nomenclature aside (that's French for 'speed', by the way), just think of this as a Super Grand Sport.

Bugatti states that the Grand Sport Vitesse is the most powerful production roadster of all time, and once this thing hits the street, it'll surely be the fastest, too. "Once again our engineers worked hard to demonstrate that Bugatti is able to constantly redefine the boundaries of what is technically feasible," states the automaker's President, Wolfgang Dürheimer.

Scroll through our attached image gallery to see the Grand Sport Vitesse live from the Geneva show floor


Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse celebrates world premiere in Geneva

Molsheim/France, 22 February 2012 – Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. is set to unveil the most powerful roadster of all time at the 82nd International Geneva Motor Show at the beginning of
March.

With an increase in power up to 1,200 HP, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse has
entered a new dimension of open-top driving. Optically aligned to the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which holds the current world speed record of 431 km/h, the Vitesse also impresses with its dynamic driving characteristics.

Bugatti's engineers have developed the current Grand Sport, with its 1,001 HP and 1,250 Nm, into an even more powerful vehicle. The Vitesse's maximum torque is now an impressive 1,500 Nm. The increased power of the new roadster's 16-cylinder engine is made possible by the four enlarged turbochargers and intercoolers. The chassis has also been modified to support the power increase.

The Vitesse therefore also ensures the supreme range of excellent features one would expect of a
Bugatti super sports car, from precise driving dynamics to extraordinary acceleration and braking.

"The rapid success of the Super Sport convinced us to increase the performance of the Bugatti
roadster. Once again our engineers worked hard to demonstrate that Bugatti is able to constantly
redefine the boundaries of what is technically feasible," reveals Bugatti President Wolfgang
Dürheimer. "We gave our all to transfer the achievements of the Super Sport over to the Grand
Sport, thereby turning open-top driving itself into an extraordinary experience at high speed."