In the world of fast sports cars, there’s fast, and there’s ridiculously, crazy fast. The Bugatti Veyron is the latter. This exotic sports car is one of the smallest around, even smaller than the Porsche 911. But what this car lacks in size, it makes up for in shear power.
The Veyron has a top-end speed of 252-mph, making it the fastest production car in the world. Its W16 engine puts out an amazing 1,001 horsepower, which also makes it the most powerful. With a carbon fiber and aluminum body and frame to help reduce the car’s weight, it checks in at 4,500 pounds – which is still surprisingly heavy for its size.
W16 refers to the Veyron 16.4 cylinder and turbocharger engine. This quad-turbo 8-liter monster is one of the most powerful engines ever constructed for an automobile. The “W” refers to the two narrow-angled Volkswagen V8s that are joined together. The Bugatti Veyron literally has two Corvette engines.
The car is all-wheel-drive (AWD) and operates like an F-1 car in terms of the 7-speed automated manual gearbox. Sitting in this car and pressing on the accelerator may be enough to cause serious injury unless you’re properly secured. The Veyron is nothing to be played with.
It can go from 0 to 60 mph in only 2.5 seconds, and it runs the quarter mile in an amazing 10 seconds. With the top-speed mode engaged, a driver could top out at the amazing 252 mph in under a minute. However, as that speed is a dangerous prospect, Bugatti’s production models are released with a speed max of 230 mph.
Surprisingly, the Bugatti Veyron is said to be a very easy car to drive. The wheel base on the sports car is massive, and thanks to the AWD, hairpin turns and other handling obstacles are that much easier. The car is said to not be so “knee-jerk” like other sports cars on the market.
If you’re thinking that the Veyron is all-machine with no class, think again. The car is designed to be beautiful and elegant. The leather interior covers a plush seat, and the aluminum trim gives the car the look of a racecar, with the feel of a luxury automobile.
Drivers of the Veyron have testified to its handling capabilities. Once the car reaches 200 mph, the front end becomes light and starts to lift off of the ground. Even though the Veyron is beautifully designed to look more like a jet plane without the wings, the shear speed of the air from underneath the light front end will still cause it to list slightly.
One of the biggest accomplishments achieved by the Bugatti Veyron is its ability to handle (in this sense, meaning not going out of control) in a straight line at top speed. Some other fast cars of the world, like the McLaren F1, will spin out of control at 240 mph. The Veyron is a marvel of modern machinery.
