The world's fastest open-top production car, a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.
Don’t count Bugatti down-and-out. True, the maker recently had to relinquish the title of “World’s Fastest Production Car,” having been bested by the Hennessy Venom. But if you lose one trophy line up another, it seems, and Bugatti proved it still had plenty of game by delivering a 408.84 kmh run in its open-topped Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.
For the metrically challenged, that works out to an impressive 254.04 miles per hour with driver Anthony Liu behind the wheel at the Volkswagen proving grounds in Ehra-Lessian Germany. The maker had the folks from TUV, the German technical inspection and record keepers, on hand for the run, which it hopes will help ensure a place for the black-and-orange super-coupe a place in the Guinness World Records.
You can check out the image here of the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse making its run or – if you just happen to be there – see it in the actual sheet metal a few weeks from now when Bugatti puts it on display at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show.
You can even buy one of its clones, the French-based Bugatti planning to offer eight of them for a mere 1.990 million Euros – or $2.61 million.
“When we introduced the Vitesse, we established the top speed for open-top driving to be 375 kmh,” or about 235 mph,” notes Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. “Still, we could not let go of the idea of reaching the 400 kmh mark with this car as well. The fact that we have succeeded in reaching 408.84 kmh is a thrill for me, and it reaffirms once again that Bugatti is the leader when it comes to technology in the international automotive industry.”
The record-setting Bugatti was powered by a 1,200 horsepower 8.0-liter W16 engine. It featured a track-ready carbon fiber monocoque that boasted fast-action shocks, beefed-up rollbars. Meanwhile, a specially designed roof spoiler and windbreak system allowed Liu to drive at that speed with the top open in acceptable comfort.
Bugatti’s announcement came just days after Hennessy’s team piloted a closed-top Venom GT to a record 265.7 mph on the runway at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Leemore, California, laying claim to being the “World’s Fastest Production Car.”
That honorific has proved a bit controversial and for several reasons. For one, Hennessy plans to produce just 29 of the GT coupes. It also turns out that a closed-top Veyron had previously topped out at 267.8 mph – 2.1 mph faster than the Hennessy Venom. But that figure apparently didn’t count because the production Veyron is speed limited by the factory to “just” 258 mph.
For the moment, the folks at Guinness haven’t said whether they will accept the results of the latest Bugatti record run, either, though the TUV’s presence clearly should lend some authenticity to the event.
Nonetheless, don’t be surprised to see Bugatti continues to face challengers who see it as the brand to beat for upstarts like Hennessy hoping to establish their own bona fides.