Test drive Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport: the more, the more
Test Drive

Test drive Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport: the more, the more

Test drive Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport: the more, the more

He set a world record last July and we are currently testing him on the road. The most dynamic Bugatti has concentrated an incredible amount of speed and comfort thanks to the intoxicating support of a 1200-cylinder turbo engine producing XNUMX hp.

We are somewhere in the Spanish countryside when a soft laugh is heard. It comes from above - where Ettore Bugatti sits on his cloud like a throne, and below him the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport gradually warms up the engine. “Finally,” the founder of the company must have thought, “the Veyron has finally been armed with enough power.” Until now, the power was 1001 hp, but today the sports version has an incredible 1200, not to mention the torque of 1500 Nm. Larger turbochargers and coolers, optimized airflow and better aerodynamics set the Super Sport apart from the "regular" Veyron. This would have pleased the father of the company - after all, in the 30s he gave the world, among other things, Royale - a limousine with a 12,7-liter eight-cylinder in-line engine. When asked about the speed of the car, Bugatti answered: "In second gear, 150 km / h, in third - as much as you like." With that, we return to the Veyron Super Sport. It can also move at any time as fast as its pilot wants. Factory tester Pierre-Henri Raphael proved it in July on the long VW track at Era-Lesin with an average speed of 431 km/h – a world record for stock cars.

A storm on the horizon

That's right - stock cars! After all, the Alsatian manufactory in Molsheim intends to produce 40 copies of the Super Sport. And the noise around the world record must have pleased another car lord - the head of the VW concern, Ferdinand Peach. Commenting on the aerodynamic problems that caused the 1999 Mercedes Le Mans car to overturn, he noted that his concern also conducted covert tests in the Lessen era, but then there were no better pilots on board - which Rafael was unlikely to be told about. All the same - ahead and limits up to 415 km / h Veyron does not stretch on an asphalt track with high turns, but on a secondary Spanish road. The special key that opens the maximum speed remains in our pocket.

Even if on this occasion we shed a tear of regret, it is instantly lost in streams of genuine joy. Even cows, accustomed to flying past them on superbikes with fully collapsed throttle, watch the 1,8-ton monster storm the horizon in a split second after being commanded through the right pedal. Whether a successful start can be seen by the autograph left by the tires on the asphalt. If the four thick black lines are about 25 meters long, you're fine. The 200 km / h limit falls after 6,7 seconds, 300 is reached after eight more. Now old Ettore was laughing from ear to ear. When orders for his eight-cylinder engines ran out during the economic crisis, he quickly assembled them into railroad cars, in which his son Jean immediately set a speed record. Today's W-shaped 16-cylinder unit, which sucks in up to four tons of air per hour and rattles the exhaust valves of its turbochargers passionately as it evacuates gas, suggests that the express trains will finally start arriving on time with it.

Pedal down

One person will have four tons of air in a month. Unless he's holding his breath, as we did on a poorly controlled stretch of road. When the pedal is fully depressed, the turbochargers whistle under full load, as if causing a general vacuum. The dual-clutch transmission shifts gear after gear, and the eight-liter beast seems to be completely indifferent to the selected gear ratio. After long miles of straights, a series of successive gentle corners suddenly appear, giving us an idea of ​​1,4 g of lateral acceleration and convincing of the benefits of tight springs and anti-roll bars, as well as new Sachs dampers from Bugatti. Traction is provided by a dual transmission, and strength is provided by a reinforced carbon monocoque.

In this carefully balanced environment, which adjusts to some extent even the angle of the rear wing, the steering system, and at a super-sporty pace, can respond seated and mature, like in a limousine, while the passengers experience breathing problems.

Did we interest you? Then quickly post a deposit of more than half a million euros and be patient until the fall. If you are one of the typical Super Sport candidates, you can vary your wait times by flying your "regular" Veyron.

text: Jorn Thomas

technical details

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport
Working volume-
Power1200 k.s. at 6400 rpm
Maximum

torque

-
Acceleration

0-100 km / h

2,5 with
Braking distances

at a speed of 100 km / h

-
full speed415 km / h
Average consumption

fuel in the test

-
Base Price1 euro in Germany

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