So I drove a 08 Bugatti Veyron 16.4...
12-19-2007, 07:40 AM
#1
Old School
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Union City
Posts: 14,983
Car Info: '99 RBP GM6
So I drove a 08 Bugatti Veyron 16.4...
... http://gaganb.zenfolio.com/p617135515/
20mph to 140mph behind Google... 3.5 seconds... and then common sense kicked in. I'll do a better write up at work, click the pictures above for now.
UPDATE:
So I've known for nearly a year that my boss's Boss owns a Veyron. At first my boss was trying to tell me what kind of car his boss bought, but he couldn't remeber. He just knew it started with a "B". I thought at first it was a Bentley Continental, since I knew the guy had money, but when my Boss brought it up several times, and once mentioned it was over 1 million dollars, I knew it could nothing other than a Veyron...
Then my boss said "He wants to bring it to show everyone, and everyone will drive it". I didn't really think it would happen, but a few months ago the big boss himself brought his son (cub scout) to sell some popcorn. So I was talking to him, and he asking me for advice on how to insure the car, cause well, no regular company would do it. I referred him to some large Euro banks that do insurance and some classic car insurance companies. So he said once he insures it, registers it (yeah, $10k for registration this first year), then he'll bring it by, and he said "you can take it for spin".
Months roll by, we move locations, more months, and finally, my boss says he'll be at our company dinner this year, and he'll bring the car. So yesterday he comes, even in the rain, with his car. I'm just snapping pics, and he hands me the keys and says : "Take for a spin. But 101 had lots of traffic, so I dunno where you can really drive it." THIS MAN IS EGGING ME ON!
So, not to disappoint the super nice guy, I drove it:
How fast is this 8 Liter, Quad turbo car? Well, to be honest, I was pretty scared to wood it. Every time I did TC was engaging harsh, and I felt more G force than when a 747 takes off down a runway. I found a empty road, put into the sport shift mode and then let it rip in 2nd gear to about 100mph (it happened so damn fast) and stopped... Somewhere behind Google I grew a 3rd ball, and let it rip 20mph-140mph (very low in 2nd to top of 3rd... I think, everything was blurring, i barely looked down before the brakes to catch the 140mph mark). I then just drove it back and let Derek have at it and one quick session to 100mph was enough for him. Aaron showed up, and I took him for a spin, he can post about it as well, it's just such a beast.
Engine: W16, 4 turbos, 8 liters... just simply over kill. I mean, the car comes with a dyno gauge, to tell you how much HP you're making. It's all about power, raw power. But to be totally honest, between 0-40% throttle is SO tame! just puts along like my mini van. But if you hit the 50% range and beyond, it just injects roids into the cylinders. Unbelievable power, Smooth yet Raw.
Handling: I was shocked at how nimble this car is. It feels 2500lbs, not 4100lbs. Instant reaction to steering input, and decent turning radius for such a wide car. The ride was incredibly stiff, probably a little stiffer than what a C6 Z06 feels like. The car was not in the race mode were it's 3" lower and the wing comes way up, so its probably even stiffer and more agile in that mode. I didn't even try to see if it oversteered/understeered. When driving someone else's car, especially one that worth more than my rents home, I just didn't do. But it's definitely nimble, way nimble.
Exterior: Just check out the pictures. it's beautiful, and the color is really nice, much better in person than in pictures online. I hope it comes through in my pictures. Carbon everywhere.
Interior: Check the pics. Everything is NICE leather. The switches, buttons, levers, everything works with heft and superb feel. Even the key fob was heavy and had a solid feel to it. The cars windows are short, the headroom is short, and seats are deep, so your visibility suffers immensely, but it's obvious aren't mean to be looking anywhere BUT forwards! The sport mode with paddle shifting is quick and intelligent (YES, it rev matches the down shifts!). There is a CD player (i think radio as well), and Aaron said it sounds good... so that means it's ****ing pimp ****; probably Nakamichi or something similar. There is no display/GPS, but honestly, you have to paying attention to where you are driving in that thing anyways.
Sound: Throaty at idle. Fairly quiet inside, but I'm sure you can hear it comin' if you are on the street though.
Questions?
Last edited by joltdudeuc; 12-19-2007 at 11:26 AM.
12-19-2007, 08:05 AM
#3
Old School
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Union City
Posts: 14,983
Car Info: '99 RBP GM6
Smoother power wise than I thought, but much stiffer ride wise. For a car that weights so much, it reacts instantly. I didn't even try to push it though, the few times i let my self stab the gas pedal was more than enough joy. It feels like it will hold the road forever, so, only a track day with the car would show how it does grip/handling/balance wise.
