2009 bugatti veyron 16.4 Preview

One of the saddest moments of my automotive journalism career was when I realized I had to bite the proverbial bullet and send one of my juniors to the Alsace region of France to test drive Bugatti's awe inspiring Veyron. I had too much business related work to do to justify the trip, a decision I still regret today. You imagine, therefore, that there was no way I was about to miss the opportunity to witness the unveiling of Bugatti's open-air 16.4 Grand Sport when asked to take part. After all, such a major automotive event might only happen every ten years or so, verified by the oohs and aahs from film and music stars, dignitaries, motoring

press and regular car enthusiasts looking on as the new model rolled across the stage at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on a Saturday evening in August.

Just like Bugatti looked to its rich history to name its 1001-horsepower supercar after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who drove a Type 57 to victory during the 24 hours of Le Mans of 1939, the Grand Sport was named after a very special open-top roadster considered to be as close to the legendary Type 35 race car as a road car could be. The Type 43 Grand Sport, built between 1927 and 1930, might be 881-horsepower shy of the car that now takes its name, but its supercharged straight-eight was a force to be reckoned with in its day. Bugatti, tying the new Grand Sport to the legend, arranged for a beautiful example of the classic to precede the modern-day car onto the Pebble Beach main stage, where it whet appetites for what will soon be the fastest production convertible ever made.

Hardly

a departure from the Veyron 16.4 coupe, the new roadster carries forward with Bugatti's familiar design language in all but the roof, a particularly attractive design that looked even more elegant ambling across the golf course lawns. Its roof is more of a targa-style open-top car than a true roadster, however, which allows it similar structural rigidity to the hardtop, critically important at 253 mph. Even with the top off it's good for 224 mph, which is something I'd truly like to experience at least once in my life.

The roof, a transparent polycarbonate removable section that comes with its own stand, is either on or off, as there is no room to take it with you. To protect driver and passenger from a sudden shower, Bugatti includes an innovative rectangular umbrella-like soft-top stowed in the front luggage compartment that's good for speeds up to 80 mph; Bugatti Sales and Marketing Director Alasdair Stewart said the idea came from seeing a classic Type 35 drive by with the passenger shielding the driver from the rain with an umbrella.

Just in case a little rain gets inside before the top is in place, the Grand Sport benefits from moisture-resistant, backstitched leather, plus a few other extras to set

the top-line roadster apart from Bugatti's “base” model coupe. Parking has been made easier thanks to a new reversing camera featuring a 2.7-inch monitor integrated within the rearview mirror, and audio buffs that tire of the quad-turbocharged sixteen-cylinder orchestra can now enjoy a “Puccini” sound system with a digital signal processor. The new car also features a unique headlight design with LEDs, special alloy rims, and a slightly taller windshield, signature details that will be easy to spot for true Veyron aficionados.

Slicing the roof section out posed its own problems however, as such a process does anytime a fixed roof car is transformed into a convertible. Bugatti faced the challenge by adding reinforcements along the Grand Sport's rocker panels and within the transmission tunnel, as well as using higher-strength

carbon-fibre throughout the car, and more of it. Now the B-pillars have been cross-stiffened with the pricey composite, while a central carbon plate was fixed below the transmission tunnel to exorcise as much torsional flexing as possible out of the car, resulting in the stiffest roadster ever. For added strength and lighter weight, the Grand Sport's doors are also made of carbon-fibre, and include a longitudinal beam for transferring load from the A- to B-pillar, dissipating energy in case of an accident. Lastly, the car's air intakes, which have been redesigned, now boast ten-centimetre-wide carbon-fibre elements to protect driver and passenger in the event of a rollover.

Like all Veyron 16.4s, production happens at the company's headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace, with cars becoming available as of March '09 for the cool sum of 1.4 million

euros ($1.8 million). Only 150 Grand Sports will be made, with the first 50 set aside for registered Bugatti owners. The first vehicle was auctioned off Sunday night at the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company for just under $3.2 million, with all profits over the $1.4 million euro asking price (which total about $1.4 million) going to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation charity.

There was another Bugatti auctioned off at the same event that fetched even more money, a 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante Coupe that set a new Pebble Beach record at $7.92 million. One of 95 57Cs produced from 1937 to 1940, it's just another example of how fine cars can escalate in price over the years and, if history can be used as a signpost to the future, how this latest Grand Sport may fair in the years to come.

The Grand Sport, due to its limited numbers and build perfection, should appreciate too. While the current economic climate makes it difficult to predict anything, truly special cars, especially in open-top trim, tend to fetch the most when the gavel sounds. The lucky owners who finally get their hands on this car, however, will hardly be thinking about flipping it for a profit, at least not at first. No, there are 150 memorable first drives to come, and more if one considers the fortunate few auto journalists that will get opportunity behind the wheel. I can only hope that I'll be on the short list.