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Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sets world record for fastest open-top car

Bugatti has come back from losing its "World's Fastest Production Car" title with a new superlative to add to the Veyron's trophy case: World's Fastest Open-Top Production Car. That's right, if you can't beat 'em, take the roof off and join them.
The record of 408.84 kilometers per hour, or 254.04 miles per hour, was set by a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse driven by Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu at Volkswagen Group's proving grounds in Ehra-Lessian, Germany. The speed was measured and verified by the German Technical Inspection and Certification Association, or TÜV.
That last point is important to note, as the kerfuffle over the closed-roof Veyron's record involved the Guinness World Records organization, which both sanctioned the car's world record run back in 2010 and then stripped Bugatti of the title after it was learned the car used to set the record had its speed-limited removed. Also, whereas Guinness calculates a car's speed based on the average of two runs in opposite directions, Bugatti doesn't say what criteria TÜV used to verify and calculate the convertible's speed.

Koenigsegg demolishes Bugatti's brand-new 0-400kph-0 record

Last month, we told you how a Bugatti Chiron, driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, set a new record for accelerating from 0 to 400 kph (248 mph) and then braking back to 0, all done in 41.96 seconds. Well, that record didn't stand for long — it was just annihilated by a Koenigsegg. Christian von Koenigsegg decided to take a crack at the record as a means of performance-testing a new Agera RS he was about to deliver to a U.S. customer, this one with an upgraded engine making 1,360-horsepower and 1,011 pound-feet of torque. The hypercar was so factory-fresh, in fact, it still had industrial tape protecting its leading edges. After some lower-speed test runs (an Agera RS is typically tested at up to 186 mph), Koenigsegg's team took the car to Vandel, a former Danish military airbase that now serves as a big solar-energy farm, for the big run on Oct. 1. Some fascinating numbers about the record run, with factory driver Niklas Lilja at the wheel: Lilja went from 0 to 400 kph to 0 in 36.44 seconds, beating the Chiron's record by a whopping 5.52 seconds. (The Chiron's total time was 41.96.) Koenigsegg says its data show that the car engaged traction control in the first three gears, the final time at 113 mph. The car hit the 248 mph goal in 26.88 seconds over 1.21 miles. (The acceleration phase took Montoya in the Chiron 32.6 seconds.) Braking to 0 mph took 9.56 seconds and 1,584 feet. (The Chiron braked in 9.3 seconds.) Though the Agera RS' record time for 0-400-0 was was 36.44 seconds, that does not factor in the fact the car went a wee bit past 400 kph, to 403, or 250 mph, before Lilja hit the brakes. If you include that sliver of time, the overall run was 37.28 seconds. But it isn't counted in the record. Total distance covered was 1.57 miles — on a 1.7-mile runway. For more details, Koenigsegg describes the run on his blog. Related Video: Auto News Bugatti Koenigsegg Technology Coupe Performance Videos Bugatti Chiron koenigsegg agera rs juan pablo montoya

Bugatti reveals the final version of the one-off La Voiture Noire

Bugatti is ready to deliver the La Voiture Noire, a one-of-a-kind model introduced at the 2019 edition of the Geneva auto show. Based on the Chiron, the coachbuilt coupe meets the same quality standards as a series-produced car. Making the La Voiture Noire a reality took two years because it underwent a long list of tests before Bugatti signed it off. As we've previously reported, it was blasted with thousands of gallons of water to ensure it's watertight and was driven flat-out on a track, among other evaluations. Over 65,000 engineering hours were invested into the project, a number that underlines the significant differences between the La Voiture Noire and the Chiron it's related to. And yet, Bugatti managed to keep the show car's lines and finer design details intact during development. While the quad-turbocharged, 1,479-horsepower 8.0-liter W16 engine comes from the Chiron, all of the carbon fiber exterior panels are new and the wheelbase is slightly longer. Bugatti also notes each headlight features 25 individually-milled elements, and that the grille was 3D-printed. Overall, the La Voiture Noire wears a purer, more touring-oriented design than the aforementioned Chiron and the Divo. It's not fitted with a rear wing, for example. Interior photos haven't been released, but we're told the seats are upholstered in Havana Brown leather. It creates a classic ambience that matches the turned aluminum inlays scattered across the cabin, like on the center console. There is but a single example of the La Voiture Noire, and Bugatti's not taking bids. The coupe is already sold to an anonymous collector, who paid 11 million euros (about $13.4 million at the current conversion rate) for it before taxes enter the equation. Time will tell if the new owner reveals his or her identity, drives the car, or keeps it tucked away in a private collection. In the meantime, the French firm will work on bringing the Centodieci to production. Perhaps inspired by Bugatti's success, some of the other luxury carmakers have started breathing new life into the long-lost tradition of coachbuilding during the past few years. Rolls-Royce notably created a yacht-inspired, one-of-a-kind convertible called Boat Tail for an anonymous couple that reportedly paid approximately $28 million for it. What's in a name? La Voiture Noire literally translates to "The Black Car" in French. It's entirely black, but there's more to it than paint and trim.