Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Roadster Revealed

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

By Brian Potter
August 1, 2008 2:04 PM
Filed Under: Bugatti, European

Bugatti has surprised us today with the revealing of its open top targa version of the Veyron 16.4 called, Grand Sport. The new Bugatti will receive its public debut at this year’s Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance, on August 16th, 2008 at the lawn in front of the Pebble Beach Lodge.

Bugatti is calling the Grand Sport a roadster with a removable roof. Bugatti has incorporated “innovative structural solutions”, to compensate for a lack of structural integrity normally provided by a roof, however, without sacrificing performance and safety.

The very first build slot for this new car, to be built in Spring 2009, will be auctioned the next day at the renown Gooding auction at the Equestrian Center at Pebble Beach.

Source: Bugatti via 4wheelsblog.com

Comments

phobos
August 1, 2008 2:21 PM
pure beauty and power...

Asger
August 1, 2008 2:25 PM
I like the updated headlamps.

ShinyG
August 1, 2008 3:25 PM
Gone are the Passat-looking headlights, in are the Audi-looking ones! One would think that the most expensive car in the world will have the most "expensive" design in the world...

Pentium
August 1, 2008 3:30 PM
Great, Power and Expensive :D

mmr66
August 1, 2008 3:41 PM
the second most elegant and bueaty full car on the roads after the maybach elexro

The_woo_factor
August 1, 2008 4:57 PM
Awesome! But the open roof...doesn't that blow your head off at that kinda speed?

carcrazy1234
August 1, 2008 11:52 PM
top speed is reduced to ONLY 217 mph.... :P

KrAMeR
August 1, 2008 5:28 PM
i like the veyron, but can someone tell me the purpose of the germans making there cars so heavy? better handeling?

carcrazy1234
August 1, 2008 11:54 PM
luxury... and also to keep it planted at those speeds. yea, you can go lighter and make it go as fast, but you probably won't feel safe at those speeds in any other car. There is probably more vibrations with less weight at those speeds. Also, comparing this to the Ultimate Aero SSC.. this has MUCH more luxury than it and also, the SSC is far moer stripped down compared to this. Dunno about how it feels in the SSC, but i'm guessing it feels much safer to do 250 mph in this car than that.

Joe_Limon
August 2, 2008 1:38 AM
from what jay leno was saying, the ssc handles way better then this french concoction, especially at speed, kinda helps when you have such a low cg+6'11" width+335tires in the back.

carcrazy1234
August 2, 2008 7:31 PM
oh yea i saw that.... but i was just saying how it FELT at higher speeds. Vibrations, etc... SSC might handle at higher speeds, but remember on top gear when they were doing that top speed test, the driver felt "confident" going at those speeds in this car (not the targa, but it should be safe with this one as well). I'd imagine there would be lots of shaking and rattling in the SSC, even after hearing jay leno speak about how good it is. :D:D

Joe_Limon
August 2, 2008 8:17 PM
shaking and rattling? Well, to go at those speeds shaking is out of the question, any harmoic vibration would tear the tires to shreads. And rattling? I sure hope a $660,000 car doesn't have things rattling around. What would make you suspect that it does?

carcrazy1234
August 2, 2008 11:00 PM
well lets see... if you put the veyron and the SSC side by side... which would you trust the most in terms of build quality, and top speed stability? JUST by looking at it as well. I'd say the veyron. also, the europeans have been known to make very reliable, comfortable, safe automobiles, and the americans have not. the SSC MIGHT be there first "good" car as you may think so, but personally, until i've been in one i'll still put my bet on the veyron for comfort, safety, and reliability. :D

Bremen_Koenigsegg
August 3, 2008 12:49 AM
American cars are just as safe, reliable, and comfortable as European cars (exceptions abound), with any serious differences less a matter of numbers and more a matter of personal preference. I prefer European cars, don't get me wrong, and I believe America sets a good benchmark in the field of "how not to make a car." But fair is fair. Likewise, I believe the SSC Ultimate Aero is a ghastly, blown-up waste of time. It is fast... and? There is no denying that the Veyron has so much more substance. Even if you do not consider it beautiful, you'd be daft to think of it as anything smaller than a monumental achievement.

carcrazy1234
August 3, 2008 3:57 AM
well finished well finished :D:D

pzigly
August 3, 2008 11:15 AM
you dont really feel vibrations as much as the car feels twitchy while braking from those high speeds. when your accelerateing at those speeds the the air is pinning the car to the floor and doesnt allow anything to vibrate. If a part does vibrate it will fly off and cause damage. The word you r looking for is stable. The the bugatti is like a tank, nothing will make it go off course while its flying. The SSC is a light weight sports car. You are going to feel the road under you and its more responsive. joe is right it cant vibrate. the SSC is not a kit car. Its the real deal.

catchmyshadow
August 1, 2008 6:38 PM
i wanna see the details of the roof cause it will be used on the R8 as well.

Tuner_Mad
August 1, 2008 7:42 PM
Those headlight's look awesome. I'm guessing people owning this car won't be having heads if they are going at the top speed with the roof down...

Paulds
August 1, 2008 9:19 PM
Beautiful... Looks great!

PotatoEater
August 2, 2008 4:23 AM
As a girl who keeps lusting after bigger diamonds, so does the boy who craves after cars to quench the never-ending thirst of one upmanship.

Bremen_Koenigsegg
August 3, 2008 12:51 AM
This is wayyy past one-upmanship. Diamonds are static; a Bugatti is dynamic. Plus, girls have cooties.

BabyMilo
August 3, 2008 12:49 AM
looks lovely in white

qwerty-acme
August 3, 2008 3:23 AM
much better... looks finished now. :P

Xanavi23
August 3, 2008 6:51 AM
I guess im Daft Bremen...i dont see the Veyron as any monumental acheivment. Quad Turbo set-ups have been seen before(Ford GT-90 running concept) strapped to a W16 making 1000hp. Its not really an acheivment; strap 4 turbos to a huge engine...make ALOT of power....thats no longer rocket science.(With all due respect brother).

They should be commended for packaging it in a body alot of people find "nice looking" and all the luxury and crap too. But Mechanically speaking its not so special.

Lutzie
August 3, 2008 12:13 PM
Well... I don't love this car (it's not really in the spirit of the great Bugattis of old - maybe too Germanic, carfan58?) but it WAS an engineering achievement par excellence. Just getting the thing to work reliably, stay on the ground, keeping the engine cool, getting the tyres and brakes to work at such high speeds etc etc quite a job. And it sounds like the new McLaren-Mercedes 722 Speedster may be even faster?

TSLi
August 3, 2008 10:05 PM
Well said Lutzie..

.. Xanavi23 you are right it terms of going in a straight line. But no other car other than this allows you to go so quick, yet be in a quiet luxurious cabin. It has an automatic gearbox ffs!! You should try understand how difficult it must be to achieve such a balance of speed & comfort, especially on a car like this.

Bremen_Koenigsegg
August 4, 2008 6:58 AM
Mechanically speaking, while not revolutionary, the Veyron is definitely more sophisticated than some aspects of rocket science. The appeal of 1001HP cars is diluted by our everyday experiences with them; watching videos on YouTube of 1000HP Toyota Supras and 400HP Civics and 600HP WRX STIs et cetera, you're stuck thinking, If gear heads can do it in their garage with nothing but household tools, it really can't be that hard! Unfortunately, the reality is, these engines are rebuilt every other weekend, and are more or less useless on the road in any unfavourable weather. I could go on about how difficult it is to overcome the most basic problems of high-output internal combustion engines, but, unfortunately, lacking an engineering degree, I don't believe I can do such an explanation justice.

Xanavi23
August 5, 2008 9:22 AM
Nahhh, bremen, you, lutzie and TSLI raise good points. You dont need to explain. It does create its power very smoothly while also maintaing a VERY stable ride to its top speed. Its also a luxury car which is another bonus 400kmph in comfort. So in those respects it is definitely an acheivement.

However i still think people(not u bro) should give the SSC some credit. People forget that this Bugatti had essentially ALL of VAGs funds at its disposal during its creation. Clearly with that said, given the limited budget of SSC, it is an accomplishment in its own right. Not just the speed; yea i know, its a hairy car im sure and it takes more caution to drive than the Veyron but still its a very good member of this "Ultra Car" group.

Xanavi23
August 5, 2008 9:24 AM
**albeit a different interpretation for different people, then again they can afford both.**

carfan58
August 3, 2008 7:02 AM
BUGATTI IS A LIFESTYLE PAL

carfan58
August 3, 2008 7:06 AM
BUGATTI IS A GERMAN COMPANY OWNED BY VOLKSWAGEN, THIS CAR IS GGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.

Lutzie
August 3, 2008 12:16 PM
Yes indeed... it's now German. And gone is the lightweight elegance and engineering of the original Bugatti, built in France. The new ones look a lot like big vacuum cleaners.

carfan58
August 3, 2008 7:09 AM
THIS CAR IS AN ENGINEERING MARVEL OF OUR TIME. EXTREAMLY RELIABLE AND ROBUST. BET YOU NEVER SEEN ON EIN ALBERTA JOEY.

Joe_Limon
August 3, 2008 10:14 PM
lol, watch what you say, this is a 1000hp supercar it's reliable if you replace your entire drive train every 5000kms lol, I bet you any chevy cobalt or dodge caliber or honda civic would have less maintenance and things going wrong then this car.

Joe_Limon
August 3, 2008 10:15 PM
also... http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080730.012/2011-audi-rs4-not-a-turbo#comments

carcrazy1234
August 4, 2008 2:49 AM
dude... this was MADE to go fast for over 10 years and not break down every 5000km like an SSC would. comon now, your paying HOW much for this car?? they spent a very long time making it and they have definitely gotten it right. comon now joe, i KNOW you know this car was made to be reliable, and not break down ever 5000km.

Xanavi23
August 4, 2008 8:27 PM
BREAK DOWN LIKE AN SSC ?! are you crazy the engine block while not a Chevy was originally based on the chevy V8 but it was built better in every way from the ground up. Whats with Chevy V8s? awesome power to be obtained and as long as you look after them they'll run for 400K km. And the SSC did customers one better, better in every way, blue-printed block, pistons, rods, sleeves; you name it its in there. Im not saying the Veyron won't last long cause i just don't know whether it will or won't. But don't understimate a good AMERICAN V8, they might not be sophisticated but they will ALWAYS work.

benz_man
August 5, 2008 6:04 AM
Yeah, an old 350 will run bad longer than some cars will run altogether.

Xanavi23
August 5, 2008 8:20 AM
Not if you take care of it ;)

benz_man
August 7, 2008 1:58 AM
Xanavi23, to clarify, I agreed with you. A 350 that is poorly taken care of will run longer in that poor state than many complete cars will run altogether. There's just something about a small-block!

Xanavi23
August 7, 2008 4:46 PM
No worries Benz_Man, i meant no disrespect, i was just making sure. And you're right about the 350 ;)...Yea, you gotta love that small-block :)

carfan58
August 4, 2008 4:26 AM
Joe's just use to his car breaking down every 5000k, arent ya joe.

carfan58
August 4, 2008 7:47 AM
The original Veyron is an engineering masterpiece. read it here. http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080707.003/bugatti-veyron-successor-to-arrive-by-2012

but anyone with a brain whould have known.

atleast500hp
August 4, 2008 11:40 AM
It has become obvious for sometime now that carfan58 is the new authority on automotive development, so as of this friday please log on to www.carfan58knowsitall.com

Xanavi23
August 5, 2008 12:01 AM
Nahhh, not really an engineering master peice sorry. That would imply something TOTALLY new being brought to the table. While Bugatti made 4 turbos on a W-16 reliable(an accomplishment i admit) the actual design and use of 4 turbos is actually MEH.

You want ground breaking ? Cizeta V16; looks like a diablo but who cares it packed a relatively TINY 6.0L V-16. 16 cylinder engine but not retardedly large. THAT was true engineering.

carfan58
August 4, 2008 10:44 PM
Every one knows that 500hp is way too slow, you need ATLEAST700hp.

Xanavi23
August 5, 2008 12:02 AM
Why how much Horsepower are you running ?(heres why you make up some S*** about a car you don't own).

Xanavi23
August 5, 2008 12:03 AM
**Heres where you make up some s***.**

atleast500hp
August 5, 2008 3:25 AM
I would be my left nut that the car you drive doesn't even put out 300hp! And I would bet my right nut that you "play the skin flute" more regularly than you make ridiculous comments on this site!

RS5
August 8, 2008 3:08 AM
He probably doesn't even have a car. Rather a motor scooter?

gearhead89
August 5, 2008 4:11 AM
I would bet both my nuts that YOUR car doesnt pass 200hp. And since the first thing you chose to insult carfan58 with is 'playing the skin flute', I'd say that that's something you do often, wouldn't be surprised if you're doing it now!

Xanavi23
August 5, 2008 8:22 AM
hahahahaha....damn, i dont really have a side here...but thats a major BURRRRNNNN ! ZIIIIIIINNNGGGG ! very nice comeback i admit.

atleast500hp
August 5, 2008 9:56 AM
You can't bet what you don't have amigo...

Xanavi23
August 5, 2008 4:44 AM
Aiight Aiight, lets everybody just be cool. Carfan was joking anyway, no need to start a flame here ;).

View Comment Rules

Add Comment

You are modifying your comment

Exisiting User

Username
Password
remember me

New Users

Username
Email
Password
Comment

Your account

username
password

Other links