Top Gear puts Bugatti Veyron against McLaren F1

By Zack Newmark
July 3, 2009 5:47 PM
Filed Under: Bugatti, European, McLaren, Supercars

Last week, Top Gear debuted its second episode of the new season, featuring a mile-long drag race between two of the most sought after supercars in recent history. Behind the wheel of the 1001 horsepower Bugatti Veyron: Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond. Behind the wheel of the 627 horsepower McLaren F1: The Stig. The race took place on a very dry, closed stretch of road in Abu Dhabi.

If you just look at the power figures, you might think that the Veyron would outright crush the F1. However, the F1 weighs significantly less than the Veyron, roughly 1651 lbs. (749 kg)

We won't spoil the surprise, so watch the full video here and tell us if the race turned out the way you thought it would.

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Tags: McLaren F1, Bugatti Veyron

Top Gear: Jaguar XF-R vs. BMW M5 (51 comments

Comments

kimbo

July 3, 2009 5:58 PM

no way he put full throttle on veyron. This thing would smoke F1.

scratchy996

July 3, 2009 6:02 PM

to make the race more exciting Hammond didn't use the Veyron's Launch Control. would have been boring if the Veyron went ahead too quick.

Pentium

July 5, 2009 9:59 PM

exactly!

super_car_muscle_man

July 5, 2009 11:50 PM

yup, your right, or maybe he did but no launch control. veyron 0-62mph = 2.5sec f1 0-62 = 2.9sec and quite clearly in the vid, the maclaren would have hit 60mph quicker, which isnt what teh figures would suggest. still nice drag race when i saw it on tv though!

N20_Purge

July 3, 2009 5:59 PM

This is so 5 days ago. I knew the Bugatti would win from the start. The gap would have been bigger if that Spoiler was pushed down. It was doing was causing drag.

Geefiasco

July 3, 2009 6:04 PM

SLR McClaren 772 vs the Murcielago LP670 was brilliant. The SLR destroyed the Lambo! Hypercar royalty at its best!

randomuser

July 3, 2009 6:23 PM

that Merc engine in the SLR is a monster. can't wait to see it in action in a lighter car, like the next Zonda.

Geefiasco

July 3, 2009 7:04 PM

Yeah, it's a monster. That Supercharged V8 rumble is one of the most beautiful engine sounds ever.

Raptor_

July 4, 2009 5:01 PM

Destroyed?LOL

Geefiasco

July 5, 2009 1:49 PM

Yes, destroyed!!!!!!!!!!

super_car_muscle_man

July 5, 2009 11:40 PM

@Geefiasco: totally agree with the sound comment. it is the best V8 burble sounding engine ever. i heard a brabus slr once and i almost wet my pants. its monstrous when it was just rolling past doing probably 20-30mph.

Kepe

July 3, 2009 6:06 PM

I was kind of hoping that the F1 would have won. It was my favorite super car when I was a kid :p

eas722

July 3, 2009 6:12 PM

F1 is still my favorite. I really wish McLaren had won, getting old *sigh*...

igabbmw

July 3, 2009 7:24 PM

I Agree with you... having the money I'll have a McLaren... I'm sure it is faster around a track then the Veyron.

randomuser

July 3, 2009 6:13 PM

The Top Gear guys like the F1 and the Veyron so much , they are ignoring the fact that the Aero SSC is the fastest road going car today and the Dauer 962 LM was the fastest road car of the '90s (0-62 in 2.6 sec, 251 mph)

Also, WCF you got the weight of the F1 wrong , it should be arround 1100kg depending on the version.

janobr

July 3, 2009 6:31 PM

It is, the 749kg in the article is the difference in weight not the weight it self, Veyron is 1888 KG, is the 749kg difference would put the F1 at around 1139KG

Dewd

July 3, 2009 9:14 PM

Well the Top Gear guys are a bit special, that's probably why we all love them. I don't think they count the Aero SSC because it's not a car you can use every day, it is American and it is terribly ugly..

loyo

July 4, 2009 3:25 AM

Amen Dewd, I couldn't have said it in better words

Prince_Ash

July 3, 2009 6:29 PM

saw this episode last sunday when it came out, was hillarious :) very entertaining but i knew the bugatti would win lol even though i like the F1 better.

sideskraper

July 3, 2009 7:22 PM

lightweight vs power. weight wins the first leg, power will eventually prevail. duh.

pousa13

July 3, 2009 7:58 PM

the episode was really great. i don´t care how much faster the veyron is, I would always take the F1.

MusTang

July 3, 2009 8:05 PM

As i understood on street race, i mean from traffic light to traffic light F1 will win Veyron. But on quarter mile Veyron beat the F1. So i think they are equal, just depend on where these cars are raceing. I don't think Veyron or F1 can beat Lotus Exige on the mountain S-type roads.

scratchy996

July 3, 2009 8:31 PM

the Veyron is faster in a drag race either way if you use it's launch control.

ericthedog

July 3, 2009 9:03 PM

I would still take the mclaren over the veyron anyday .

Carbon_Dew

July 3, 2009 9:36 PM

2 different breed of car, both insanely quick... My personal favourite, the Veyron!

tsiebrand

July 3, 2009 9:44 PM

What meaning do those back lights on the bugatti have going crazy??

adz612

July 3, 2009 11:22 PM

LED lights. Can't explain why, but it's something to do with the camera catching frames and LED's not emitting a steady stream of light. Sorry I never really paid much attention in physics class.

adz612

July 4, 2009 7:38 AM

OK to cut a long story short, to the naked eye, LED's show up as a steady stream of light, but in reality the light is a steady rapid stream of pulses. therefore because a camera constantly records frame by frame, the LED's will always show up flashing. Sorry to bore the hell outta you, but yeah that's the simplified version. P.S. I'd have the McLaren over the Veyron anyday.

eme7

July 3, 2009 10:15 PM

jojo suck it veyron gay car!!! ...whit taht power shoulde done better after 15 year 8Lt...4 turbos and still no match for that P80 BMW engine, what a crap of VW or Bugatty..jajaja

kimbo

July 4, 2009 12:59 AM

relax and take a breath, kid. Maybe you will feel better!

scratchy996

July 4, 2009 1:41 PM

lol

devperson

July 5, 2009 12:12 AM

The grammar/spelling Nazis would have a field day with you!

mickey_f1

July 3, 2009 11:13 PM

Just get these two on a race track and we'll see the F1 kick ass!

q8lambo

July 4, 2009 2:40 AM

the SV would have beaten the slr if it used launch control or took off the the huge wing

kinsilverarrow

July 4, 2009 4:50 AM

comparing the power of the F1 and veyron.. its very obvious that car with more power wins... but the ultimate test for any road car is on the track(handling)... well i felt topgear missed that aspect of testing of two great cars of all time...

norther

July 4, 2009 6:12 AM

this test was pretty irelevant. any car which has more hp, in a straight line will win. a drag race is only about pure hp. though i have to admit i put my money on the mclaren. BUT.... im sure, im 100% sure on a track, the mclaren will smoke the veyron.

scratchy996

July 4, 2009 1:44 PM

Torque wins in a drag race, HP is for top speed. they should put the f1 on the test track but then many people will be disappointed, the F1's handling wasn't stellar.

thethirdjq

July 4, 2009 8:05 AM

I applaud these guys for being able to do this with these cars ( we are looking at about 2-3 million british pounds moving down the road) and getting away with it. In my opinion - i am going with the mclaren. the increasing value of the care is there and it truly defines the driving experience (gold plating on the heat shield!). As they said, they veyron is a technological marvel, but too luxurious to me.

Bristol411S3

July 4, 2009 12:26 PM

I am amazed the Veyron didn't win by a larger gap, but then I guess the Bugatti not using launch control explains that. Also, the SKILL needed to get a great launch on the F1 is much greater. Put two average Joes in both cars and the Veyron would be miles ahead.

I'd still have the McLaren though.

GeeNee

July 4, 2009 3:20 PM

I think they should've used the McLaren F1 GTR version

m3dina

July 4, 2009 3:53 PM

I reckon the point of this race was just to fulfill every kids dream of having 2 of the most exotic cars just race each other on a straight piece of road. In other words the ultimate drag race. IMO, it was inevitable that the F1 was going to be quicker off of the line and the EB slower but as the weight kicks in and a heaving mass of power on the EB it was going to win long-term. But just beautiful to behold and that IMO was the aim of that peice.

Lennox....

July 4, 2009 7:43 PM

why a mile?? whatever happened to 1/4 mile drag race yea it would end fast but thats the point who can reach the highest speed in the time limit! McLaren F1 hands down would of won

scratchy996

July 5, 2009 5:31 PM

1/4 mile drag races are for Americans, Brits do the 1 mile race.the Veyron destroys anything on any length. you have to remember this is a TV show and the F1 going faster at the beginning was intended to make the race more dramatic.

you can see clearly the Bugatti key is in the normal mode, Hammond didn't insert the ignition key in the high power slot. also he doesn't rev the Veyron before the start to use the launch control. in full power mode the Veyron gets lower, the suspension stiffens and the rear wing doesn't go up, making the car more aerodynamic.

Edited by user on July 5, 2009 at 5:41 PM

Hexatron

July 4, 2009 8:37 PM

Get this two on the curvy road and I'm pretty sure that Veyron will be the 2nd...

X6M

July 5, 2009 1:35 PM

I can't agree more!!

scratchy996

July 5, 2009 5:41 PM

i wouldn't be so sure, the F1 was known for having handling issues and got beaten by other supercars of it's day on the track, i.e. Ferrari F50, Porsche GT1, CLK-GTR, Lister Storm, etc.

but the Veyron is faster on a racetrack than modern supercars like Ferrari Enzo, Maserati MC12, Porsche Carrera GT, Murcielago SV, etc. which are faster than the old supercars.

the F1 has a lateral acceleration of 0.86g , the Veyron has 0.96g . the F1 has no ABS , 60-0 mph in 2.8 seconds. the Veyron stops from 60-0 mph in 2.2 seconds and has fade free brakes, from 250-0 mph in less than 10 seconds thanks to the added airbrake.

Edited by user on July 5, 2009 at 6:49 PM

Aesthetics

July 6, 2009 3:56 AM

lets not forget the veryron is 4wd and has twin clutch. even this drag race does not mean much, the mclaren obvious hit 60 and 100 quicker than veyron where the veyron...under the hands of a pro has a much faster time in every sector

harshreality

July 8, 2009 12:39 AM

its blatantly obvious that this was staged AND edited to be a "close" race which apparently makes for excitement but doesnt really shine the light on the truth. The Veyron has much more power and 4wd and launch control. Look at the position of the wing during the different stages of the "race". The F1 is British so they really couldnt make it look bad.

fatheh_cheema

October 21, 2009 12:08 AM

The Veyron is supposed to be the #1 Car but is has many luxuries and it is soooo heavy and it really isn't as good on a track.

The Mclaren has nothing. No flappy paddles and it is a pure drivers car, V12 Engine and 0-100 (0-60mph) time of 3.5 seconds. Top Speed of 240mph!!!

I like the Mclaren F1 Better than a veyron

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