Enter the rumormill: 1200 HP Bugatti Veyron Sport in the works
Our Deutsch-obsessive friends over at the German Car Blog tipped us off to an article at kalaydo.de that, while discussing the attempt to slow down motorists on the autobahn, revealed that Bugatti was in the process of developing a "Sport" version of the all-conquering Veyron.
The quote was light on details, only mentioning that Bugatti would up the power output of the uber-Veyron to 1,200 HP. The article also mentioned plans for an E-Class Merc that would crest the 700 HP mark.
For the time being, we're chalking this up to rampant speculation since sources weren't cited and there's been no hard evidence about such a project coming across our screens. We like more power, but as far as engineering exercises are concerned, the Veyron is close enough to the limits, as is.
[Source: German Car Blog]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Undercover Soul Brother 9:58AM (12/30/2006)
Agreed on this being speculation. The Veyron is a beautiful (beauty is in the eye of the beholder gentlemen), technological marvel that is also a money pit for VW. Each one costs $5mil to make (I'm assuming including the prior research bill) and they sell it as a loss at $1mil to just to be able to say this is how bad ass we are. So I doubt that any more money is going to go into as a project. Anyway, Happy New Years Autobot family! May you all have your corks popped right this weekend!
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Howard Kerr 10:29AM (12/30/2006)
I guess this says a lot about our current state of auto technology, when 1,000 horsepower isn't enough.
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Stuttgart 10:38AM (12/30/2006)
I know from preliminary articles that the heat produced by the Veyron engine was a limiting factor, so squeezing more juice out of that lump might be a stretch. Of course, there must be some overhead in the cooling system...
But USB is right. Does VW Group want to take another wack on each new unit? I would doubt it strictly from a business perspective.
There's a horsepower/top speed pissing contest going on, and dumping tons of money to stay on top of the ball is sketchy at best. How much is 15 minutes of fame worth?
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Alex 11:13AM (12/30/2006)
Stuttgart (#4), precisely because of the 15 minutes of fame, it DOES make sense for Bugatti to keep improving the Veyron. They need to stay ahead of the competition to maintain the car's appeal and charisma as the ultimate in automotive technology.
Otherwise, the Veyron's lead will be short-lived and the car quickly forgotten along with the Bugatti brand.
As for the additional development cost, I am sure they have built in some tolerances for future expansions, so the incremental cost is probably not that high as compared to the original investment.
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mxrz 11:23AM (12/30/2006)
Further R&D might not be needed, it has been stated many times the 1001 figure is just something that looks good on paper, but in reality the engine does output more, maybe not 1200hp, but that's most likely only a matter of reprogramming the ECU a tiny bit. Considering the Veyron was subjected to the same rigorous testing all VW/Audi cars are subject to, even with 1200hp, it would still probably be more reliable and longer lasting than most supercars.
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MikeW 12:16PM (12/30/2006)
Maybe now its top speed will be 400kph (not cheating by using a 'special' mode)
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David 11:24AM (12/30/2006)
Wanna know who said VW will build a 1200hp Veyron, and Merc is planning a 700hp E-Class? Some bloke who works for an environmentalist group. How would he know. And he was talking to some unimportant regional newspaper. Go figure. It's all BS.
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Green Lotus Elise 11:47AM (12/30/2006)
Whats the world coming to when there is a need for a "Sport version" of a 1000 horsepower supercar...
But hey, if I had the money I wouldn't complain one bit! ;)
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big ron 12:59PM (12/30/2006)
This is total BS. They had nothing but problems trying to develop tires for a 1001 bhp car as it is. They also had major cooling problems (hence the TEN radiators on the car). Look at what went into making it a reliable, user-friendly 1001 bhp road car. It took years longer than they'd originally planned.
Do you think they'll 'just add' an extra 200 bhp to the mix?
LOL!!!!!!!!
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Brian Marshall 2:50PM (12/30/2006)
1200BHP would be crazy. I tried reading the article at the source but I can't make much sense of it. I don't think English is the writers first language. I'll remain unconvinced until I see a credible article.
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Car videos & Motorcycle videos 2:27PM (12/30/2006)
The E-Class with 700 HP is more interesting since the Bugatti so expensive that 99.9999999999% can't afford it anyway.
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Saab analyst 2:29PM (12/30/2006)
Adding more power doesnt solve fundamental problem of Veyron. Its too heavy, causing tyre problems.
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Andy 2:35PM (12/30/2006)
"The Veyron is a beautiful (beauty is in the eye of the beholder gentlemen), technological marvel that is also a money pit for VW."
Damn right it is in "the eye of the beholder." Some people think the women on Sex and the City were hot. I did not. I feel the same way about the Veyron. This car never excited me.
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Laba 3:57PM (12/30/2006)
I think it would be better for Bugatti to make a stripped car with the same motor horsepower, but with less weight. By taking off some of those luxyry stuff(like the extra interior things) it could be possible to make the Veyron under 1500kg. And with that weight it would be a lot faster.
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GDUB 8:17PM (12/30/2006)
Oh a sport model. fancy that, Oh what Oh what will i do with my standard Veryon.
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Tommy 8:21PM (12/30/2006)
Why don't they work on other non sport cars... more luxurious cars.... the EB118 is one of the most beautiful cars ever...
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Mr_Oak 10:33PM (12/30/2006)
Damn right it is in "the eye of the beholder." Some people think the women on Sex and the City were hot. I did not.
Hey Charlotte was HOT!!
Agreed on the million dollar VW, ok with the mechanicals, lukewarm on the design.
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Undercover Soul Brother 11:07PM (12/30/2006)
I'd sleep w/ all the women on Sex and the City... Even horse face! Com'on! When did you stop being a man! ;o)
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Billy 1:23AM (12/31/2006)
First of all, #8, the speed problems did not arise from lack of horsepower, but just the incredible aerodynamic problems of keeping the damn thing from flying away!
To even talk about the Sex and the City girls is embarrassing for anyone who even pretends to be hetero; unless you're gay, you weren't even watching that show.
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Toy Yoda 4:12AM (12/31/2006)
1,200 hp. That's awesome. When will it stop? Who want's it too!? Can't wait til we get to 10,000++ WHP. With that kind of horsepower, you'd be doing 400HP in the quarter mile, yeeehaaaw!!!!
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