RE: Driven: Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

[Blue Meanie]

harryowl said:

Jaykaybi said:

harryowl said:

Jaykaybi said:

harryowl said:

Blue Meanie said:

BILL PAYER said:

Blue Meanie said:

BILL PAYER said:

Patrick Bateman said:

BILL PAYER said:

Im no fan of Top Gear but it was not over impressive on the test track. the tyres were screaming for mercy as i recall and if the drag race between the Bugatti and the F1 had been over 1/4 mile as is the norm it would have been a complete miss match in the F1s favour. the bugatti only pulled ahead when its higher top speed came into play

Wasn't overly impressive? What would have been impressive?

Tyres screaming for mercy? On the limit of grip?! Never...

One word "Ultima" it might not have been official but we all know it has gone around there faster than anything else by a long margin and at a fraction of the price

Hardly luxurious, is it...

Its not meant to be its a sports car if you want luxury buy a Bently Merc etc

You see, that is where the comparisons are getting silly. The Veyron is the equivalent of Hugh Hefner's slippers, and a space shuttle. Performance AND luxury. The veyron caters for one of those variables, and the Bentley the other. the Veyron caters for both. It's expensive, but then again a lot of things are.

It may cater for both but it isn't fantatstic at either. It's not specific enough.

Utterly wrong. Just absolutely completely hopelessly wrong. Sorry chap, try one and let me know your thoughts afterwards.

The base model ss costs £1.5m and is 1 second quicker round the TG test track than a car which costs 30 times less. A new RR Ghost saloon will be infintely more comfortable, and you'll save yourself £1.2m!!

a) So you concede that the big fat luxury blob is faster round the track than a balls out road racer?
b) No, the Roller will be 'opulent' which the Veyron isn't, but comfort in real terms is near enough equal, and the quality certainly is. Everything still feels very special in the Bug.

yep, its 1 second quicker than a car designed in the 1950's and built in a shed...

oh, you want a balls out road racer???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Tr2R37JTU

Again, you are comparing laptimes for a balls out racer, and a car that is like the inside of Hugh Hefners slippers.

[TonyHetherington]

harryowl said:

yep, its 1 second quicker than a car designed in the 1950's and built in a shed...

oh, you want a balls out road racer???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Tr2R37JTU

I'm struggling to see that you have a point, anywhere.

What are you trying to say? That there are cheaper and faster, or cheaper and more luxuriuos, or cheaper and lighter, or cheaper and more track orientated cars? Well of course there are - this is the most expensive car in the world.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Shame it would drink a tank of fuel in 8 minutes at top speed and shred a brand new set of tyres in 15 minutes....

So while your getting your £15k a corner tyres changed and filling back up with fuel, I will pass you on my bicycle....

Oh dear....

Still gets a 9 from me though, an epic bit of engineering.

[Rawwr]

Petrolhead_Rich said:

Shame it would drink a tank of fuel in 8 minutes at top speed and shred a brand new set of tyres in 15 minutes....

So while your getting your £15k a corner tyres changed and filling back up with fuel, I will pass you on my bicycle....

Ok, I had to calculate it

In 8 minutes at 257mph, the Veyron would cover about 34.3 miles. Stop to fill up at this point, lets give a generous 10 minutes, carrying on until just before the tyres explode would cover another 30 miles, giving a total distance covered of 64.3 miles in 25 minutes.

An hour to change the tyres, being really generous?

If you can average 45.4mph on your bike for 64.3 miles, you'd meet the Veyron just as it was setting off again

Just off to stick my head in the oven now.

[Rawwr]

Can't believe I just spent time proving that a Veyron was quicker than a man on a bicycle.

[TonyHetherington]

Good effort

[Dagnut]

TheArchitect said:

RE the Top Gear episode my understanding was the veyron was overheating and they wernt allowed to use launch control. Ive seen a few stories of veyrons struggling in high temperatures how much truth there is i dont know but with the turbos and the amount of cooling it seems feasable. I would worry about the same now with the SS as its going to be even more stretched.

Stunning car though as an engineers exercise its something to be proud of imo. Concorde, Mclaren F1 and this are all truely ground breaking things. I do think VAG shouldnt try to produce a replacement straight away either.

All turbo cars struggle in hot temperatures, turbo s perform better when its cold, all cars do as a rule. Colder air is denser and the heat effects forced induction cars more

[Dagnut]

Rawwr said:

Petrolhead_Rich said:

Shame it would drink a tank of fuel in 8 minutes at top speed and shred a brand new set of tyres in 15 minutes....

So while your getting your £15k a corner tyres changed and filling back up with fuel, I will pass you on my bicycle....

Ok, I had to calculate it

In 8 minutes at 257mph, the Veyron would cover about 34.3 miles. Stop to fill up at this point, lets give a generous 10 minutes, carrying on until just before the tyres explode would cover another 30 miles, giving a total distance covered of 64.3 miles in 25 minutes.

An hour to change the tyres, being really generous?

If you can average 45.4mph on your bike for 64.3 miles, you'd meet the Veyron just as it was setting off again

Just off to stick my head in the oven now.

LOL cracking maths there.

[XitUp]

Rawwr said:

XitUp said:

dvance said:

Not all is money in this world. Still you won't be able to go 200+mph in utter timeless comfort

Has anyone done this. Ever?

Well, anyone who has taken a Veyron to 200mph has, I guess.

So just test drivers and journalists then?

Rawwr said:

Can't believe I just spent time proving that a Veyron was quicker than a man on a bicycle.

Oh well, at least you didn't waste 45 mins on it like Top Gear would have.

[zakelwe]

As a diesel Yaris and previous Aygo driver and without having driven either the Veyron or the McLaren F1 I can safely say that the Veyron is the better average road drivers car.

Why can I say this? Because the McLaren F1 is derrived for people with better skill than most of us at driving, from it's brakes to it's steering to it's "light" rear end when you get the power down, so I could only ever drive it at 6/10's maximum, worried all the time about this ever appreciating gem of a UK asset.

On the other hand I could drive the Veyron at 8/10's due to it being designed for me and my very fat wallet rather than being designed like the F1 for the race track, no the road, no the racetrack.

Let's say you take the Veyron or F1 to a PH meet and on the way home you met some PH guy also at the meeting with his mate who, in their Noble or Ultima or Caterham wants to shut you down, which would you feel more comfortable in trying to beat them off? In the Veyron you could at least fall back on your fat wallet excuse because nobody expects someone like you to be even half competent. With the F1 it might just be a shake of the head and say that car is wasted.

So in summary, the F1 is the ultimate car design for the small few professional racers who drive 100%, the Veyron is the ultimate road car for the vast majority who stumble by on 80.

It's amazing how beer on a Friday night can solve everything, how did this thread get to all these pages?



Andy

PS I bet you the average the speed for both F1 and Veyron over total miles for all cars sold will be 1% total of Vauxhall Astra VXR.

Edited by zakelwe on Friday 29th October 18:24

[Kong]

Oh dear, once again people who clearly don't 'get' the Veyron are comparing it to stripped out track cars.

Yes you could strip out the air conditioning, all the luxuries, fix the spoiler, then fit racing suspension and a straight through exhaust. Next turn up the turbo boost to yield a couple of hundred more bhp but lowering the reliability of engine/transmission to the level of the cars it is being compared with. Then it would be almost untouchable on the track. But this is totally missing the point.

For the purpose this car was designed for (reasons which have been repeated) it is biblical in every way. The fact it can haul its 1838kg round a track faster than almost anything is astonishing. As a feat of engineering it could well be a concorde moment.

I love this description

article said:

There's no sudden extra kick of acceleration, instead the torque - all 1500Nm of it - swells to a point where it feels as if you are being sucked towards the horizon by A Higher Force. It's such a potent experience, you do wonder for a moment if your heart and mind are capable of taking it. You wonder, in fact, if you might actually pass out if the experience becomes any more intense than it already is.

[Insight]

One of the best written articles I have ever read on Pistonheads, well done Steve Sutcliffe.

[AndrewW-G]

Kong said:

For the purpose this car was designed for (reasons which have been repeated) it is biblical in every way.

Which I would take it to be long distance high speed journeys . . . . . something that is hampered somewhat by the Bugs servicing needs and lack of luggage space, the proliferation of draconian speed restrictions and negated somewhat by the ability to traverse continents using aircraft (Augusta’s & Gulfstream’s etc not Mays washing machine) that cost similar amounts per trip and complete the journey in a fraction of the time.

The Bug is a fantastic piece of engineering, surpassing anything to have rolled out of the Ferrari or Lamborghini factories in the last 20 years . . . . . however were I in a position to buy one, my money would go on something a little more stylish and capable of travelling across continents at or maybe even slightly above the speed limit, but with space for luggage, a nice series 2 Ferrari 250 PF Cab for example, with the rest of the money saved for maintenance, the odd chartered jet or helicopter journey and something light and fun for track days etc.

[Blue Meanie]

Why is the Bug poor at normal cruising speeds?

[Kong]

AndrewW-G said:

Kong said:

For the purpose this car was designed for (reasons which have been repeated) it is biblical in every way.

Which I would take it to be long distance high speed journeys . . . . . something that is hampered somewhat by the Bugs servicing needs and lack of luggage space, the proliferation of draconian speed restrictions and negated somewhat by the ability to traverse continents using aircraft (Augusta’s & Gulfstream’s etc not Mays washing machine) that cost similar amounts per trip and complete the journey in a fraction of the time.

The Bug is a fantastic piece of engineering, surpassing anything to have rolled out of the Ferrari or Lamborghini factories in the last 20 years . . . . . however were I in a position to buy one, my money would go on something a little more stylish and capable of travelling across continents at or maybe even slightly above the speed limit, but with space for luggage, a nice series 2 Ferrari 250 PF Cab for example, with the rest of the money saved for maintenance, the odd chartered jet or helicopter journey and something light and fun for track days etc.

Well unless you drive around the world in one trip then i dont think the short serivce intervals are going to be a problem. Remember people who own these cars can afford to have all their needs catered for. They will have the Veyron, money to maintain it, 20 other cars AND the private jets etc - this isn't a case of either/or.

Sure speed limits are a problem but thats no different to any fast car. Sure you could fly places faster for a fraction of the price. But thats hardly the words of a true petrolhead. Thats like saying you should buy a £5 casio watch because it does its job as good/if not better than a Rolex!

I think people try too hard to pigeonhole the veryron to make it sound bad. 'too refined to be an ultimate hypercar','boot is too small to be a gt' 'not comfy enough to be a luxury car'. To me its simple. To be the fastest, most accessible, most refined, most oppulent and best engineered hypercar car ever made - which it is.

You can fly your bags ahead in the helicopter

Edited by Kong on Friday 29th October 21:36

[AndrewW-G]

Kong said:

Well unless you drive round the world in one trip then i dont think the short serivce intervals are going to be a problem.

To the South of France, pootle about for a couple of weeks and then back, would screw a set of tyres and require a service . . . I can think of a dozen better ways to do it, than in a Veyron.

I think the point many people are making, is that whilst it maybe the mostest car made and it is an engineering masterpiece. there are simply so many other options available, that its a bit pointless and for a short time frame fix, lacks focus . . . . IMHO it all comes down to what you get your kicks from, stripped out racer = Caterfield/F40 etc, shouty look at me hyper car = Zonda, luxury barge = Bentley / Rolls or even the new none hyper car Bug, luxury long distance transport = Augusta / Gulfstream

But it's all rather arbitrary as I don’t have the capital or inclination to buy one and I’m one of those silly people who’d rather not have a look at me, stroke my ego, mostest hyper car, but would be rapturous at the ability to throw open the doors to my heated motor house and find a proper Bugatti of a type and not a silly name, sitting there waiting to thrill all my senses, for the short time I had available to enjoy it.

Edited by AndrewW-G on Friday 29th October 21:52

[hairykrishna]

BILL PAYER said:

One word "Ultima" it might not have been official but we all know it has gone around there faster than anything else by a long margin and at a fraction of the price

The Ultima was on slicks. Makes it considerably less impressive.

[ewenm]

hairykrishna said:

BILL PAYER said:

One word "Ultima" it might not have been official but we all know it has gone around there faster than anything else by a long margin and at a fraction of the price

The Ultima was on slicks. Makes it considerably less impressive.

And I'd much rather cross Europe in a Veyron than an Ultima (having done so in a Caterham...).

[Patrick Bateman]

A 'proper' Bugatti?

[Kong]

AndrewW-G said:

Kong said:

Well unless you drive round the world in one trip then i dont think the short serivce intervals are going to be a problem.

To the South of France, pootle about for a couple of weeks and then back, would screw a set of tyres and require a service . . . I can think of a dozen better ways to do it, than in a Veyron.

I think the point many people are making, is that whilst it maybe the mostest car made and it is an engineering masterpiece. there are simply so many other options available, that its a bit pointless and for a short time frame fix, lacks focus . . . . IMHO it all comes down to what you get your kicks from, stripped out racer = Caterfield/F40 etc, shouty look at me hyper car = Zonda, luxury barge = Bentley / Rolls or even the new none hyper car Bug, luxury long distance transport = Augusta / Gulfstream

Sure i see what you are saying. I personally love the Ferrari F50, screaming a detuned F1 V12 engine to the redline is an experience you wont get fron a Veyron. Which is why the typical Veyron owner will have all the cars you mention aswell. Just because it is so good at many things doesnt mean you shouldnt drive everything else.

With 0-186 in 14.6 seconds i suspect all other cars would fade to memory when your foot hits the floor. I would have a petrol/tyre man follow me to Cannes