Autostadt reopens premium pavilion on the 31st of October 2008

Experience the extraordinary: architecture, art and design in the Premium Clubhouse

Friday the 31st of October 2008, saw the opening of the Autostadt in Wolfsburg's redesigned pavilion: with its spectacular display of architecture, art and design, the "Premium Clubhouse" represents the Volkswagen Group's multi-brand luxury and premium division. The British architect, Stephen Williams, accentuated the pavilion's unusual elliptic interior by adding a curved walkway and a lounge that virtually floats into the space. The exhibition area is characterised by the mirror-finish Bugatti Veyron, an artwork by artist Olaf Nicolai, and the artistic installations of Anselm Reyle and Peter Zimmermann.

Working site-specifically, Nicolai creates mental spaces in which he explores aesthetic perceptions. He challenges the observer to pay close attention as he transforms objects showing them in a different light. In his new work "Après vous", Nicolai displays a mirror-finish Bugatti in a mirrored room. The Bugatti Veyron is arguably the most technically intricate vehicle of all time, with its superb craftsmanship represents the pinnacle of excellence and exclusivity in the automotive world. The harmonious planes and structured lines of this elegant automobile are a reflective area in which the observer sees himself reflected back ad infinitum from the mirrors, thus becoming part of the exhibit: a phenomenon of endless play-back in which both the boundaries of the space and the boundary between object and observer are blurred.

The Autostadt in Wolfsburg is the Volkswagen Group's communications platform which invites its visitors to explore the world of mobility. Last year alone the theme park attracted almost two million guests. The visit by the 17 millionth guest marked a milestone in the success story that is the Autostadt, one of the most outstanding leisure destinations in Germany.

Nestling in a 25 hectare landscape and dotted with shimmering lakes, the Autostadt's unique architecture, design and surroundings provides a perfect backdrop for its many riveting attractions: in the ZeitHaus (museum) an exhibition of the classics of automobile history illustrates why they set benchmarks in their day; artworks and films engage with the Volkswagen Group's core values; interactive research stations invite participation. Cultural events – from themed communication to "Movimentos, the Autostadt Festival Weeks" – open new horizons. As an accredited extra-curricular place of learning, the Autostadt plays a significant part in the educational institutions of Lower Saxony.

[VW, Bugatti via Carpages]

“We will be staying on top of everybody else and we will not be producing a smaller, or cheaper car and we will not be moving volumes up. Bugatti customers are very extreme people,”

It may seem like a stupid move to just keep making gas-guzzling ultra-luxury cars, but maybe the people Bugatti plan on selling cars to are the type that benefit from rising oil prices. Either way, we'll also be on the lookout for a Bugatti based loosely on the next Bentley Arnage, which is due in 2012. As for that extreme "Veyron GT?" Top Bugatti engineer, Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, said:

"We can go to 1106 lb-ft of torque and we currently have [922 lb-ft] - and with a turbocharged engine, engineers are always working on getting higher power."

Wow.
[Autocar via Carscoop]

[WCF]

The Pebble Beach Concours is scheduled for tomorrow, but all the cars are taking their places already, including the debuting Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. Here, the Veyron Grand Sport is seen running around in its underwear, hoping to avoid photography. Gee, wonder what it looks like? (Thanks to J.F. Musial for the tip)

The Veyron Targa will be available to a mere 80 lucky individuals willing to part with 1.14 million Euros ( $1.8 million in non-Monopoly money) for the chance to drive around on the decks of their cruise ships that burn dollar bills for fuel with the sun shining down while they gargle melted Godiva chocolate. So what if the weight is up and the top speed is down, it's built by Molsheim and it's exclusive, so go ahead and add it to the garage as a gift to your other Bugattis. [Edmunds Inside Line]

We'll let the Daily Mail continue:

"While Clarkson may not have been pulled over for speeding the 48-year-old was hauled before court on speeding charges last year.

The Top Gear host had been accused of failing to name the driver on a speeding ticket but after an intervention from his lawyer Nick Freeman, better known as 'Mr Loophole', the case was dropped before it even began.

Mr Freeman, who has made his name acting for a string of celebrity clients, said the case was 'fatally flawed'.

Car firm Alfa Romeo had sent Mr Clarkson a speeding infringement notice, saying a car caught on a speed camera had been loaned to him.

The V6 Alfa Romeo Brera was snapped travelling at 82mph in a 50mph zone on the A40 in Ruislip, West London, on October 16 last year.

The case was dropped because although Alfa Romeo had loaned the car to Clarkson they had no information as who the driver was."

Photo Credit: Top Gear

You can forget all about those silly Sang Noir, Pur Sang, or Hermes editon Veyrons. You want a special edition? Have your EB110 GT turned into a Super Sport by Dauer, and you'll up the power of that 3.5-liter V12 from 560 HP up to 650 HP. Sure, you may get 1001 HP from that W16 in a Veyron, but at nearly 4200 pounds, a light car it is not. By comparison, the EB110 SS weighs about 1000 pounds less than that, partially thanks to 330 pounds of weight shed from the GT model. Yet, this still has all the mechanical whiz-bang components like quad-turbos and all-wheel-drive. So while this may be the only unpainted example in existence, if you're lucky enough to get your hands on one of the 30 other units you'll likely be in for an experience much more raw and involving than anything the cocoon of a Veyron can offer.
[via supercars.net]

We don't know much about this special edition other than what you can see, namely the all-black body, specially designed grille, unique alloy wheels, headlights with black background and that wild bright orange interior. Reportedly made in homage to the Bugatti Atlantique 57s, it is hard not to appreciate how well these small details transform the car. No word on price, but if you have to ask you better cry diamonds. [autoblog.nl via GtSpirit via 4wheelsblog.com]

Though the car isn't likely to be produced by Bugatti, which takes years to develop one model, the designer claims it was designed around fitting the twin-turbo W12 engine under the hood (that's right, it's front-engined). Dare to dream Zammit, dare to dream. [ReubenZammit via CarScoop

On the occasion of the 78th Geneva Motor Show (from 6 to 16 March 2008), Bugatti and Hermès co-present the fruit of their partnership: the "Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès", associating Bugatti's technical performance with the expertise of Hermès and its craftsmen. In partner-ship with Hermès, designer Gabriele Pezzini has married the distinctive Hermès style to the legendary Bugatti Veyron 16.4, magnifying the car's personality.

This remarkable car features an array of excep¬tional characteristics: the innovative alliance of a technologically advanced engine, deliver¬ing 1001 horsepower, with an understated yet uncompromising silhouette reflecting the high performance capacities of state-of-the-art engineering and design, and above all, the pleasure these inspire in every Bugatti owner.

The fascination exerted by this sports coupé, capable of reaching 407 km/h, is due in large part to its unique alliance of the very finest motor-racing technology with comfortable handling for everyday driving. The 16-cylinder "W" configuration engine is fed by four turbochargers and features 64 valves, generating 1001 horse¬power at 6000 rpm. The engine draws on its 8-litre displacement to deliver a maximum torque of 1250 Newton-metres between 2200 and 5500 rpm. With full-time all-wheel drive, the car's phenomenal power produces breath-takingly dynamic handling, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 2.5 seconds. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 benefits from aero-nautical and aerospace technologies, making it the fastest production car ever made. The car also features a braking system designed to deliver unprecedented powers of deceleration, establish¬ing a new industry benchmark. The carbon-fibre discs provide brake pressure of up to 180 bars, combined with eight-piston monobloc callipers and titanium pistons fitted with fine steel heads and ceramic heat protectors. Apply the brakes at speeds above 200 km/h, and the rear wing acts as an airbrake, positioning itself at an angle of 113 degrees in less than 0.4 seconds, augmenting the Bugatti Veyron's already impressive stopping power. The airbrake increases negative lift at the rear of the car to 300 kg, enhancing the braking torque on the rear axle. At 400 km/h, emergency braking will bring the sports car to a complete halt in less than 10 seconds.

This, the world's most fascinating car, has pushed back the limits of physical engineering to offer a completely new sensation for driver and passenger alike. But it has also adopted a radically different stance to that of other sports cars: its features and finish are sure to impress the most demanding clientele. Hermès and designer Gabriele Pezzini have lavished attention on the interior and exterior of this exceptional car, to create the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4: the "Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès"

A harmonious design, inside and out

The official name of the highly exclusive Bugatti Veyron "Fbg par Hermès" refers to the historic Hermès headquarters on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, in the heart of Paris's eighth arrondissement: the "Fbg" appellation evokes the house's "faubourg" address.

With the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès, the exacting standards of Émile Hermès and Ettore Bugatti come together for the first time, in a exceptional collaboration: the culmination of their extreme attention to aesthetic and techno¬logical quality and performance.

Gabriele Pezzini has reinterpreted Bugatti's tradi¬tional two-tone carriage work, fostering a fluid, harmonious transition between the car's exterior and interior design. The colour of the hood extends to the interior of the cockpit, and re-emerges behind, at the level of the rear wing.
As a tribute to the celebrated 1924 Bugatti Type 35, undoubtedly the most famous of all time, thanks to its many successes on the racetrack, the new Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès features eight-spoked wheels in polished aluminium, central butterfly wheel locks branded with the letter H, and air vents around the rims repro¬ducing the characteristic appearance of Hermès saddle-stitching. The horseshoe radiator grille, and the lateral ventilation grilles flanking it, are made from lightweight alloys with a design of interlocking H's evoking the Hermès "signature".
A refined formal vocabulary

The inner surfaces of the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès have been designed and sheathed in bull calfskin by the Hermès workshops in Paris. The care and attention to detail observe an extremely refined, minimalist formal vocabulary, reflecting the tradition of the very first Bugattis and the fundamental design principles of the house of Hermès. The door handles echo the fluid forms of handles on Hermès travel bags and luggage. And the dashboard, traditionally finished in brushed aluminium, is here clad entirely in bull calfskin. Passengers aboard the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès will find a dashboard glove compartment designed to hold a selection of small travel accessories and a zipped Hermès wallet. Both seats are covered in two-toned bull calfskin, and the panel separating the cockpit from the central rear engine - traditionally made of carbon fibre - is covered in the same fine leather. The leather-lined trunk holds a specially-fitted "Toile H" and leather case, hand-made by craftsmen from the Hermès workshops.

This exceptional model - in toning colours of ebony and étoupe, or ebony and brick - is priced at 1.55 million euros (not including tax), available at the end of 2008.

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Tell us where you're gonna find a genuine Bugatti for a thousand bucks? Nobody but you needs to know if you decide to roll in a "Bugatti" instead, right? Just pick up this 1928 Bugatti kit car (go here in case the ad is gone) for a cool grand and you can just go ahead and change your name to Ettore (in fact, maybe we should all change our names to Ettore, kit car or not). Oh, wait- one small detail we forgot to mention; this deal doesn't include the VW chassis. That's no problem, since old Type 1s are still quite common, but we find this statement from the seller just a little troubling: "I have decided I am never going to get it put together. There are many pieces missing, and there are no instructions." We can't say for sure, but given that kit-car manufacturers tend to be about as long-lived as 3-Card Monte operations, you might be in for some challenges in finding those missing pieces. But come on, Ettore- your car awaits!

Some might say that the distinctive clattery noise of the Volkswagen air-cooled engine rings a bit false in machine that's supposed to be a Bugatti. However, the MG TD was clattery by nature, what with the loose engine tolerances and the hail of detaching parts hitting the tarmac and all, so the VW sound won't seem quite so incongruous in this 1952 MG TD kit car (go here if the ad disappears). For just 200 bucks more than the Bugatti, you get a chassis, engine, pretty much everything you need to get on the road in your new "MG." Well, OK, the engine is in pieces (probable translation: box of random VW parts, some of which might be used to assemble an engine), but you'd want to build up a nutso turbocharged Type 4 for this thing, anyway. Don't dwell on the fact that one of the two photos in the listing shows a different car and the other shows what may be an earlier incarnation of the car for sale- just imagine how cool you'll look tearing up the highways in your oversteering, overpowered swingaxle deathtrap!

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Let's get the size thing out of the way. The Bugatti Type 41 Royale is the largest production car ever built. The 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood, what most people think of when they think longest car, had a wheelbase of 157.5 inches. The Royale? 169 inches. At 236 inches long, the Bugatti is in fact 3 inches longer than the Caddy, however it weighs 3,000 pounds more, for an Excursion like total of 7,500 lbs. The drum brakes are 18 inches in diameter and the cast "Roue Royale" wheels are honest to goodness 24"s, the largest ever fit to a production car. Of course, the insane 12,763cc straight-8 is the most massive engine in any (production) car. Ever.

700 Cubic Inch SOHC Inline-8

Actually, we should spend more time talking about the engine. The 12.7-liter inline-8 was four and a half feet long by three and half feet high. This meant the top of the hood was 5 feet off the ground! Prototype engines were even bigger - 14.7-liters. The bore and stroke measured 125 mm x 130 mm. Extremely advanced for its time (designed in the 1920s), the big boy had a SOHC and 3-valves per cylinder while knocking out a truly epic 300 hp. Let me put that in perspective for you. A contemporary Cadillac V16 made 165 hp. Most firsthand accounts of piloting the Type 41 are filled with shock and awe at how quick, nimble and "svelte" the behemoths feel. That's torque for you. How much torque? I can't find any numbers, but Ettore kept Bugatti solvent during the Great Depression by selling the engine for use in locomotives. We'll just make like we're Brits and call it, "adequate."

Only six Royales were ever built and amazingly, despite accidents, frozen engine blocks, eight decades and World War II, all six still exist. Though if you hunt around on Google for images, you will find at least a dozen different Type 41s. That my friends, is coach building. The first Royale, chassis #41 100 had a total of five unique bodies. Through sheer efficiency of design Ettore was more than capable of creating some of the most gorgeous racing cars of all time. However, his luxury efforts were a little bit stuffy. Some, like me, might even say old fashioned and dull. Luckily we had his son Jean, the man responsible for most of the really gorgeous Type 57s (57SC Atlantic, anyone?). After Ettore fell asleep while driving and crashed the first car (while clad in its fourth body) the 23-year-old Jean got his hands on the massive hull and created the Coupe de Ville, also known as the Coupe Napoleon. This is probably our favorite Royale. Just a knockout.

Early Prototype Chassis #41 100

Jean also designed the swoopy Esders Convertible Royale (chassis # 41 111), infamous for not having headlights as Mr. Esders didn't like driving at night. Sadly, King Carol II of Romania hadthe second car rebodied to more closely resemble the Coupe Napoleon by the Parisian Henri Binder. However, he totally missed the elegance of young Jean's design. None other than Ferdinand Peich bought #41 111 in 1999 for around $4,000,000.

The third car, the Fuchs's car (chassis # 41 121), has a bizarre history. Bought in 1931 by Dr. Josef Fuchs of Munich for the equivalent of $41,000, Herr Doctor was forced to flee Germany by the Nazis. His family and the Royale went first to Italy, then Shanghai before finally settling in New York. Just before WW2 his engine froze (from winter cold) and cracked and the car sat in his backyard under a tarp for many years. In 1943 Charles Chayne bought #41 121 from a scrap yard for $400 plus $12 tax. Notably, Mr. Chayne eventually became the Vice President of Engineering at General Motors. Chayne restored the car and donated it to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, where it's still on display.

#41 141, the 1931 Kellner Coupe

Chassis #41 131, the fourth Royale, sports my third favorite body. There is something just massively British about it, reminiscent of the Daimler Double Six 50. Seeing how the body was crafted by Park Ward & Co Ltd of London this makes sense. It's also the only Royale to sport side mounted spare tires. The car was sold to a British Captain named C.W. Foster and it eventually wound up in the Schlumpf collection. Remember that name, Schlumpf.

If the rumors are to be believed, chassis #41 141, the 1931 Kellner Coupe, is the most expensive car ever. In 1990 a Japanese engineering firm is believed to have paid $20,000,000 for the fifth Royale. Encouraged by the sale of the Esders and Fuchs cars, Ettore decided it was high time to penetrate British high society. He contracted with the distinguished French coachbuilder Kellner to build something special for London's Olympia Auto Show. The results were beyond what anyone could have expected — just a masterpiece. Yet due to the financial realities of the times #41 141 never sold. Ettore just kept it. This car is currently owned by Bugatti.

#41 100 Coupe Napoleon

The most famous Royale of all, the Double Berline de Voyage, has had at least 10 owners including Briggs Cunningham, Bill Harrah and OG rightwing freakazoid Tom Monaghan of Domino's Pizza fame and fortune. Chassis #41 150 features by far the stuffiest old school body work and might very well be the second oldest of all the Royales. It may currently reside in Korea.

We can't end this entry without discussing the "seventh" Royale, as its story is simply incredible. Rest assured, Ettore Bugatti only built six Type 41s. Yet a seventh exists. Huh? Keep reading.

Fritz Schlumpf was a wealthy Swiss industrialist that owned several successful textile mills in Mulhouse, France. He also happened to be obsessed with cars, most notably Bugattis. I've heard different takes on Schlumpf. Some claim who was a cruel, petty man who walked the floors of his mills with a bullwhip fastened to his side, intimidating the piss out of his workers. Others say that he was generous to his men, paying for vacations, installing a movie house on site and personally driving expectant mothers to the hospital. Whatever the truth, Schlumpf loved cars in ways that you and I can only dream about. Need proof? He constructed his own secret Fantasy Garage to house his immense collection of mid blowing automobiles.

The post war economy was booming and Fritz was able to buy basically anything he wanted, including 18 of Ettore's personal cars. In fact, in 1967 he owned 105 Bugattis. Schlumpf also had the requisite Ferraris, pre-War Mercedes racers, Le Mans winning Lotus 11s — essentially whatever he wanted. Schlumpf had so many cars that he converted one of his mills into a giant museum/workshop and kept workers on to repair and maintain his impressive but very private collection. However, as the textile business began moving to Asia in the 70s, the workers began striking. Word got out that the boss had a secret collection of priceless cars purchased with their sweat. So they rioted. However, being French, once they smashed their way inside they were awed by the beauty of what they found. So, they kept the strike going for two years, forced Schlumpf into bankruptcy and turned his collection into a national museum.

One of the vehicles inside Schlumpf's converted mill was the seventh Royale. While not from the Bugatti factory, it can't be considered a replica as it was constructed using parts and tooling from the factory. Bugatti nerds referrer to the car — built to look like Jean's second body style, the Esder's Convertible — as the "Seventh of Six." As for Schlumpf, he and his brother were forced to flee to Switzerland. Legend maintains that a forlorn Schlumpf absconded with the sterling silver upright elephant hood ornament from the fourth Royale, all that he had left of his life's obsession. Do the man a solid and vote the Bugatti Type 41 into our Garage.

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The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage, So Far:
RUF RT12 | 1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Honda 1300 Coupe 9 | 1931 Daimler Double Six 50 Corsica Drophead Coupe | Ferrari 288 GTO | Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 | 1970 Buick GSX 455 | First Generation BMW M Coupe | Bugatti Veyron 16.4 | Ford GT | Citroen SM | Porsche 928 | Jensen FF | DeTomaso Vallelunga | Audi Quattro S1 | Buick GNX | Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R | Honorary Fantasy Garager: The LS1 Powered Rotus | Lamborghini LM002 | Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe | Ferrari 250 GTO | Bentley Speed Six | Talbot-Lago T150C SS Figoni et Falaschi Raindrop/Teardrop Coupe | Porsche 917 | Audi RS4 Avant | Lamborghini Miura | Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 | BMW E39 M5 | Jaguar E-type | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | Dodge Charger/Challenger R/T | Toyota 2000GT | Facel Vega HK500 | Voisin C28 Aerosport

[The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage appears every Wednesday. Readers vote the cars in or out. The idea is that we'll have 50 cars in our Fantasy Garage, the world's greatest mechanic and endless wads of cash. Would you like to nominate a car for the Fantasy Garage? Write tips@jalopnik.com with the subject line "Fantasy."]

From the man with the very best name on planet earth, Junus Khan, "SSC is launching its 250 MPH Club which offers a variety of insider information. One lucky member from the 250 MPH Club will be selected at random to be flown in to SSC for a day of driving and spending time with Jerod Shelby, the owner of SSC." Good luck to you, dear reader: http://www.shelbysupercars.com/

Press Release:

SSC Ultimate Aero TT Charging

Towards 'World Fastest Production Car' Record

WEST RICHLAND, WA (1 Aug 2007) - Shelby SuperCars (SSC), manufacturer of the world's most powerful production car, the Ultimate Aero TT, announced today that speed testing for the title "World's Fastest Production Car" will be finalized by the end of August. Speed testing is being conducted in the company's home state of Washington and is being validated by Guinness World Records.

There is a standard procedure outlined by Guinness World Records to validate a land speed record. The vehicle must drive the predetermined course, turn around, and drive back the opposite way within one hour. This is to negate any discrepancy there may be in the course or conditions. Top speeds from each run are then averaged to obtain the official speed. This method has been used for decades as the benchmark for land speed record attempts.

Dewetron, a company known for performance testing of missile, train, aerospace, and automotive capabilities will accurately monitor and measure the speed of the Ultimate Aero TT for the record run. Dewetron's equipment is precise that Guinness World Records approved their systems as a replacement for the standard 1,000m laser traps. Dewetron utilizes 4-12 satellites and numerous onboard sensors to track a vehicle's speed.

The lack of access to a US-based proving ground able to accommodate the Ultimate Aero TT's top speed presented SSC with a massive challenge. After scouring the country for months, SSC found the solution in their home state of Washington when they were granted the opportunity to close public highways for testing. Finding appropriate roads eligible for closure proved to be a tedious process as SSC's teams scouted the sites first hand. After a potential site was identified, the company would need to apply for a road closure permit. Hiring police, a crew to man the closed section, and securing insurance for the high-speed test sessions were just a few of the undertakings necessary to be granted the rare closure of public roads.

Since the first test session, SSC has successfully concluded several rounds of high-speed safety and durability testing for each assembly of the Ultimate Aero TT. During these sessions, SSC was able to verify all the engineering specifications as well as aerodynamic data posted at NASA's Langley wind tunnel. Throughout the test sessions, the measured top speed of the Ultimate Aero TT continued to rise, achieving a speed of 241.4 mph at a throttle position of only 71% during the latest transmission durability test. After reviewing all test data, Jerod Shelby and the SSC engineering team feel comfortable in maximizing the capabilities of the 1183 hp Ultimate Aero TT.

For more information on SSC and the upcoming test session visit their new site at www.sscautos.com or contact Motorcars of Las Vegas, the exclusive US dealer for SSC vehicles (www.MotorCarsLV.com).

The Bugatti Veyron is faster than the fastest racecar ever built. At top speed its tires – which cost more than your car – die after 12 minutes. SSC's Ultimate Aero TT can probably go faster still. Ferrari is hard at work on the Enzo replacement. The Enzo could go 217 mph. In the meantime, the FXX sports 850 hp and changes gears exactly as fast as an F1 car. Both Cadillac and Jaguar will soon be unleashing 500+ hp mid-size sedans. The new Audi RS 6 will most likely sport a twin-turbo V10. My $25K station wagon is as fast as the sports cars from the 80s and no doubt handles better. The above pic is Lolo Ferrari, a stripper/porn star/singer who chewed through surgeons before finally achieving a 71" bust. Then she killed herself. Sigmund Freud said, "The goal of all life is death." Where are we going? And why are we getting there so fast? – Jonny Lieberman

[The Jalopnik Question of the Day usually runs every day. Though it probably won't this weekend. Do you have a question you want answered? Email it to tips@jalopnik.com with the subject line "QOTD"]

How Do You Say You're Sorry At 85 MPH?; The Jalopnik Question of the Day [Internal]

So many questions. OK, as you probably know, SSC and their Ultimate Aero TT are on a hero's quest to break and thereby set the production car top speed record currently in the hands of the hated Swedes. On March 22 of this year they gave it a go, but because of a jealous Odin snow in Nevada, were only able to hit 230 mph. So, they tried again on May 22. No luck this time out either. Nope, last Tuesday they fell 0.6 mph short. Meaning that the TT did manage to achieve 241.4 mph at "71% throttle." However, according to SSC they weren't actually going for the record. Rather, they were sussing out the transmission cooling system. Which, apparently, works. So here's our questions. First, if this is truly a production car, why didn't they test the transmission on say March 23? Why the Space Shuttle launch like gap between tests? Second...

...SSC claims to be an American car company. If so, what's with the "71% throttle" position? That's more German than a Hasselhoff poster above a bed. Third, come on. They were going for the record. Why fib and say they were just testing? 72% throttle would have blown the thing up? And finally, according to our very poor algebraic skills, 100% throttle would mean... 339 mph? In a vacuum, we know, we know.Whatever the case, look for the Ultimate Aero to break both the Koenigsegg's viking official record of 242 mph and the Veyron's unofficial run of 253 mph with its thrice insane 1,183 hp supercharged V8. SSC's Junus Khan (is that the single greatest name in the world or what?) is claiming they'll be doing so in the very near future. We'll see you in back here in late July. – Jonny Lieberman

Related:
Snow Day: SSC Ultimate Aero TT Not As Ugly As We Thought [Internal]

Auction page [Christie's]

Related:
The Most Expensive Cars Auctioned

"The most pointless exercise on the planet has got to be this four-wheel-drive 1000 horsepower Bugatti. I think it's incredibly childish this thing people have about just one element—top speed or standing kilometre or 0-60. It's about as narrow minded as you can get as a car designer to pick on one element. It's like saying we're going to beat the original Mini because we're going to make a car 10 mph faster on its top speed—but it's two foot longer and 200 kilos heavier. That's not car designing—that just reeks of a company who are paranoid."

There's an old joke. One guy asks his friend, "Do you know the difference between an elephant and an apricot?" His friend answers, "No, what's the difference?" And that is exactly what we are dealing with here. For more than a century, makes have been chasing automotive platitudes. You could sell a car simply because it was the most expensive, most powerful or had the highest top speed. The Veyron manages to do all three. It also more than likely has the best brakes ever fitted to a production car, and can go left/right rather well, thank you. In fact, Gordon Murray had this to say after he actually drove the car;

"One really good thing, and I simply never expected this, is that it does change direction. It hardly feels its weight. Driving it on a circuit I expected a sack of cement, but you can really throw it at tight chicanes."

Through our eyes, it is easy to see why Piech dreamed up such a superlative car. Look, we aspire to one day, maybe, somehow, imaginary sky-god willing, own a Lamborghini. Piech owned Lamborghini. And Bentley, Audi, VW, Skoda, Seat and Bugatti. What's a guy to do? Sit back and build yellower Murcielagos? No way. Remember who Ferdi's grandpappy was (Dr. Porsche). No, he needed to not just push the performance envelope, but smack it. With an A-bomb. A curious side-note, Piech has thirteen-children through four different women. Or maybe that's not a side-note at all?

While Piech may have announced the Veyron "officially" in Switzerland, Volkswagen had been hard at work on the car for over two-years. Remember the butch but ultimately ungainly Hunaudieres concept from Bentley? Not only was it similar in appearance and structure to the Veyron, but it ran the world's first W16 engine. 1999 also saw the EB 18/4 Veyron concept unveiled in Tokyo. Very little changed externally between that concept and the final Veyron, though, obviously, the massive 18-cylinder true-W mill was dropped in favor of the more Bruce compact, faux-W, 16-cylinder VR engine.

That was hardly the half of it. It is one thing to travel at 250+ mph. it is another entirely to do so safely. As evidenced by the two Veyron prototypes that crashed during development. Piech retired in 2002 and the wishful 2003 launch date was pushed back to 2005. New VAG-kingpin Bernd Pischetsrieder replaced Hartmut Warkuss, the Veyrons' original daddy, with Dr. Thomas Bscher. It was Bscher who finally delivered the goods. And what great, heaping, mental-patient strength goods they were. See, the Veyron may sell for a cool 1 million euros (about $1.35 million), but each car costs Bugatti close to $10 million to make. Which, from a certain perspective, is a hell of a deal.

Do we even need to get into the technical stuff? Really? Can't I just play you that James May video or something? No? OK, the Veyron has an 8-liter W16 that features four air-to-liquid cooled turbochargers. Production engines are exceeding Piech's initial claim of 1,001 hp to the tune of 1,040 hp. Torque is I-hate-stumps-stupid; 923 lb-ft to be exact. You'll also get a seven-speed DSG, Haldex AWD and 8-piston, 15.7" carbon-ceramic, turbine-vented brakes. Oh, and the moveable wing creates 0.5 Gs of stopping power. Hell, in case the regular brakes fail, even the handbrake has ABS. Every body panel but the doors are made of carbon fiber (the doors are aluminum). The central tub is carbon fiber, while the front cradle is aluminum space frame and the rear chassis is heat-resistant tubular stainless steel.

You really want more? Yeesh. Well, the Veyron has ten radiators (three for cooling the engine, one heat exchanger for the air to liquid intercoolers, two for the air conditioning system, one for transmission oil, one for differential oil, one for engine oil, and most amazing/decadent of all, one radiator that does nothing but cool the hydraulic oil used by the spoiler. ('Cause you just gotta have that. ) The Veyron also has modes. And not simply "comfort" and "sport." No, the ultimate road car actually changes shape. Trips to 7-11 are handled relatively conventionally in "normal" mode. The wing is tucked neatly into the car's rump and ride height is about five inches off the gravel. Pretty cushy, especially as you will be nearly swaddled in leather as you munch down on your 1/4 Pound Big Bite.

Should you hit more than 130 mph between stop signs – which is dumb-easy to do – the car transforms into "handling" mode. Configured like this, the suspension drops the car down by nearly two inches and the wing extends, revealing a separate spoiler. Even more shape-shifting takes place out of sight. Two flaps, under the car and ahead of the wheels, open up. Working together, handling mode creates nearly 800 pounds of downforce, sticking the Veyron to ground like chewed gum all the way up to 230 mph. Obviously, that's just not fast enough!

Enter "top-speed" mode, which is akin to KITT's Super-Pursuit Mode. Only, you know, real. While the Veyron is idling, the driver inserts a second key into the floor, alerting the car it is nearly time to go batshit. In this guise, the Veyron's knuckles drag even closer to the ground (about 2.5 inches). The wing is almost fully retracted – it pokes up at a totally precise 2 degrees. The hidden flaps are closed. All this tom-foolery reduces the drag coefficient from a brick-like 0.41 to a slicker 0.36. Downforce plunges to just 120 lbs. And yes, for 12 minutes, you can blast across the planet at an electronically limited 253 mph. And then the Bugatti is out of gas. Though, should you so much as tap the brakes or turn the wheel in top-speed mode, the Veyron reverts to handling mode.

And now the numbers. Let's start with braking, as the Veyron's stopping power is lunatic-level bonkers and on par with its acceleration. Simply lifting your foot off the gas at top-speed produces 0.3 Gs of stopping force. Standing on the pedal will produce over two earths' gravities worth of stop. Bugatti claims the Veyron will come to a standstill from 253 mph in less than 10 seconds. Think about that for a moment. If a world-class sprinter were to begin the 100-meter dash at exactly the moment a balls-out Veyron began braking, he would reach the finish line at the same time the Bugatti ceased moving. Though the Veyron would be seven or so football fields further down the road. We're not sure what this means, either. Except that cars like this demand analogies that defy sense.

Aside from being the fastest production car the world has ever seen (what's up, Ultimate Aero TT?), the 16.4 is also the quickest. 60 mph is dispatched with in 2.64 seconds. And remember, this is an AWD car that weighs 4,300 lbs. Zero to 100 mph? Six seconds flat. 0-150 mph? Eleven seconds flat. 0-200 mph? 22 seconds flat. Just to give you some perspective, a McLaren F1 needs 28 seconds to hit the double-ton. Amazingly, only 55 seconds are needed to hit 253 mph. At which point you are eating two gallons of gas per minute. Which is simply fantastic.

In fact, with the exception of being really ugly, I can't think of single reason not to induct the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 into our Fantasy Garage. Remember that price is not a barrier to entrance and we have the world's slickest team of mechanics. Though, if you were to actually purchase a Veyron for yourself, Bugatti keeps a mechanic on call 24-hours a day, ready to jet anywhere in the world. Serious like, this car rules. Special super-nerd, giant-geek extra pistonhead-points for anyone who can accurately explain why the car in the top picture is not a production Veyron. Now, vote! – Jonny Lieberman

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

[The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage appears every Tuesday. Readers vote the cars in or out. The idea is that we'll have 50 cars in our fantasy garage, the world's greatest mechanic and endless wads of cash. And after the Phaeton disaster, we're not really interested in what you think.]

Jalopnik Fantasy Garage, So Far:
· RUF RT12
· Maserati Quattroporte Executive GT
· 1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
· Honda 1300 Coupe 9
· 1931 Daimler Double Six 50 Corsica Drophead Coupe
· Ferrari 288 GTO
· Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
· 1970 Buick GSX 455
· First Generation BMW M Coupe

Related:
The Votes Are In: Phaeton, Out! | First Generation BMW M Coupe [Internal]

Here's a picture of the actual Ultimate Aero TT that attempted to break the Veyron's "production car" top speed record but "only" achieved 230mph due to snow and bad roads in Nevada. Which is weird, because if you drive from Los Angeles to Vegas on Interstate 15 – which we may have done once or twice – you notice that on the California side it is a pitted, pot-holed two-lane mess but that the second you cross into bat country Nevada, gambling revenues convert the I-15 into the most perfectly paved, 4-lane mega-highway in all the desert. And it's 115 degrees. Oh, the car. Decked out in carbon-fiber-gray and black the Aero TT looks, dare I say, pretty good. A hell of a lot better than the blue and white iteration that the Postfather so wisely dubbed "dated." No, this car is a very modern pastiche of Murcielago, Zonda, S7 and Koenigseggeggeggeggeggegg with a little bit of Veyron up front for flavor. Full press release once you jump. – Jonny Lieberman

Press release:

American supercar company SSC successfully concluded the first round of high-speed testing on Thursday, March 22nd in its quest to break the world production speed record. Despite encountering some unforeseen obstacles, the Ultimate Aero TT ended the session with a 230mph pass at just 56% throttle in 6th gear.

SSC was forced to move to an alternate location after the original 12 mile high-speed testing site was hit by an unanticipated snowstorm. An inspection of an alternate site, located 30 miles north at a lower elevation, revealed that just 2 of the 9 miles set aside by the Nevada Department of Transportation were usable. Dips, cracks, and an exaggerated road crown on the 2 lane highway rendered the other 7 miles unsuitable for high speeds.

The testing session confirmed the stability that the Ultimate Aero TT demonstrated at NASA's Langely wind tunnel, which had previously shown the car stable up to speeds of 273 mph. During Thursday's session, test equipment verified that front to rear downforce percentages and drag coefficients were well within the engineering specifications set by the figures posted at Langely.

SSC made successive 220 mph passes throughout the day and culminated with a 230 mph run just before the 2pm road closure deadline. A laser speed trap positioned 440ft before the 2 mile marker confirmed the speeds. SSC test driver Rick Doria stated that the 1183 hp Ultimate Aero TT had "a lot more to go" at 230 mph and was confident that the remaining power and proper road conditions would propel the car past the Bugatti Veyron's 253 mph top speed record.

The crew spent the remainder of the afternoon scouting potential sites for the next round of testing. Though SSC hopes to run the second session within the next 2 weeks, their participation at Top Marques Monaco may delay the second test until after the event.

Updates and additional information are available on SSC's website, www.sscautos.com.

Related:
Back to the Wind Tunnel: SSC Falls Short of Speed Record; More: Thrust! SSC to Go After Production Car Speed Record; More: Future Classic Top Gear: Captain Slow Goes 407.4 Kilometers Per Hour! [Internal]

(Photo: Black Sabbath/EvoTechnik)

Let's give a warm welcome to the inevitable. A yet-unnamed individual will live in infamy for being the first private owner to suffer a Bugatti Veyron crackup. (As Motor Authority points out, two Veyron prototypes were destroyed during testing.) Apparently, this bug's Boeing-grade meats couldn't prevent its million-dollar-plus corpus from hydroplaning on a wet roadway and going nose first into a ditch. No word on the Lloyds of London claim, but we're eyeballing the damage at about a trillion five. – Mike Spinelli

Bugatti Veyron vs vattenplaning [Sportbilen via MotorAuthority]

Related:
Holy Crap, He Walked Away With Barely a Scratch: Audi RS6 Crash [internal]

The other, other thing we love about Top Gear, is how the production quality keeps rising and rising each and every year. Here in season seven nine, James May "gives the beans" to Bugatti's 1,001hp extra special wonder triple double fantastic super car, the indomitable Veyron. There's not much more to say except that we're betting you'll like this one. – Jonny Lieberman

Related:
James May on the XJS [Internal]

Once you've decided the old Locomobile or YT-1300 freighter simply isn't on the cutting edge of technology anymore and are ready to take a mallet to the piggy bank in order to upgrade your motoring experience, you may want to peruse this list from Forbes, which list's Figrin D'an Lienert's top technological vehicles. Watch out for Greedo,