Unlike most production automobiles, the Bugatti Veyron was never intended to turn a profit. The Veyron’s purpose was to serve as a means to a prestigious end: the production-car top speed record.
Despite the recent conclusion of the Veyron’s 300 car production run, Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said in an interview with Motor Trend that the company wasn’t going to let competitors like Shelby Super Cars and Koenigsegg snatch the hard-won title away.
“You know we have the speed record with Bugatti and there are always rumors around that someone, maybe Koeniggsegg could come, and do another record. No matter where the Veyron project is if someone comes… we would strike back. So our thoughts about how we can make this car even faster and keep the premium position in terms of top speed for Bugatti are still ongoing.â€
Technologically, it seems like more power and thus a higher top speed should be easily in reach for the Veyron, especially with the cash and engineering expertise of the Volkswagen Group. Even thought the 1,184 horsepower of the Veyron Super Sport is a mind bending amount of power, there’s likely still more thrust to be coaxed out of the W-16′s 8.0 liters and quad turbochargers.
Moreover, recall that the Veyron is the branchild of Dr. Ferdinand Piech, director of the supervisory board of Volkswagen Group and something of a mad engineer figure. Piech sees the Veyron as a symbol of VW’s engineering might, so don’t expect him to simply stand by while other automakers try to steal his pet project’s thunder, even if it means a costly extension of Veyron production.
References
1.’Bugatti CEO: Veyron…’ view
