Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 Coupe VIN. VF9SA25CX8M795143, 2008
Bugatti EB Veyron 16.4
Bugatti EB Veyron 16.4•
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Estimate: US$1,000,000 - US$1,300,000 USD
- VIN. VF9SA25CX8M795143
- Design by Giorgetto Giugiaro
- 7993cc DOHC 64-Valve Quad-Turbocharged W16 Engine
- Direct Fuel Injection
- 1001bhp at 6,000rpm
- 7-Speed Dual Clutch Semi-Automatic Transmission
- 4-Wheel Independent Suspension
- 4-Wheel Ventilated Carbon-Ceramic Disc Brakes
- One of only 78 Veyron 16.4 Coupes built for the US
- Under 3,000 miles from new
- Formerly in the collection of comedian Tracy Morgan
Designed by ItalDesign boss Giorgetto Giugiaro, the first concept car – the EB118 – was displayed at the Paris Auto Show in 1998, featuring permanent four-wheel drive and a Volkswagen-designed W18 engine. A handful of variations on the theme were displayed at international motor shows over the course of the next few years before the concept finally crystallized in 2000 in the form of the Veyron EB 16.4. The latter was styled in house at VW by Hartmut Warkuß and featured an engine with 16 cylinders and four turbochargers – hence the '16.4' designation.
It was named after Bugatti development engineer and racing driver, Pierre Veyron, who together with co-driver Jean-Pierre Wimille, had won the 1939 Le Mans 24-Hour race for the French manufacturer. But this was far from the end of the development process, and it would take another five years and an extensive shake-up of the project's management and engineering teams before production could begin, by which time an incredible 95% of components had been either changed or redesigned.
Effectively two narrow-angle 4.0-liter V8 engines sharing a common crankcase, the 8.0-liter W16 - just - met Piech's requirements, producing a maximum output of 1,001bhp and 922ft/lb of torque, figures that would embarrass a current Formula 1 car. With a curb weight of 1,888kg (4,162lb) the Veyron had a staggering power-to-eight ratio of 523bhp per ton. Tasked with transmitting this formidable force to the ground was a permanent four-wheel-drive, dual-clutch transmission system incorporating a seven-speed paddle-shift semi-automatic gearbox, the latter built by the British company, Ricardo, while to accommodate the Veyron's phenomenal top speed Michelin designed special run-flat PAX tires.
Piech had specified a maximum velocity of 250mph and the Veyron did not disappoint, with more than one tester – Top Gear's
James May included - exceeding the target by a few miles per hour. At $1,250,000 (€1,225,000) the Veyron base price as also exceeded Piech's target comfortably.
To maintain stability at such high speeds, the Veyron has a few aerodynamic tricks up its sleeve, a hydraulic system lowering the car at around 140mph, at which speed the rear wing deploys, increasing downforce. But if the Veyron driver wishes to exceed 213mph (343km/h), he or she needs to select Top Speed Mode (from rest) before joining what is a very exclusive club indeed.
Jeremy Clarkson, reviewing the Veyron for
The Times
: "In a drag race you could let the McLaren (F1) get to 120mph before setting off in the Veyron. And you'd still get to 200mph first. The Bugatti is way, way faster than anything else the roads have seen." Yet despite its breathtaking performance, the Veyron contrived to be surprisingly docile at 'sensible' speeds. "Bugatti says the Veyron is as easy to drive as a Bentley, and they're not exaggerating," declared
Autocar
. "Immediately you notice how smoothly weighted the steering is, and how calm the ride is."
In a market sector many of whose protagonists can only be described a 'hard core', the Veyron contrived to be a remarkably civilized conveyance. "When you climb aboard the Bugatti Veyron there are no particular physical contortions required of you by the world's fastest car, as there are in so many so-called supercars," observed
Autocar
describing "the most exquisite car cabin on earth". The latter was found to be more than generously spacious for a two-seat mid-engined car, while in terms of interior equipment there was virtually no limit to what the, necessarily wealthy, Veyron customer could specify. Restricted rearward visibility is a frequent bugbear of mid-engined supercars, a problem the Veyron dealt with by means of a reversing camera.
In 2009, an open version of the Veyron – the Grand Sport – was announced, featuring a removable roof panel and 'emergency' soft-top. The following year Bugatti released the ultimate Veyron - the Super Sport - which came with 1,200bhp, 1,100ft/lb of torque, and revised aerodynamics. Only 30 were made, the very last of these truly fabulous cars being that offered here. An open version - the Grand Sport Vitesse - was introduced in 2012.
The SSC Ultimate Aero had taken the Veyron's title of 'World's Fastest Car' in 2007, but the Super Sport would soon put the upstart American manufacturer in its place. The redoubtable James May achieved a top speed of 259.49mph (417.61km/h) on 4th July 2010, and later that same day Bugatti test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel set a new mean best mark of 267.856mph (431.072km/h) at Volkswagen's test track near Wolfsburg in Germany. This had been achieved by deactivating the Super Sport's electronic limiter, which restricts top speed to 'only' 258mph (415km/h), causing some to question the figure's validity. Eventually, the Guinness Book of Records decided that the mark should stand. By the time Veyron production ceased in 2015, Bugatti had built only 450 of these quite extraordinary cars.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
One of just 178 Veyron 16.4 Coupes built and a mere 76 manufactured to US specification, '143' was completed at the factory in Molsheim, France in November of 2007 and delivered new on December 12 of that year to its first owner by O'Gara Bugatti of Beverly Hills, California. Finished in Black Metallic over an interior richly trimmed in Havanna tan leather, this French road rocket remained on the West Coast migrating between Oregon, Silicon Valley, Southern California for the first seven years of its existence, driving only about 250 miles a year during that time.
After a brief stint in the Midwest, '143' was purchased by actor and comedian Tracy Morgan in May of 2017. A regular cast member on
Saturday Night Live
from 1996 to 2003, he edged out fellow comedian Stephen Colbert to secure the role, he even hosted the show in 2008 and 2015. Starring as a caricature of himself on
30 Rock
from 2006 to 2013, Morgan was in the midst of filming the first season of the TBS hit comedy
The Last O.G.
when he acquired his Veyron.
When Morgan acquired the car, 1,940 miles were showing on the ticker and he would gleefully add nearly another grand to that total during his two years of ownership. Regularly serviced throughout its life, receipts are on file for recent services in May of 2017 and '18 including scheduled maintenance, new tires, protective clear bra, and more totaling nearly $100,000 in all. It should be noted that Morgan, a Veyron enthusiast, also owns a white Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport and it was in that car that he was famous hit by a distracted driver in the summer of 2019, not the offered Bugatti.
Showing under 3,000 miles from new, this missile from the verdant hills of Alsace is ready to move onto its next, lucky owner. Complete with recent receipts, a squeaky clean CARFAX, and all of its books still in the original plastic—as well as the requisite high-visibility safety vest in case the car doesn't garner enough attention on its own, face-melting speed, physics-defying acceleration, and unmatched luxury are just a bid away.
