Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 Coupé, 2006
Bugatti EB Veyron 16.4
Bugatti EB Veyron 16.4•
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Chassis No.: VF9SA15B36M795015
Estimate: £850,000 - £1,250,000 GBP
- The first UK delivered example
- Registration no. LG06 GDJ
- The 15th Veyron built and the first UK delivered example; displayed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
- One of only 450 made
- Hand-built 1001 bhp W-16 engine
- Record breaking 253mph top speed
- circa 16,270 kilometres from new
- H.R. Owen Bugatti London service history from new
- Arguably one of the most iconic cars ever built
"The Bugatti Veyron has recalibrated that which can be achieved by the motor car." – Autocar.
To say that the Bugatti Veyron caused a sensation when it arrived in 2005 would be a gross understatement; for here was a car that didn't just rewrite the supercar rule book so much as tear it up and start afresh. All the more remarkable was the fact that the Veyron was the dream of one man: Ferdinand Piech, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, which had acquired the Bugatti brand in 1998. Piech's ambition was to create a car that had 1,000 horsepower at its disposal, could exceed 400km/h (250mph), and cost €1 million. Turning Piech's dream into a reality would prove to be an immensely difficult undertaking, even for a company with Volkswagen's technological resources, and the result would not see the light of day for another seven years.
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 crystallised 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-litre V8 engines sharing a common crankcase, the 8.0-litre W16 - just - met Piech's requirements, producing a maximum output of 1,001PS (987bhp) and 922ft/lb of torque, figures that would embarrass a current Formula 1 car. With a kerb 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 tyres. Piech had specified a maximum velocity of 250mph and the Veyron did not disappoint, with more than one tester exceeding the target by a few miles per hour. At €1,225,000 (£1,065,000) the Veyron's base price 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 civilised 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.
As well as the world's most expensive car, the Veyron was also the world's fastest, retaking that title from the SSC Ultimate Aero in July 2010 when Bugatti test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel set a new mean best mark of 267.856mph (431.072km/h) at the wheel of a Super Sport model. By the time Veyron production ceased in 2015, Bugatti had built only 450 of these quite extraordinary cars.
The 15th Veyron produced, this example is the first to be delivered to the UK and was displayed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the summer of 2006. As the first UK-delivered Veyron, it has an additional chassis plate marked 'UK1' which is visible under the bonnet. The Bugatti has at different times been registered 'B 1' and 'BUG 1B', and is currently carrying its original registration, 'LG06 GDJ'. This car has been known to H. R. Owen all its life who confirm that it has never suffered any accident damage or required any paintwork repairs. The stamped service book records regular H. R. Owen Bugatti London servicing, including in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018.
This example also benefits from two recent H. R. Owen Bugatti London visits; firstly for a 'service and tyre package (LMP 3)' in 2017 totalling £31,716, and latterly for its annual service including replacing the front radiators, prop shaft, air conditioning condenser, left-hand heat deflector, and front handling flaps in 2018 at a cost of £35,310 (at 15,909 kilometres). Supporting invoices are on file and the Veyron also comes with a car cover, battery charger, handbooks, old and current MoTs, PDA, speed key (boxed), and a spare key.
The Veyron 16.4 is truly a landmark automobile and will surely continue to be a desired entity in the eyes of collectors and enthusiasts across the world. Now is the opportunity to obtain the first UK delivered example of this ground-breaking hyper car.
