(from VW Group Press
Release) At the end of 2003 the first
21st-century Bugatti, a blend of traditional craftsmanship and
ultra-modern industrial production, will leave the factory - the Bugatti EB 16·4 Veyron, a production car of exceptionally unusual design that
will be based on the design study of the same name displayed by BUGATTI
Automobiles S.A.S. at the 72nd Geneva Motor Show in 2002.
At the time of writing, in the spring of 2002, the 736 kW (1001 bhp)
Bugatti EB 16·4 Veyron, although exhibited as a design study, has
already reached a degree of driveline and body development that is close
to series production status. The first theoretical performance figures
are also available: the new 16-cylinder sports car should reach a top
speed of 406 km/h and accelerate from 0 to 300 km/h in under 14 seconds.
The study exhibited at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show incorporates a large
number of technological highlights. As on Formula 1 and Le Mans racing
cars, the load-bearing chassis of the EB 16·4 is reinforced with carbon
fibre for maximum strength and rigidity as well as minimum weight. This
principle also ensures optimum passive safety for the car's occupants.
The outer skin of the body is of mixed aluminium and carbon-fibre
construction. The W16 turbocharged engine, which has dry sump
lubrication and four continuously variable camshafts, surpasses the
power output of even the latest Formula 1 engines. Power is transmitted
to the wheels through a new type of sequential-shift seven-speed gearbox
with twin clutches.
The EB 16·4 Veyron runs on tyres that use the new Pax system developed
by Michelin. These high-speed tyres for speeds in the region of 400 km/h
have a pressure monitoring system and run-flat capability, so that safe
handling is maintained and the car can be driven for more than 200
kilometres in the event of pressure loss.
The dimensions of the Bugatti EB 16·4 Veyron are equally impressive: the
wheelbase is 2,700 millimetres, the car's overall length 4,466 mm, its
width 1,998 mm and its height only 1,206 mm.
In addition to this design study, BUGATTI Automobiles S.A.S. is drawing
attention to Bugatti's origins at the 2002 Geneva Show, by exhibiting a
16-cylinder racing engine dating from 1928. This engine documents an
exciting era in automobile engineering during the early part of the 20th
century: with its two Zenith carburettors and double magneto ignition,
it represented the leading edge of automobile engine development in its
day.
