A year after acquiring the noble Bugatti brand, Volkswagen Group unveiled the car that would bring the legendary manufacturer into the 21st century: the EB 18/4 Veyron design study.
Unveiled at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, the original Veyron concept car previewed the world’s fastest, most exclusive series production super sports car in the world, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4. However, it would take six years until the first production Veyron left the manufacturing studio in Molsheim, France, in 2005.
Now, for the second time ever, Bugatti displayed the EB 18/4 Veyron concept at a trade fair – the Salon Rétromobile (February 5-9) at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition site.
The original Veyron concept car was inspired by Bugatti’s racing history, with even the name being taken from motorsport. Pierre Veyron was a works driver for Bugatti and, during the 1930s, amassed numerous racing victories for the brand, culminating with a win at the 24 Heures du Mans in 1939.
The production Bugatti Veyron 16.4 arrived in 2005 with an 8-liter W16 engine producing 1,001 PS (987 hp). Five years later Bugatti launched the 1,200PS (1,184hp) Veyron 16.4 Super Sport which set the world speed record for a production car with 431.072 km/h (267.856 mph).
Production of both coupes was limited to 300 units, which have been sold out since 2011. The stand in Paris will also include a display wall exhibiting the original configurations of these 300 vehicles.
Bugatti’s current crop of models includes the open-top 1,001PS Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport and the 1,200PS Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, which holds the title of world’s fastest series production roadster. The two open top models are limited to 150 units each, with only 40 units still available.
By Dan Mihalascu
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