Italy’s Stelvio Pass is known as one of the most dangerous, as well as the most amazing roads in the world. So when Top Gear wanted to do some testing shots with a truly unprecedented selection of performance cars currently on the market, Stelvio Pass was an obvious choice for the location.
In this group was the fastest production car ever, the Bugatti Veyron Supersport; Ferrari’s new FF; the McLaren MP4-12C; Porsche’s finest ever 911, the GT3 RS 4.0; Jaguar’s new XKR-S; Ariel’s mental Atom Mugen; BMW’s new accessible thrill machine, the 1-Series M Coupe; the Ford Mustang Boss Laguna Seca; and the Zonda F. That list already presented a mouthful and there were still more vehicles present.
All the cars in the show were estimated at £3,718,090 - or about $5,217,907 at the current exchange rates - and delivered a combined output of 6,071bhp. So, which one do you like best?
It’s not unusual for Bugatti to show up to a major auto show with some rendition of their Veyron supercar, and Frankfurt’s model is a special edition Veyron Grand Sport slathered with red exterior paint. It seems Bugatti brought the Grand Sport along because they’re having a bit of trouble selling the powerful convertible. Both the Veyron Coupe and Veyron Super Sport are sold out, but there are still 108 units Grand Sport available, from a total of 150.
So in an effort to move the Grand Sport right along in sales, Bugatti has graced the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show floor with this sultry red model. Everything about this car is red; the exterior, the interior, and the partially red wheels. It’s a fitting color considering there’s a fiery hot 8.0L W16 engine with 1001 HP under the hood.
Along with the beautiful Grand Sport on display, Bugatti also chose the Frankfurt Motor Show to officially confirm that an even more powerful Veyron Grand Sport has been prepared for the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. This definitely smells like the Grand Sport Super Sport we caught testing just last month!
Now that the last unit of the Bugatti Veyron has been sold, the company is shifting its focus to the Grand Sport version with a new special edition. A special edition that, no doubt to overshadow the discontinuation of the Veyron model, has been developed with porcelain manufacturer Königliche Porzellan-Manufatur Berlin (KPM) and is the world’s first motor car to be dressed up in the finest porcelain. Prices for this unique model start at 1.65 million euro, or $2,385,000 at the current exchange rates.
Called the L’Or Blanc, this very special Veyron Grand Sport is a little more psychedelic than elegant with blue swirls painted on the vehicle’s white body. Bugatti designers used a precision tape made of delicate Japanese soft tissue which adheres perfectly to sulfur-containing plasticine. These designers were able to stretch the tape to a certain degree to create the swirls which are up to five meters long. It seems to be rather intricate work for something Austin Powers would drive, but apparently this color technique was chosen because of the way the light reflects on the car’s body.
In addition to the flowing paint job, the Bugatti Veyron L’or Blanc also receives twelve porcelain elements constructed of the finest porcelain at the Berlin based manufacturer. The porcelain is used for the inlays of the center wheel badges, the fuel filler cap, and the oil filler cap, as well as the signature "EB" badge at the rear.
The porcelain has also been used for the interior and can be found on the famous elephant sculpture that stands in an upright standing position. This sculpture was created by Rembrandt Bugatti and adds to the unique nature of the Bugatti Veyron L’or Blanc special edition.
Updated 09/05/2011: The latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage features one of the most impressive Veyrons recently launched on the market: the L’or Blanc. Hit the jump for the video and find out if Jay Leno was impressed by the porcelain elements for exterior and interior design.
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Bugatti CEO, Wolfgang Durheimer, is spending far too much time worrying about Koenigsegg and SSC and their attempts in breaking the Veyron Super Sport’s top speed record.
What he should be doing is not overlooking other automakers that could swoop in and snatch the precious title away from his company because there are others that are more than capable of doing that, particularly Rotary Supercars.
We’ve already heard from these guys a few months ago with the RSC Predator GT. This car comes with a Mazda 138 MSP-based four-rotor Wankel engine that produces a nauseating output of 1,184 horsepower. Despite it’s otherworldly power, the Predator GT is not the car that RSC is turning into its personal Veyron slayer.
Another model - a still unnamed model - is being developed to carry an eight-rotor rotary engine that produces an absolutely criminal 2,801 horsepower and 2,580 lb/ft of torque. Those numbers will supposedly allow the car to hit 0-62 mph in less than one second - absolutely insane - with a top speed that hits 280 mph.
No further details were revealed of this mystery supercar, but RSC has quietly made plans to introduce their maniac machine at the 2012 Top Marques Monaco.
Best be warned, Bugatti.
We’ve learned a few things about Bugatti CEO, Wolfgang Durheimer, in the past few weeks, one of which is his increasingly apparent obsession with the world’s top speed record.
After telling CAR Magazine the importance of Bugatti maintaining the top speed record by saying that it’s "a cornerstone of the modern Bugatti philosophy", Durheimer laid notice to everyone that if anybody wanted to try breaking the Veyron’s record, then they’re going to get a pretty serious fight from Bugatti.
In an interview with Motor Trend, Durheimer had this to say: “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."
Fighting words, indeed.
For now, the Veyron is nearing its run and other automakers, particularly Koenigsegg and SSC, have released their new supercars - the Agera R and the Tuatara - with the intention of toppling the Veyron Super Sport’s 267.85 mph record. But if you heard Durheimer’s words, then all these other brands best be warned. Bugatti’s not conceding the world’s top speed record to anybody without a serious fight.
Snow balls in hell be damned; we’ve got a fight on our hands!
