BUGATTI VEYRON News

Bugatti has teased its latest offering; a $7.8m hypercar that prioritises cornering over outright speed.

As the F1 machines thrill the fans trackside at Albert Park next weekend, the big-name marques will make tactical moves on potential buyers in the hospitality precinct.

Bugatti president Wolfgang Durheimer says the brand's next hypercar will have more power than the Veyron, will be quicker to 100km/h and will better the car's current world record top speed of 431km/h."It will be more precise and more powerful with more attention to detail," he says. "With the next Bugatti model, we are aiming to consolidate and expand the market-leading position we have established with the Veyron."Our challenge is to make the best even better."The new car will not be called a Veyron but is expected to stick with the current car's potent quad turbocharged W16, with potential electric motor assistance.Durheimer says the development of the new model is "well under way" but won't speculate on a global reveal date.Some sources are suggesting the car could be unveiled as early as next year.There is also speculation that the output of the engine — essentially a pair of V8s — will climb to as much as 1120kW, up from 882kW in the most recent Veyron 16.4 Super Sport.The original Veyron launched a decade ago and since then 300 coupes and 150 convertibles have been sold, despite recent prices averaging about 2.3 million euros.

An eccentric Swiss company has created a car with a periscope-style camera to scan the road ahead and a steering wheel that can be stowed – so you can browse the web on the way to work.The Rinspeed Budii (pronounced "buddy") is the star concept car at this week's Geneva motor show, due to open Wednesday March 4, Australian time.The Swiss firm based its latest flight of fancy on the BMW i3 electric car, which has been pulled apart and rebuilt so it is unrecognisable – and loaded with advanced equipment from more than two-dozen technology suppliers.The periscope uses laser and camera technology to read traffic and detect obstacles, while the steering wheel can be used as a makeshift table to rest a lap-top while the car finds its way through traffic.The steering wheel can also be swivelled from the left to the right side of the cabin depending on where the vehicle is sold – or can be slid across at a moment's notice if the driver is too tired.A dedicated app for smart phones (and smart watches) enables owners to set the air-conditioning temperature of the car minutes before they are due to start driving, and activate the electric car's recharging cycle.Although the Rinspeed Budii concept car is not equipped with autonomous driving technology, it does provide an insight into what the inside of self-driving cars could look like.There are large iPad screens in the sun visors, with road information for the driver, and a TV or DVD player for the passenger.The central cabin control screen is as large as a TV, and the display automatically reduces the amount of information shown based on what the driver uses most."The vision of autonomous driving will soon become reality and will fundamentally change the interaction of man and automobiles," says Rinspeed boss Frank Rinderknecht.The car industry is gradually increasing the level of automation in modern vehicles, starting with radar cruise control with "stop-start", which keeps a safe distance from the car ahead, automatically comes to a stop and restarts once the traffic is moving again – without the driver having to touch the brake or accelerator pedals. This technology is available in luxury cars today.The next step is "on-ramp to off-ramp" automation on freeways. Experts believe it will be 10 to 15 years before the technology is good enough to handle the complexity of city and suburban driving."The autonomously driving car will require more than solving technical problems and legal issues in the next two decades," said Mr Rinderknecht. "We not only have to redefine the interaction of man and machine, but must also raise questions about responsibility, tolerances and expectations."Police and insurance companies have already made it clear drivers will still be responsible for obeying the law while behind the wheel of autonomous cars, just as a pilot must stay alert and in control when a plane is on auto-pilot."Even the best technology will not be perfect, albeit less prone to error than humans. That is something we will have to accept," said Mr Rinderknecht. "In the future, cars will do just as we do: they will keep learning every day, and as a result will get better and better at mastering the complex challenges of modern-day private transport."Rinspeed has a long history of creating unusual concept cars. Last year it showed a Tesla electric car with the seats facing backwards – towards a large screen TV – to illustrate how quickly autonomous technology was developing.In 2013 Rinspeed showed a tiny city car in which drivers and passengers stood while strapped to a seat rest; the idea was to create a super-small vehicle that can carry five or more people in comfort.Although the latest Rinspeed concept car does debut a number of world firsts, it wasn't the first company in the world to dream of a bird's eye view of the traffic ahead. Last year Renault unveiled a concept car called the KWID which had a camera drone beam live images back to a screen in the dashboard.It is fitting that so many supercars and racing machines for the super-rich are due to bow at the 2015 Geneva motor show. You need a tax haven to be able to afford to buy – or bend – any one of these.Clearly a recession is around the corner. History shows when super cars become common as muck the global economy collapses, the car industry contracts, and we start all over again.In the meantime, here's a taste of how Europe's filthy rich are living it up as we race towards a fiscal cliff.We don't know what the name means either, but what we do know is that this is the new two-seater sports car concept from the German-owned British brand Bentley. The 'EXP-10 Speed 6', to give its full name, is a pointer to a new model to sell alongside the Bentley coupe and sedan that are already on sale and the SUV that is a few years away from showrooms. The press blurb waxes lyrical about the design and the "expression of muscular, athletic surfaces inspired by the aerodynamic shapes of aircraft fuselages and wings". But nowhere does Bentley mention what type of engine it has. Perhaps 'six' is a clue.For some people, even Lamborghini supercars aren't fast enough. That's why cars like this are born. Lamborghini has extracted 50 extra horsepower and trimmed 50kg of bodyweight from the regular V12 Aventador to produce this limited edition lightweight model. It's called (deep breath) the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce. All you really need to know is that with 750 horsepower (or 560kW in modern parlance) it can reach the speed limit in just 2.8 seconds and will likely cost more than $800,000 when it goes on sale in Australia late this year.Only 24 of these will be made and, as the saying goes, if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it. You will need especially deep pockets given this is a race car, and spare parts won't exactly be "off the shelf". The entire body and chassis are handmade from lightweight carbon-fibre. And the U-shaped steering wheel looks like something from a fighter plane. The Aston Martin Vulcan is the company's latest track weapon, said to have a handy 800 horsepower from its 7.0-litre V12. This is Aston Martin's answer to a one-make racing series for the super-rich.Aston Martin's first sedan since 1976 was released as a limited edition for the Middle East in 2014; now the company has extended production of the aptly-named Taraf to other global markets – in both left- and right-hand-drive – but will cap the number built to 200. Price "remains confidential" but the British press report it will cost £400,000 (approximately $800,000 in Australian dollars, but closer to $1 million by the time Luxury Car Tax and GST are added). Each car will be powered by Aston Martin's 6.0-litre V12 as the engine deal with Mercedes-AMG is yet to start.Do not adjust your eyes: this is the new, second-generation Audi R8. You can tell because it has vertical slats in the lower section of the front bumper, a bigger bulge in the side vents, and squinty headlights. Despite the visual similarities with the original, every panel is new. And the 5.2-litre V10 has been given a tune-up: 449kW in its most powerful guise. On sale here early next year from an estimated $400,000.After 10 years and 450 sales (at €1 million plus taxes apiece) the last ever Bugatti Veyron will bow at the 2015 Geneva motor show. In the end, the world's fastest car had an epic 895kW of power and a mind-boggling 1500Nm of torque from its quad turbo W16 (yes, two V8s mounted back-to-back). Top speed: an average of 431km/h over 1km and a 0 to 100km/h time of 2.5 seconds, which is faster than a Formula One car. The good news: Bugatti is developing a successor.The 488 GTB is the first turbocharged mid-engined Ferrari since the epic F40 supercar made from 1987 to 1992, and is only the second turbo V8 in the company's modern era after last year's California T. As with almost every brand, Ferrari is moving to turbocharging because it can extract more power from smaller engines that burn less fuel. A sign of the times, the 488 GTB (reviving the 40-year-old badge from the 308 GTB) easily eclipses the F40's output (351kW/577Nm) with an impressive 492kW of power and 760Nm of torque to create a 0 to 100km/h time of 3.0 seconds.This may look like another bad-ass Mercedes AMG GT but the bigger news is under the bonnet. It's the last hurrah for the high-powered and highly-strung 6.3-litre V8 that has been at the heart of almost every Mercedes-Benz AMG V8 model for the past decade. And it's going out on a high as the engine to be used in Mercedes' GT3 racer next year.British F1 firm McLaren has joined the long list of supercar makers with a new racing program: the P1 GTR is powered by a 1000 horsepower twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8. The show car is finished in the same colour scheme as McLaren's LeMans winner from 20 years ago. McLaren's one-make racing series for the well-heeled kicks off later this year.German sports car maker Porsche has finally done what diehard fans have demanded for more than 10 years. It has fitted the bigger and more powerful 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine from its 911 flagship into the smaller, more affordable and mid-engined Cayman. The result is a car that promises to out-pace and out-manouvre the iconic 911, which is precisely the reason Porsche was so reluctant to build it in the first place. In local showrooms by the end of the year with a price we're guessing will top $200,000.Meet Mercedes-Benz's monster truck, and one of the most expensive four-wheel-drives in the world. The G500 is based on the legendary Mercedes G-Class body (originally developed for military use but has since been made for civilians) and uses AMG's new twin turbo 4.0-litre V8. But the big news is the desert-racer suspension and the massive 22-inch wheels and tyres – and a price tag likely to cost in excess of $500,000. Fortunately it rides so high there isn't much chance you'll scratch it.Not every car at the Geneva motor show is expensive, inaccessible and unlikely to ever hit the road. But nor is every new car actually a car. Between the regular passenger vehicles is an increasing array of small SUVs.The world's biggest selling car (and the top-seller in Australia for the past two years in a row) is due for a facelift mid-year. New headlights combine with a futuristic-looking grille and sleek front bumper to give it a freshen-up. It's also tipped to get a rear-view camera as standard on every model (bringing it up to speed with the Corolla sedan and the Yaris hatch). The photo is of a hybrid version sold in Europe but Toyota Australia still has no plans to introduce the petrol-electric Corolla.This car should erase any doubts about Hyundai's continued climb up the sales charts. The new Hyundai Tucson (the first European reveal for an all-new Hyundai) is due in Australia in August. Underneath its miniature Hyundai SantaFe looks is a choice of 2.0-litre petrol, 2.0-litre turbo diesel and 1.6-litre turbo petrol power.The initials "GT" are usually associated with iconic Falcon V8 sedans or Ford's US-made Ferrari-fighting sports car, but BMW has decided to add the badge to its first people mover. The 2 Series "Grand Tourer" is the seven-seat version of its 2 Series front-wheel-drive hatch. Note the longer body, taller roof and the bigger boot to fit the third-row seats. On sale later this year.With its bright red paintwork, dark grey alloy wheels and sleek lines you could be forgiven for thinking this could pass for Ferrari's first ever wagon. In fact, it's a Kia. This concept is a pointer to the new generation Optima sedan, which will also be available as a wagon for the first time. Due on sale in Australia late this year.This cool-looking concept comes from Mitsubishi, which has a habit of making its production cars look nowhere near as exciting as the motor show tease. Here's hoping we're wrong. This is the preview to the all-new ASX compact SUV due in showrooms next year. The concept has plug-in hybrid technology but we're not certain that'll make the production version. Petrol and diesel engines will likely be standard fare.Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti (which doesn't know how to spell "infinity") is about to join the baby SUV boom with the oddly-named QX30. Car makers are switching to letters and numbers because apparently we're running out of car names that don't offend someone somewhere in various languages. Expect a showroom version of this to appear next year.It's difficult to know whether this is a tall hatchback or a squashed SUV. The Lexus LF-SA (be careful how you say that) concept is said to be a pointer to the brand's first pint-sized SUV for the city. As is the case with previous Lexus concepts, the showroom version won't look anything like this unfortunately. Imagine this car with normal doors, much smaller wheels and tyres, regular headlights, and then squint a bit, and you have an idea how the real thing will look when it arrives next year.This is a concept intended to warm us to the look of the new generation Audi A4 and A6 wagons due in the next two years. The concept also previews "production ready" plug-in hybrid technology, joining the long list of European brands embracing electrical cords to reduce the emissions ratings for their petrol-powered cars.We're not sure if this looks like a Kia, or if the latest Kia cars look like Citroens. But just to be clear this is the facelift for the Citroen DS5, with a slightly cleaner front-end look while the rest of the car is unchanged. That said, it still turns heads, three years on. The update should be in Australian showrooms by the end of the year.The photos of the new Ford Focus RS hot hatch were released last month, but the vital signs and "tech specs" will finally be made available during the car's first public outing. Powered by the same 2.3-litre turbo four-cylinder engine used in the Mustang, and matched to an all-wheel-drive system, it promises to become Ford's fastest and most powerful hot hatch.The Honda Civic Type R has been in the making for almost as long as the Nissan GT-R. Here's hoping good things come to those who wait. We've seen the concept before, and we know it'll be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, but the production version of the Civic Type R finally bows at Geneva. There is just one catch: Honda says we might not see the car in Australia until 2017 because the priority is to get the Honda NSX supercar in local showrooms next year.Is your idea of sleeping under stars simply a hotel with a five-star rating? This could be the camper trailer kit for you. Jeep has created a trailer in the same shape as the tail-end of its new city-sized SUV, the Renegade. It comes with a wide screen TV and a massive sound system to annoy other campers. But fear not: it's only a motor show tease. You will not be able to buy this source of public disturbance at a Jeep dealer any time soon.

All I want for Christmas: the world’s fastest car, the Bugatti Veyron, has been sold to a mystery buyer in Australia even though it cannot be driven on local roads.The world’s fastest car -- the Bugatti Veyron, which has a top speed of 431km/h, almost twice the speed that planes take off -- has been sold to a mystery buyer in Australia even though it cannot be driven on local roads.A secondhand Veyron has appeared in the Classic Throttle Shop in Sydney parked alongside a classic Mini Moke and an old Porsche.It has been on display for less than a week and the company says it has been sold to an anonymous buyer.But the buyer won’t be too anonymous: this Veyron is believed to be the only one in Australia, other than the one that was flown to Australia briefly for a demonstration lap at the Formula One Grand Prix in 2009. “We don’t want to give away any details,” said Classic Throttle Shop salesman Matthew Dickson. “The owner wants to remain anonymous.”The company would not disclose how much the buyer paid but the Veyron cost 1 million Euros plus taxes when new.If it were sold as new in Australia the Veyron would have cost about $3 million once exchange rates, taxes and Luxury Car Tax (33 per cent of the price above $61,884) is taken into account.But the Veyron was never officially sold in Australia by Bugatti because it was built in left-hand-drive only.Collectors the world over have given the car icon status.Earlier this year US talent scout, TV star and One Direction creator, Simon Cowell, sold his 2008 Veyron at auction for $US1.375 million.The Bugatti Veyron is powered by a massive 8.0-litre W16 engine with four turbochargers. It originally had 1001 horsepower but was upgraded to 1200 horsepower in 2012. It blasts from 0 to 100km/h in about 2.5 seconds, as fast as a Formula One car.Only about 400 have been built since 2005. Bugatti has sold out of the 300 coupes it originally built, and fewer than 40 of the 150 roadsters, introduced in 2012 remain before production ends in late 2015.Other specialist companies claim to have beaten the Veyron’s record but they are one-off specials and the top-speed was not done to Guinness World Record standards (the average speed over 1km in both directions to account for changes in weather and test track conditions).Meanwhile, Bugatti has formally axed plans to build what was to become the world’s fastest ever sedan, and officially confirmed it will build a successor to the Veyron.Bugatti boss, Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, told the UK’s Top Gear magazine earlier this year: “There will not be a four-door Bugatti. We have talked many, many times about the Galibier, but this car will not come because ... it would confuse our customers.”Bugatti has reportedly made a loss of every one of the more than 400 Veyrons it has built despite a price of more than 1 million Euros plus taxes. “With the Veyron, we placed Bugatti on top of all super-sportscar brands in the whole world. Everyone knows that Bugatti is the ultimate super sportscar,” Dr Schreiber told Top Gear. “It’s easier for current owners, and others who are interested, to understand if we do something similar to the Veyron (next). And that is what we will do.”Bugatti unveiled the Galibier sedan concept in 2009, just after the Global Financial Crisis took hold, but had been relatively quiet on its development since then.When asked if Bugatti would send the Veyron out with a much-rumoured bang after it built a special edition capable of 431km/h in 2010 (up from the 408km/h top speed of the original) Dr Schreiber told Top Gear: “We will not produce a ‘SuperVeyron' or Veyron Plus, definitely. There will be no more power. 1200 (horsepower) is enough for the chapter of Veyron and its derivatives.”Dr Schreiber said the new Veyron would have to “redefine the benchmarks … and the benchmark today is still the current Veyron. We are already working on it (the successor)."The German Volkswagen Group bought the French supercar brand Bugatti in 1998 and immediately commenced work on the Veyron. After several concept cars and numerous delays the production version was finally unveiled in 2005.During the Veyron’s development, engineers struggled with cooling the massive W16 engine, which has four turbochargers. Despite having 10 radiators, one of the prototype cars caught fire on the Nurburgring racing circuit during testing.The original Veyron, powered by an 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine (two V8s mounted back-to-back), had 1001 horsepower (736kW) and 1250Nm of torque.With power delivered to all four wheels via an all-wheel-drive system and a seven-speed dual clutch “DSG” gearbox, the Veyron could do the 0 to 100km/h dash in 2.46 seconds.On the Veyron’s top-speed run it gulped 78L/100km, more than a V8 Supercar race machine at full speed, and ran the tank out of fuel in 20 minutes. By way of comparison a Toyota Prius sips 3.9L/100km.The Bugatti Veyron claimed the Guinness World Record for the fastest production car with a top speed of 408.47km/h on Volkswagen’s private test track at Ehra-Lessien in northern Germany in April 2005.In June 2010, Bugatti beat its own top-speed record with the Veyron SuperSport, which had the same W16 engine but with power increased to 1200 horsepower (895kW) and 1500Nm of torque. It managed a staggering 431.072km/h.Of the production run of 30 Veyron SuperSports, five were named the SuperSport World Record Edition, which had the electronic limiter switched off to enable them to reach 431km/h. The remainder were limited to 415km/h.The original Veyron cost 1 million Euros plus taxes, but the fastest Veyron of all time, the SuperSport, cost almost double: 1.99 million Euros plus taxes.In September a US man transformed a 2004 Holden Monaro into a replica of the Bugatti Veyron.The car restorer in Florida has advertised the home-made re-creation on online auction website eBay and he wanted someone to pay $115,000 so he could finish building it. The plastic-bodied backyard build was based on a 2004 Pontiac GTO, which is the US version of the Holden Monaro.

Have you ever dreamed of owning the world's fastest car? Meet the replica Bugatti Veyron made from a Holden Monaro. A US man has made a replica of the world's fastest car, the Bugatti Veyron, out of a 2004 Holden Monaro -- and he wants someone to pay $115,000 so he can finish building it. A car restorer in Florida has advertised the home-made re-creation on online auction website eBay. The plastic-bodied backyard build is based on a 2004 Pontiac GTO, which is the US version of the Holden Monaro. VIDEO: Bugatti Veyron claims new speed record In 2004 and 2005 Holden shipped 31,500 Monaros to the US as a Pontiac GTO -- more than twice the number of Monaros sold locally over four years. At least one of them is trying to come back to life as a knock-off version of the Bugatti Veyron. The real Bugatti Veyron is powered by a massive 1001 horsepower, 8.0-litre W16 engine with four turbochargers, has a top speed of 431km/h, and costs more than 1 million Euros plus taxes. Only about 400 have been built. The 'Bugatti Veyron' for sale on eBay is a Pontiac GTO (nee Holden Monaro) that has travelled 136,000km (85,000 miles) and is powered by a comparatively wimpy 5.7-litre V8 with about one quarter of the power. The seller says it is a "high quality replica" and largely "intact and functioning". However the photos show the car is not complete and a long way from being ready for the road, and the airbags appear to have been disabled. Any Australian enthusiasts ought to be aware that, just as with the real Bugatti Veyron, this replica cannot be registered in Australia as it is left-hand-drive.

Volkswagen brand Bugatti has been duking it out with US brand Hennessey to see who wears the crown as the world's fastest production car. And the Americans may have just swiped it -- although the Guinness world records won't make it official.Hennessey has just unleashed their Venom GT at the Kennedy Space Centre landing tarmac, and -- clocked by leading GPS data-acquisition system maker Racelogic -- hit a speed of 270.49mph (435.31km/h) with director of Miller Motorsport Park, Brian Smith, at the helm.That trumps the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport's previous 269.86mph (434.30km/h) record, which has been sanctioned under Guinness rules. However, while there's been some argy-bargy about the Veyron in production form having a speed limiter -- while the record-setting car did not -- with its record being withdrawn and then reinstated, it seems Hennessey won't be officially handed the crown.In order for the speed to be recognised by Guinness, they require a pass in each direction to counter any advantage from wind. John Hennessey has already told media that he would have been willing to do so, but that NASA -- who operate the Kennedy facility -- would allow only one.And while the Bugatti Veyron is a special build by the Volkswagen Group halo brand, the Venom Gt is essentially built on a modified Lotus Exige chassis, and powered by a twin-turbocharged 7.0-litre V8 delivering 928kW of power at 6600rpm and 1566Nm of torque at 4400rpm to the rear wheels via a Ricardo six-speed manual transmission.Watch the Hennessey Venom GT hit 435.31km/h video on our desktop site.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Dubai is well known for its supercars, with even the police having their own fleet, and the university student carpark being crammed with the likes of Bugatti Veyrons and Rolls-Royces.And while those cars are the province of the wealthy in the booming economy, there's also increasing car ownership by the average less-monied residents -- and that means increasing traffic congestion.But Dubai's civic leader has a novel suggestion for clearing the roads: limit car ownership to the wealthy. "Everybody has their luxury life, but the capacity of our roads cannot take all of these cars without ownership laws," Director general Hussain Lootah said in a conference address in Germany that was reported in Arab Emirates news site The National.Lootah said one option to clear the roads would limit car ownership to those who had a monthly income above a certain level, yet to be decided. He added that car pooling would not work for the less wealthy, as the country had such a diverse population -- with more than 200 nationalities represented (many as indentured workers) -- so a public awareness program would be difficult.He believes restricting the ownership of cars would encourage the less-wealthy to use public transport such as buses, taxis and a new tram system in the process of being rolled out.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

You don't often see a Ferrari used as a camera car. In front of the camera, yes. But fitting one out with a camera rig to film other cars ... that's rare. But it's also one of the choices the production crew of Need for Speed is tinkering with, as they prepare to start shooting high-speed scenes.This footage takes you behind the scenes, where chase vehicles for the upcoming movie are being built. In addition to the Ferrari, they're modifying an Audi A6 and a Ford GT Mustang with a supercharger that boosts it to deliver 466kW of power, plus uprated high-performance gears and brakes.Because when you're filming something like a Bugatti Veyron at high speed, you have to rig up a vehicle that can keep pace without too much effort, and handle deftly, allowing the camera team to concentrate on getting the best footage. Or, as one of the production crew simply puts it: "you need a badass car".The only question we'd like answered is what happens to the chase cars after the filming is done. It seems like some of the crew would be volunteering to give them good homes.Watch the Need for Speed - the chase cars video here.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Bugatti has formally axed plans to build what was to become the world’s fastest and most powerful sedan, and officially confirmed a Veyron successor is being developed instead.Bugatti boss, Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, told the UK’s Top Gear magazine: “There will not be a four-door Bugatti. We have talked many, many times about the Galibier, but this car will not come because ... it would confuse our customers.”Dr Schreiber said Bugatti would instead focus its efforts on a Veyron replacement, and also said there would be no more higher-powered versions of the current Veyron.“With the Veyron, we placed Bugatti on top of all super-sportscar brands in the whole world. Everyone knows that Bugatti is the ultimate super sportscar,” Dr Schreiber told Top Gear. “It’s easier for current owners, and others who are interested, to understand if we do something similar to the Veyron (next). And that is what we will do.”Bugatti unveiled the Galibier sedan concept in 2009, just after the Global Financial Crisis took hold, but had been relatively quiet on its development since then. Bugatti has sold out of the 300 coupes it built since 2005 and just 43 of the 150 roadsters, introduced in 2012, remain to be built before the end of 2015.When asked if Bugatti would send the Veyron out with a much-rumoured bang after it built a special edition capable of 431km/h in 2010 (up from the 408km/h top speed of the original) Dr Schreiber told Top Gear: “We will not produce a ‘SuperVeyron' or Veyron Plus, definitely. There will be no more power. 1200 (horsepower) is enough for the chapter of Veyron and its derivatives.”Dr Schreiber said the new Veyron would have to “redefine the benchmarks … and the benchmark today is still the current Veyron. We are already working on it (the successor).”Given that Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche have adopted petrol-electric power for their latest supercars, will the next Bugatti Veyron have hybrid power? “Maybe,” Dr Schreiber told Top Gear. “But it's too early to open the door and show you what we have planned. For now we have to keep the focus on the current Veyron, and help people to understand that this really is the last opportunity to get the car, which will have run for ten years from 2005-2015. Then we will close this chapter and open another one.”The German Volkswagen Group bought the French supercar brand in 1998 and immediately commenced work on the Veyron. After several concept cars and numerous delays the production version was finally unveiled in 2005.During the Veyron’s development, engineers struggled with cooling the massive W16 engine, which has four turbochargers. Despite having 10 radiators, one of the prototype cars caught fire on the Nurburgring racing circuit during testing.The original Veyron, powered by an 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine (two V8s mounted back-to-back), had 1001 horsepower (736kW) and 1250Nm of torque.With power delivered to all four wheels via an all-wheel-drive system and a seven-speed dual clutch “DSG” gearbox, the Veyron could do the 0 to 100km/h dash in 2.46 seconds.On the Veyron’s top-speed run it gulped 78L/100km, more than a V8 Supercar race machine at full speed, and ran the tank out of fuel in 20 minutes. By way of comparison a Toyota Prius sips 3.9L/100km.The Bugatti Veyron claimed the Guinness World Record for the fastest production car with a top speed of 408.47km/h on Volkswagen’s private test track at Ehra-Lessien in northern Germany in April 2005.In June 2010, Bugatti beat its own top-speed record with the Veyron SuperSport, which had the same W16 engine but with power increased to 1200 horsepower (895kW) and 1500Nm of torque. It managed a staggering 431.072km/h.Of the production run of 30 Veyron SuperSports, five were named the SuperSport World Record Edition, which had the electronic limiter switched off to enable them to reach 431km/h. The remainder were limited to 415km/h.The original Veyron cost 1 million Euros plus taxes, but the fastest Veyron of all time, the SuperSport, cost almost double: 1.99 million Euros plus taxes. None were sold in Australia as the Veyron was exclusively left-hand-drive.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling