2012 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Coupe

Ferdinand Piech, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, had a grand vision for a modern Bugatti, one where money was no object when it came to development or production.

Piech had become Volkswagen AG's Chairman of the Board of Management in 1993. From this position, he was responsible for bringing Volkswagen and Audi upmarket and acquired brands like Bentley and Lamborghini. Most importantly, he established the newly reinvigorated Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

They Veyron is arguably the very first 'hyper' car, with its 1,000 horsepower and 253 mph top speed. Zero-to-sixty mph took a mere two-and-a-half seconds. The engine was an eight liter, 16 cylinder unit in W configuration, fitted with four turbochargers (hence the 16.4 moniker). It had 10 radiators throughout the car to ensure the immense heat produced by the engine was contained and proper operating temperatures were achieved. There was a Haldex all-wheel-drive system and a dual clutch, direct-shift gearbox which controlled the insane amount of power made by the engine.

The Veyron's everyday top speed was limited to a modest 213 mph. To get the additional 40 mph, the car would undergo an incredible transformation. Top speed mode was initiated with the input of the 'speed' key next to the driver's seat. The Veyron then lowered itself to a ride height of just 2.6 inches and retracted the rear wing while also shutting the front air diffusers. This made the Veyron much more aerodynamic with a drag coefficient of just 0.36.

Large 15.8 inch front and 15-inch rear cross-drilled, radially ventilated carbon-fiber reinforced silicon-carbide composite discs in conjunction with aluminum six-piston monobloc calipers built by AP Racing were responsible for bringing the vehicle reliably and safely to rest. When traveling at speeds above 120 mph, application of the brakes also moved the rear wing forward into the air-brake position. In total, a maximum deceleration force of 1.3 g is capable on road tires. Along with its impressive top speed, it took just 10 seconds for the Veyron to go from 250 mph to a complete stop.

Bugatti unveiled the open-top Grand Sport iteration of the Veyron in 2008 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. 407 Veyrons were put into production and 150 left the factory as Gran Sport models. Each model was built to bespoke specifications by each owner.

This example is chassis number 051 and is finished in black and red livery over a tan leather interior. It was built to U.S. specifications, it is the ninth of only 11 production Grand Sports intended for the United States market. It was originally delivered to Bugatti Beverly Hills, but shortly thereafter was exported via Brussels to Nigeria, where it remained for several years. It then found its way to Europe in mid-2016 and at the time was showing only 424 miles. The Veyron was subsequently shipped back to the United States, where it was acquired by the current consignor with only 538 original miles.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2017