H
Howmuch is toomuch?
There isonlyone caron theplanet that cananswer
that question—becausequite literally, nothingelse
iseven remotely close.Whether themeasure ishorse-
power (1,200—not a typo), zero to 60 (2.6 seconds), 9.8
seconds through thequartermile, or top speed (260-plus
mph, anastounding 40mph faster thanaFerrari 599
GTO), theremaybenothing fashionedbyhumanhands
that’squicker, faster,morepowerful, ormoreexotic than
theBugattiVeyron.
And thenewVeyronGrandSportVitesse isevenmore
exotic than that.
Unveiledat thisyear’sGenevaAutoShow, theVitesse
(which isFrench for
speed
) featuresanupgradedand
evenmorepotentversionof theVeyron’s famous16-
cylinder, quad-turbo“W”engine—witha three-mode
adjustablesuspension toaid in thedeliveryof all that
power.TheStandardsetting is forslow-pokingaroundat
speedsup toabout 112mph
—which theVitessecan
reacheasily insecondgear.
Youstill have fourmore
gears togo.Above112orso,
there’sHandlingmode. For
the thirdandfinalmode—
TopSpeed—aspecial key is required.Thecardrops to
just 3.5 inchesoff theground; special airfoilsdeploy.Now
theVeyron is ready forabanzai run tospeedsover200
mph.And in thecaseof theVitesse, at 200, you’reonly
justbeginning toroll.All out, thebrutalBugatti iscapable
ofmore than260mph— Indycar territory.
Likean Indy car, eachVitesse isahand-built exotic
down to itsuniqueMichelin run-flat tires, built specifi-
cally (andonly) for this car.A set of new tires (which
you’ll needoften)will cost you $25,000.Anda tuneup? If
youhave toask…
➤
DRIVING
SUMMER 2012
celebratedliving.com
24
SummerWheels
The asphalt is heating up, and so are the cars, motorcycles— and even a
scooter — that you’ll want to hit the roadwith this season. Here’s a look at
eight ways to get your kicks on the highway or in the city.
BY ERIC PETERS
Bugatti Veyron
GrandSport Vitesse
MSRP:
$2.5million
AVAILABLE:
Now
ONLINE:
bugatti.com
