There are few cars that have shaped a generation like the Bugatti Veyron. Most 20-somethings today will have clear memories of seeing the rounded-edged French supercar weapon with its massive engine hitting the fastest speed for a production car ever. The Veyron changed the game early on, it set new expectations for what a supercar was. It was the product of immense technological engineering and was absolutely groundbreaking at the time.
They were never going to be cheap. And due to being so well received, Bugatti made a few iterations of the Veyron, which ended up in the model being produced for over 10 years. Then during 2008's Pebble Beach Concourse, Bugatti decided to unveil a very fitting project for the occasion, which was the car we are talking about today, the Bugatti Veyron Grand-Sport.
The World's Fastest Car
After the commotion surrounding the world record top-speed, everybody wanted a Veyron. It was the car to have. It was all over TV, kids were sticking posters of it on their walls, and it was about as cool as a car could get. The design though, with its bulbous front arches and rounded finishing was still the splitter of verdicts. But regardless of looks, the car was in no doubt an aerodynamic bullet, and everybody wanted to own "the world's fastest car".
The Bugatti Veyron was a sensation, bearing an 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine, basically equal to two compact V8 engines spliced together. The power output, carefully certified, came out to be 987HP along with a mind-boggling 922 lb-ft of torque. This kind of insane power was mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission that was electronically controlled for a shift time of fewer than 150 milliseconds and the car rode on a permanent all-wheel-drive.
The original Veyron was always going to be a future classic. It was never intended as a "driver's car". The whole point of the Veyron was to be considered one of the biggest engineering marvels that the automotive industry had ever seen. With its new format of W16 engine and a total of 3 inter-coolers and 10 radiators to keep it ticking over. The 254MPH top speed was the real selling point. As much as this feat was hugely impressive, if you were to go for a V-max run, the Bugatti Veyron would drink a tank in 15 minutes and need a new set of tires (not cheap).
Buying A Veyron Grand Sport
The Grand Sport is essentially a Targa top version of the world-record-breaking car. Only 150 of these were due to be made, and the first 50 were already pre-allocated to the best of Bugatti's clientele. And if, like the rest of us, you weren't one of those, there's always the second-hand market. Albeit there are a few out there, they are getting increasingly hard to come by as they find their way into secret car caves of the uber-rich. Let's look at how much you'll have to splash if you want to get a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport in your garage.
The first thing to consider here is, the supply and demand chain. There are significantly more millionaires around the world than there are Bugatti Veyrons. And what's more, just like the wealth, the Veyrons are scattered around the globe, so there is not one place with a high concentration of them for sale. However, at the time of writing this (Feb '22), there are 3 for sale in the UK alone. There are a few throughout the Middle East too, so let's take a look.
First is a spotless example in the outskirts of London. This 2,200-mile example is an absolute stunner. Finished in a creamy white with full black quilted leather, and silver wheels, it can be yours for $1.82 Million. There's also one in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai to be precise, but the price is only made available on request, no doubt it will be upwards of $2 Million.
There are also two more examples in the UK. It seems that this is where all the Veyron Grand Sports have ended up. One gorgeous blue and white contrast example is up for $2.16 Million and just 2,000 miles on the clock. The other is up for just under $2.1 Million, in what seems to be the most popular spec for one, white on black leather.
If you're in the market for one, you can certainly get your hands on one. Only if you have upwards of $1.75 Million to splash out. Prices do seem to be on the rise also. This is likely going to be a serious investment for collectors and will no doubt gain legendary status in the coming years. The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is a full-size, open-top version of the car that changed the industry.