BUGGATI

The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine grand tourer developed by the German car-manufacturer Volkswagen and produced by the Volkswagen-brand Bugatti Automobiles SAS at their headquarters in Château St Jean in Molsheim (Alsace, France), and whose production and development is often credited to Ferdinand Karl Piech. It is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti company.

Two hundred examples of the Veyron are known to have been built and delivered since production began. There won't be built any more. All the Veyron editions contribute to the 200 being built (stopped built in late 2008). The editions that are contributing are the Veyron, Veyron 16.4, Pur Sang, Hermes Edition, Sang Noir, Targa, Vincero, and the Bleu Centenaire. It will be replaced with the Grand Sport, which is essentially a Veyron convertible.

Development of this vehicle began with the 1999 EB 16/4 "Veyron" concept car, which itself had a chassis based on that of the Bugatti 18/3 Chiron concept car. It was similar in design and appearance to the final Veyron production car. One major difference was the EB 18/4's use of a W18 engine with three banks of six cylinders. The Veyron's chief designer was Hartmut Warkuss, and the exterior was designed by Jozef Kabaň of Volkswagen Group, rather than Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign, who had handled the three prior Bugatti concepts.

The then – Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch announced the Veyron at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show. It was promised to be the fastest, most powerful and most expensive car in history. Instead of the W18, it would use a VR6/WR8-style W16 engine. First seen in the 1999 Bentley Hunaudières concept car, the W16 would have four turbochargers, and produce a quoted 736 kilowatts (1,001 PS; 987 bhp) (see engine section for details on the power output). Top speed was promised at 407 kilometres per hour (252.9 mph), and the price was announced at €1 million.

Development continued throughout 2001, and the EB 16/4 Veyron was promoted to "advanced concept" status. In late 2001, Bugatti announced that the car, officially called the "Bugatti Veyron 16.4", would go into production in 2003. Taking great pride in the making of the Veyron, the production plant (where cars are also ordered) is affectionately called the "Atelier" which means an artists workroom.