Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-71
Let's keep on dreaming!!!
The only Veyron I've ever seen and probably ever see again was in London, surrounded by a crew of the BBC. I asked what was going on and they told me that they were making a review of the car for a tv show. The looks of the car are awesome, although it reminded me a little bit of a supped up Audi TT, very spheric forms all around. The engine sounds weird, really powerful, but very muffled at low revs. Couldn't see the interior very well, they didn't let me get close enough... sniff, sniff...
To the poster who says I am misinformed about the Veyron only being able to stretch its legs in Germany or at an owned or RENTED race track.
Please tell this board exactly which racetracks are FREE to use, especially for 200 mph driving. Owners groups have to RENT (which is what I said) a track. Even the Nurburgring in Germany is something like $10/lap.
And good luck driving 175 mph on regular roads in America. Because, as we all know, the Veyron is such a stealth vehicle that no one will notice even at that speed. In California, if you are caught going over 100 mph an unfriendly judge can decide to pull your license.
If you look at photos of the interior, posted on various websites, you will see that the cabin is truly dreadful.
The steering wheel boss has a huge, awful-looking stylised EB on the wheel, with the E laterally inverted (backwards) to denote Ettore Bugatti.
Driving one of these ridiculous cars would be extremely embarrassing.
So you rent a track... its not an austerity situation. And face it people do drive above the limit and yes a judge will fine you for exceeding the limit. If you have attended a driving school you are pretty capable and the vehicles are better especially brakes... in addition you are not risking damage to a pretty expensive exotic. Also you have a Valentine radar detector and friends fore and aft with cells, cb etc. and it can be done safely.
You people obviously miss the ENTIRE point of what the Veyron is about.
Yes, you can get a radar detector and go 80 mph or more. But the Veyron is designed for superhigh speeds, and the only place to SAFELY drive 150 mph plus is either the German autobahns (where drivers are used to high speeds) or a race track.
It is beyond foolish to attempt such speeds on American roads for a variety of reasons, the major of which is that Americans don't know how to drive so will not get over to let you pass or will simply pull in your lane.
Yes, you can go joyriding in any car, and I'm sure you could even do it in New York City during rush hour.
But the FACT is that if I want to really enjoy a $1.2 million 200 mph super supercar I don't want to worry about wiping out some Chevy Cobalt in front of me.
"It is beyond foolish to attempt such speeds on American roads for a variety of reasons"
One of them being that there's not a road over here worthy of the Autobahn. We may be a superpower, but Europe's got us beat hands down when it comes to taking care of infrastructure.
On remote multi lane interstates with clear visibility it hasn't presented any problem. I keep reading you need to be in Europe well theres plenty of Vipers, Lamborghinis and Ferraris running across my state Florida every day!
No, no, Sir, YOU miss the entire point of what the Bugatti (Volkswagen) Veyron is all about.
It is about Volkswagen trying to demonstrate their technical capability by building the Ultimate Supercar.
Unfortunately for them, technical problems have delayed introduction date of the production versions and cost overruns have got to the point that they will LOSE money on every car they sell.
From the customer's point of view, this car is about demonstrating your extreme wealth, that is, simply showing off and being able to say that you own the fastest production car in the world.
Never mind that on any real road trip, even in Germany, you will not be able to complete a trip any quicker than you would in a normal supercar, such as a Porsche or Ferrari, because, as you point out, there will always be slower traffic holding you up.
And these cars are going 150 mph plus? I really really doubt that given they would be so obvious to any trooper.
I didn't miss any point. I have correctly stated the only possible places one could truly take advantage of what the Veyron offers without ending up dead or in jail.
The Veyron was just Piech's ego run amok and now that he is "gone" from VW (but managing it from Porsche) not much else will change. VW continues to follow a path to destruction with such stupidity as the Phaeton (yeah, let's price a VW like an Audi), offering essentially the same car with different badges, developing an Audi supercar to compete with Lamborghini that Audi owns (there's intelligence), and so on. And that's before we start talking about Brazilian call girls expensed to the company.
The only possible real-world reason to own a Veyron would be for its mindblowing acceleration (faster than a fighter plane) since you can do that legally (well, 0 - 65 around here). Anything else is just gravy that can't be touched.
There are plenty of roads to drive 150+ in the US, just not for extended periods as in Germany. I made a roadtrip from San Diego to Phoenix and for parts of the trip I was safely cruising at 135 without another car in sight. I would have gone faster if my car could handle it. And yes, I have seen a Bugatti in normal traffic so to those who think they'll only see them on a showroom are missinformed. This isn't a collector car, it's simply a toy for rich people. Granted it may become a collector especially if they quit making them, but for now it's a way for people to show off.
If you can afford a car of this nature you can easily afford a 4-$5000 ticket and an attorney to drop it down. Seriously you shouldn't drive above the limit, but its pretty naive to think it doesn't happen once in a while.
Sigh.
Of course people speed and yes there are roads in America where you can go fast. But the point is that it is ILLEGAL and even if you have Bill Gates' money in states like California if you're caught going over 100 mph you can lose your license and/or face jail time. I know, the president of my old company had to be chauffeured around for two years because he enjoyed his Porsche too much.
American roads are some of the worst in the western rich world. If there is an accident here in California any debris is NEVER removed unless that road is lucky enough to have a street sweeper on it (very rare on the highway).
If I'm travelling at 150 mph I don't want to worry about road debris, idiot drivers who think their Cobalts can beat me, and so on. That's why Germany or a private road/racetrack would be the only place I would want to reach 200 mph plus.
Lets put it in perspective. I drive a lightly modified Viper and prefer driving on a track. I have progressed through many sports cars and I would not be honest if I said I have never driven over the limit. I would never condone driving in heavily populated areas however like the previous reviewer driving through Arizona I agree. Unless you have ever driven cars of this nature I hardly find your comments on speed applicable. My car is actually safer than many cars improperly maintained unsafe at any speed. My car at 120-140 is barely loping with little sensation of the number on the dial. You have to take into consideration the technology... the suspension, low center of gravity, tires, braking, handling. There are times that the realization of speed is barely noticeable until you look at fixed landmarks or the instrument panel. Whatever car... whether a sports utility, exotic even a Cobalt have specific designed purposes. If you buy a sports car its meaunt to be driven. I would rather be around drivers that know what he or she is doing that a driver with uncertainty and indecision at lower speeds. Yes exceeding the limit is wrong and if thats the point you have a viable comment.
The last comment posted on may 3rd, and the 2nd comment on May 4th sum up the veyron... period!!!
Enough said.