Bugatti Veyron: A Quest for Perfection

The Bugatti Veyron's statistics are mind-boggling: 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds, a top speed of 253 mph, engine with ten radiators and four turbos, a launch control system taken from F1, and even windscreen wipers that create sizeable downforce—a feat of engineering grandiosity that, in automotive terms, rivals the achievements of the great 19th Century industrialists. The author of this book sets out to track down the mythical beast that is a Bugatti Veyron, and ultimately attempts to drive one. He traces the genesis of this remarkable machine through Bugatti's long and glorious early days and then through its more turbulent modern era. Traveling to the top secret Bugatti Research & Development workshop in Germany; touring the factory and chateau in France where these stunning cars are hand-built; interviewing famous engineers, super-rich owners, automotive presidents, and a host of other expert eyewitnesses to this unique car's many achievements; he ponders this mechanical whirlwind and in so doing has written a page-turning study of a modern masterpiece. Part history, part personal obsession, part travelogue, and part humorous quest, this book that will appeal to both fans of cars, and serious petrol-heads, Top Gear viewers as well as anyone who has ever raised an eyebrow as a shiny piece of metal on four wheels drives past in the street. For the first time, Bugatti has allowed access to the Veyron's chief engineer, designers, test drivers, archivists, the Bugatti factory, photographers, and the president of Bugatti himself.