tuningblog.eu Your magazine about tuning the car
In 2012 Bugatti presented the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, the open version of the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. A little later, the Roadster broke the speed record for open vehicles - and still holds it today. 1.200 hp. In a roadster. With the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, Bugatti is presenting a new superlative roadster in 2012. A year later, this extraordinary hyper sports car proves its exceptional automotive position: With a top speed of 408,84 km/h, it becomes the most powerful and fastest series-produced roadster in the world – to this day nobody has openly driven faster. Not the only outstanding feature of the roadster.
Grand Sport Vitesse
After the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport coupé with 1.200 hp, customers wanted an open-top automobile with this unimaginably high level of performance, remembers Christophe Piochon, President of Bugatti Automobiles. Over the next few months, the engineers will develop the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse as an open version.
The greatest challenge with the roadster lies in sufficient driving stability and the redefinition of the rollover protection of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with a removable roof module. It grows out of the special structural design of the Veyron and is reinforced again. A specially designed and removable roof module made of lightweight polycarbonate enables open-top driving in just a few simple steps. What sounds simple has far-reaching consequences in vehicle construction. In the case of the coupé, the roof, as part of the monocoque, ensures outstanding stability. In the case of the Roadster, this task is taken on by new reinforcements with extremely high torsional rigidity of 22.000 Newton meters per degree along calculated load paths in addition to the carbon monocoque and ensure safety and rigidity.
Combination of structural rigidity and lightweight construction
The optimum combination of body rigidity and lightweight construction is the result of the extremely strong and feather-light passenger cell in monocoque construction. It is the central element of the vehicle structure. If an integral part is removed with the roof, the load paths must be redefined to maintain the high rigidity and crash safety, including side impact and rollover protection. As a result, the monocoque is further reinforced in the area of the side skirts and the center tunnel. The B-pillars are cross-reinforced with a carbon fiber support. A central carbon plate under the center tunnel serves to represent the most torsion-free roadster in the world. In addition, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse's side doors are finished in carbon fiber and dress an integral trunnion-type longitudinal member that transfers the load from the A-pillar to the B-pillar in the event of a crash to dissipate impact energy.
The 8,0-liter W16 engine delivers 1.200 hp and ensures a top speed of 410 km/h in the closed vehicle. When Chinese entrepreneur and racing driver Anthony Liu set the record in 2013, the clock measured 408,84 km/h. Open. "Without a roof, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse shows the uniqueness of Bugatti's engineering skills. Although we have a completely different weight distribution open, the vehicle remains stable and accelerates just as impressively as with the roof closed,” explains Christophe Piochon. "With the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, Bugatti has proven that it is possible to build an open hyper sports car with very high performance and power, which is extremely dynamic and very comfortable to drive.
larger turbochargers including intercoolers
Even with the predecessor Veyron 2008 Grand Sport with 16.4 hp, which was presented in 1.001, customers can enjoy the extraordinary power of the drive in the open cabin and can almost feel the sound of the intake air scoops on their necks. This is reinforced in the Vitesse. The French word "Vitesse" means pace and speed. The increase in output of 199 hp compared to the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is primarily achieved by four larger turbochargers including intercoolers. There is also a revised design. The front is adorned with wider air intakes like on the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. The lowest air slit runs sideways into the wheel arch and gives the roadster an extremely confident appearance. Below the air intake is a new, optically filigree front spoiler. A double diffuser and a centrally arranged double pipe exhaust system as well as a roof edge spoiler make the rear distinctive. In contrast to the coupe, the outer skin of the roadster is made entirely of carbon. Bugatti therefore also offers a clear visible carbon finish as an option.
In contrast to the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, the Grand Sport Vitesse - like all other Veyron models - has the two air scoops on the left and right of the engine cover. On the roadster, these fulfill two tasks at the same time: on the one hand, they take in the intake air for the 16-cylinder, on the other hand, they are an important, elegantly integrated part of the rollover protection. In addition, Bugatti has reinforced all components of the drive train, including the gearing of the 7-speed dual clutch gearbox (DSG). A fuel system adopted from the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport with a 4-pump tank supplies the drive with sufficient fuel. In order to bring the power safely and comfortably to the road, Bugatti retuned the chassis including ESP, tires and brakes, minimizing rolling and pitching movements to a minimum that is no longer noticeable.
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse at 375 km/h
With the roof closed, the predecessor model, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with 1.001 hp, drives at exactly 407 km/h and is therefore just as fast as the coupé. With the roof open, Bugatti electronically controls the roadster at 360 km/h. The successor increases not only the performance but also the top speed. With its 16.4 hp, the Veyron 1.200 Grand Sport Vitesse now accelerates to up to 410 km/h with the top closed; with the top down Bugatti regulates the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse at 375 km/h.
“Thanks to the roof edge spoiler and an elaborately designed wind deflector, interior noise and turbulence are significantly reduced to a minimum. Even at top speeds of over 200 km/h, the occupants can still converse when the vehicle is open,” says Christophe Piochon. “In doing so, we have met a fundamental customer request.” In addition to carbon, aluminum and magnesium, Bugatti uses a special, moisture-proof leather with fine stitching for the interior .
The Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse was to be the last model in the Veyron series and, with the "Les Légendes de Bugatti" series, not only celebrates six historic Bugatti personalities, including Jean-Pierre Wimille, Jean Bugatti, Meo Costantini, Rembrandt Bugatti and Black Bess and Ettore Bugatti, but also Bugatti's unique creativity and craftsmanship. To do this, the designers used processing methods and materials that had never been used in a vehicle before. Each of the Legends vehicles, each limited to three units, sold out immediately.
Don't worry, of course that was far from being the case when it came to auto / auto tuning. Our magazine still has tens of thousands other tuning reports in stock. Do you want to see them all? Then just click HERE and look around. Or are you particularly interested in everything to do with vehicles of the Bugatti brand? Then click on one of the following posts!
other related posts
Ten years of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse – the world's fastest roadster
Photo credit: Bugatti
