Bugatti Veyron exclusive

It's the world’s most amazing supercar – and has a sign-off to match! The Bugatti Veyron carries a price tag in excess of £800,000, has a 253mph top speed and tears up the rule book in every way – which includes the approach to delivering models to lucky buyers.

Each Veyron that rolls off the production line undergoes a unique 350-mile work-out, at the hands of Bugatti’s most experienced test drivers. And in a world exclusive, Auto Express joined the company to find out just how far the firm is prepared to go in the pursuit of perfection.

WATCH EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE OF OUR VEYRON TEST DRIVE EXPERIENCE HERE

Unlike mass-produced models such as the VW Golf and Ford Focus – which are pieced together by machines and robots – every single Veyron is painstakingly assembled by hand. While this means it can be finished to a higher standard, it also allows scope for human error. That’s why a hand-built hypercar needs a little more fine-tuning.

Bugatti’s policy states that customers should be able to jump into their new purchase and use it immediately to its full 253mph potential. And that’s exactly what some owners do, especially in the Middle East.

So, the test drive is not only to ensure quality levels are up to scratch; it’s also necessary for safety reasons. For our run, there couldn’t be two more qualified people at the wheel. Piloting the red-and-white car was Steve Jenny – Bugatti’s number one test driver, who has racked up 100,000 miles behind the wheel of the Veyron. Steering the jet-black Grand Sport convertible was Oliver Cramm, head of quality management.

These two men take their jobs extremely seriously – which is hardly surprising when you consider the calibre of customer they are dealing with. The fixed roof Veyron is destined for a rich sheikh in Dubai, while the drop-top has been bought by a Swiss collector, who’s already the proud owner of five black models.

After leaving Bugatti’s ultra-modern home in Molsheim, north east France, the cars are fitted with a set of test wheels and the bodywork covered in a transparent plastic wrap, to prevent stone chips. The interior is also protected to make sure it remains immaculately clean. The driver has to wear gloves so as not to leave prints, and ensure the owner is the only person who actually touches the car.

Usually, it’s at this point that Jenny and Cramm head for the nearby Vogesen mountain roads to put the first 200 miles on the Veyron’s odometer. However, heavy snow forced our inaugural journey to be different. Both cars were loaded on to a trailer and taken to Avignon, in the south of France, for their shakedown.

The road route is split into two parts. The first 200 miles establish if there are any faults or parts of the car in need of adjustment; the second section of around 150 miles is designed to verify that any changes have been successful.

In case you were wondering, customers are pre-warned that their car will be delivered ‘street-ready’, with a number of miles on the clock. They are even handed a letter of invitation to accompany their purchase on its test drive.

The procedure begins with a static test of the electronics – such as the indicators and windscreen wipers. The car’s ‘passport’ – a sheet of paper with all the details and features specific to that model – needs to be ticked off, too. Most of these checks are carried out via a hand-held device that communicates with the car’s systems. In fact, this technology is so advanced that even after the customer has taken delivery, Bugatti engineers can diagnose problems and make small adjustments to the Veyron from anywhere in the world.

Finally, it’s time to fire up the quad-turbo 987bhp 8.0-litre W16 engine and hit the road. Once on the move, the test drivers check for wind noise, open and close the doors and pull the handbrake to inspect the warning indicators. Then it’s the turn of the audio system. Jenny listens to classical music first, then rock and finally rap, checking for any vibrations or quality imbalances.

The second part of the examination sees the Veyron’s performance put to the test. The venue is the runway at Avignon airport, but the test drivers don’t have the tarmac to themselves. A stream of planes means they have to time their runs to perfection.

Accelerating from 0-124mph and back to a standstill again 10 times exerts the necessary strain on the ceramic brakes, engine and seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox. To confirm the performance is suitably impressive, the drivers regularly hit in excess of 190mph before running out of runway.

Incredibly, the only faults found were some noises from the roof trim and a slightly offset steering wheel in the red-and-white car – both easily curable. Back at the factory, the Veyrons are stripped of the test wheels. Incredibly, each set costs around £45,000, and can only be used for three or four sessions. The Bugattis are then fitted with new alloys and tyres.

Finally, any minor damage is repaired, road grime removed and the customer handed their fully inspected new car. Sadly, it’s as much driving as some Veyrons will see – one in four models will spend its life in a museum!

Buying a Bugatti - a lesson in exclusivity
So you’ve got a million pounds to spend on a supercar – but how do you go about putting a Bugatti on your driveway? First step is to regiser your interest either with a licensed dealer such as H.R. Owen or go directly to Bugatti itself. Next you put down one third of the price as a deposit – around £270,000 for the coupe and £360,000 for the Grand Sport. Another third is payable once the car goes into production and the final third is due on delivery. But before then, a visit to the factory in Molsheim is a must to choose from the myriad colours and trims avaiable in the special configuration book. To ensure every customer gets the most out of their purchase, they are invited to join Bugatti’s ‘pilot officiel’ Pierre Henri Raphanel on an extensive drive in a Veyron, where he explains what makes it so exceptional. From deposit to delivery, the wait is normally around eight to ten months. But the service doesn’t stop there. Bugatti’s after sales team is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day and can diagnose what’s wrong with your car wirelessly from anywhere in the world.