Bugatti Veyron reaches 407 km/h (253mph)
Top speed was initially promised to be 407 km/h (253 mph) but test versions were unstable at that speed, forcing a redesign of the aerodynamics. In May, 2005, a prototype Veyron tested at a Volkswagen track near Wolfsburg, Germany recorded an electronically limited top speed of 400 km/h (249 mph). In October, 2005, Car and Driver magazine’s editor Csaba Csere test drove the final production version of the Veyron for the November 2005 issue. This test, at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track, reached a top speed of 407.5 km/h (253.2 mph). The top speed was verified once again by James May on Top Gear, again at Volkswagen’s private test track, when the car hit 407.9 km/h (253 mph), which equated to precisely one-third of supersonic speed at sea level. When getting close to the top speed during the test he said that “the tires will only last for about fifteen minutes, but it’s okay because the fuel runs out in twelve minutes.” He also gave an indication of the power requirements, at 249 km/h (155 mph) the Veyron was using approximately 270 bhp (201 kW), but to get to its rated 407 km/h (253 mph) top speed required far more from the engine.
Aerodynamic friction or drag is proportional to the square of the speed; for example doubling speed quadruples drag. Work is a product of force applied over a distance travelled. Comparing a vehicle travelling at 100 mph (160 km/h) with one travelling at 200 mph (320 km/h), over a given period of time (e.g. 1 second), the faster vehicle must overcome 4 times the aerodynamic drag, and travel twice the distance of the slower one. Thus it does 8 times the work of the slower vehicle in that period of time. As power is work done / time taken it follows that the faster vehicle, travelling at twice the speed requires 8 times the power of the slower one. German inspection officials recorded an average top speed of 408.47 km/h (253.8 mph)[4] during test sessions on the Ehra Lessien test track on April 19, 2005.
The car’s everyday top speed is listed at 375 km/h (233 mph). When the car reaches 220 km/h (137 mph), hydraulics lower the car until it has a ground clearance of about 8.9 cm (3½ inches). At the same time, the wing and spoiler deploy. This is the “handling mode”, in which the wing helps provide 3425 newtons (770 pounds) of downforce, holding the car to the road.[11] The driver must, using a special key (the “Top Speed Key”), toggle the lock to the left of his seat in order to attain the maximum (average) speed of 407 km/h (253 mph). The key functions only when the vehicle is at a stop when a checklist then establishes whether the car—and its driver—are ready to enable ‘top speed’ mode. If all systems are go, the rear spoiler retracts, the front air diffusers close and the ground clearance, normally 12.5 cm (4.9 inches), drops to 6.5 cm (2.6 inches).
Acceleration
The Veyron is one of the quickest production cars to 100km/h (62mph) with a proven time of 2.5 seconds[citation needed]. It reaches 60 mph (97 km/h) in approximately 2.46 seconds. This is an average acceleration of 1.18 g.
The forward acceleration in a Veyron may also be strong enough to cause head-up illusion, which gives passengers the impression of driving up a slope, very much like what is commonly experienced in a jet liner that accelerates for take off. This could arguably lead to false perception of stopping distances.
The Veyron reaches 200 and 300 km/h (124 and 186 mph) in 7.4 and 16.7 seconds respectively. And according to the February 2007 issue of Road & Track Magazine, the Veyron accomplished the quarter mile in 10.2 seconds at a speed of 142.9 mph (230.0 km/h). Other tests, however, have the Veyron hitting 150 mph (240 km/h) in 9.8 seconds (see below), so the quarter mile time is actually faster, making the Veyron the most rapidly accelerating production car in history.
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