Bugatti Veyron owners hit 253 mph at the world’s fastest track day!
On the 16th of May a select few UK Bugatti owners travelled to the top secret Ehra-Liessen testing facility near Wolfsburg in Germany to join one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. These lucky few joined what is know as the ‘400 Club’ where entry requires piloting a vehicle at speeds of 400 km/h or 250 miles per hour, well in excess of the top speed of a modern F1 car!
In conversation with one of the Bugatti owners at the event:
Q. So what does fell like to drive a Bugatti Veyron at 400 kph?
A. Actually it’s amazing, it’s a blur. You focus on the road so far up ahead, following the curvature of the earth along the two 9 Km straights. The Bugatti was absolutely rock steady and you just watch the speedometer needle climb up to the magical 400 km/h. As you achieve the top speed you simply roll off the throttle, kiss the brake pedal which releases the car from top-speed mode and puts the air brake on and without fuss come in to land. Achieving top speed is simple you come off the far banking apply full throttle and let the car change up at it’s own rev limit. You’re aware of this huge power plant working behind you and the push is just relentless. So much thrust and roar, it feels like a jet. The one thing that strikes you immediately as you start to slow is that you just would not contemplate tackling a speed like this without the most thorough design and construction. What a car!
Q. And what about the preparations for such a historic activity, were they very thorough?
A. Yes absolutely, a very well thought out and professional process. We had a full day with Bugatti’s factory instructor (Ex-Le Mans winner, Pierre-Henri Raphanel). He put us through a variety of exercises at their local circuit which is more about absolute control than any special technique. Before they unleash you in their Veyron you have to be trusted to do exactly as they say with complete concentration.
The preparations included skid-pan work in the Veyron. They make you aware of your inputs and exactly how they affect the attitude of the car. Once the team are happy with each driver they let you stretch out to the full 1000 horsepower. it is such a sophisticated methodology and every component is called upon to work fully. When you’re back at the workshop, you look at the detail of construction so much more carefully, the sheer beauty of the engineering and the way it’s designed to respond and react with the driver. It is so ‘engineered’
Building up to the full speed run you take the Veyron up to a 200 kph cruise, holding it steady on the banking and at a designated point you simply change down a gear and steadily apply maximum acceleration through the gears as you see the speed climb through 250, 300, 350 and finally 400 ... all a finely judged and a completely honed operation.
Selected customer owners and experienced drivers of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 are invited to join the Bugatti 400 Club. Guests are kitted out in driving suits, shoes, helmets and radios. They are trained to understand and operate a Bugatti Veyron to the very closest and highest standards. 5 Bugatti owners a year attend the event. To date 400 Club membership is confined to just 15 drivers in the world. All of whom have travelled at over 250 miles per hour in a production series Bugatti Veyron
Jack Barclay Bugatti is the UK's Official Bugatti Dealer
