If you're a fan of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, then you're going to love the new, limited edition Super Sport model that was officially revealed on Sunday. The crème de la crème of the Veyron family is faster, lighter and of course, more powerful than the... banal series production model.
How much more powerful and faster, we hear you ask? Well, the carbon-fiber skinned Veyron 16.4 Super Sport gets a massaged 16-cylinder turbocharged unit pumping out 1,200HP, or 199HP more than the standard model (or at least that's the official number from the automaker).
Over the weekend, Bugatti's engineers took the black and orange Super Sport to the VW Group's proving grounds of at Ehra-Lessien nearby their headquarters at Wolfsburg.
"In the presence of the German Technical Inspection Agency (TÜV) and a representative of Guinness Book of Records the Super Sport achieved an average top speed of 431.07 km/h [268 mph]," said the company in a statement.
"We took it that we would reach an average value of 425 km/h," explains Bugatti's chief engineer Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, "but the conditions today were perfect and allowed even more."
In particular, Bugatti's Pilote Officiel Pierre Henri Raphanel recorded a top speed of 427, 933 km/h [266.1 mph] from South to North and 434, 211 km/h [270.03 mph] in the opposite direction. For safety reasons and more specifically to protect the tires, the production model's top speed will be limited to 415 km/h [258.1 mph]. For the record, the standard Veyron achieves a top speed of 407km/h [253.1 mph].
So let's see the new Veyron 16.4 Super Sport in detail. Bugatti's engineers started by upgrading the Veyron's 8.0-liter 16-cylinder engine with four enlarged turbochargers and bigger intercooler -among other changes- boosting output from 1,001HP to a 1,200HP and peak torque from an already massive 1,250Nm to a mind-boggling 1,500Nm or 1,106 lb-ft.
The company did not release acceleration figures, but expect the Super Sport to be slightly faster than the standard model in the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint [Veyron 16.4: 2.2 seconds].
The suspension has been modified with a slightly raised main-spring travel, stronger stabilisers, and brand new shock absorbers. Bugatti claims that the Super Sport can pull 1.4 G of lateral acceleration [standard Veyron: 1.25 G].
The Super Sport also features a new fibre structure of the all-carbon monocoque that reduces weight while the skin is made entirely of carbon-fibre composites. Upon request, the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is available in 100 per-cent clear-lacquered exposed carbon.
Along with the new paint two-tone, black and orange paint job, the Super Sport features a series of exterior modifications that help distinguish it from the standard Veyron. These include the two NACA ducts integrated into the roof, instead of the scoops above the engine, the expanded and reshaped front air intakes and redesigned engine compartment and rear bumper with a double diffuser and a new centrally arranged exhaust system.
The Super Sport's interior has also been revised featuring unique trim materials and colors along with special logos.
According to Bugatti, the first five Super Sports to come off the production line will constitute a special series of their own, with the same configuration as the landspeed record car.
More details on the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport will released when the limited production supercar makes its public debut in California at the Pebble Beach Concours weekend in mid-August.
