The Veyron was and is a car of superlatives. It was the first production car to break the sound barrier of 1000 hp and a top speed of 400 km/h, thus surpassing the legendary McLaren F1 as the fastest production car in the world. Two heavily modified eight-cylinder engines from the Audi A8 of the time with a combined displacement of eight litres and four turbochargers were installed. A total of ten cooling units were required to prevent the engine, which weighed over half a tonne, from running too hot. The development cost so much money that Bugatti - or rather VW - made a loss of around 4.7 million euros on every car sold, despite a completely outlandish new price of 1.6 million euros. But that was not all, because the customer also had to dig deep into their pockets for maintenance. A set of tyres, for example, only lasts 4,000 kilometres and costs a good 33,000 euros including fitting. With a moderate driving style, the Veyron consumes around 25 litres. However, if you really step on the pedal, consumption rises exorbitantly, and under full load the tank, which at 100 litres is oh so small, is empty after twelve minutes. Why all this? Just a small sample to show you: Bugatti doesn't do things by halves. Never. Never.
Bugatti-Bike: A city bike worth the equivalent of a set of tyres
The Bugatti Bike, a city bike exclusively for Bugatti customers, also follows this principle and is intended to implement the company's DNA just as consistently as the Veyron and the new Chiron. The idea for a Bugatti bicycle originally came from company founder Ettore Bugatti himself, whose design the modern Bugatti bicycle is to be modelled on. However, because the motor is always on top of the bike and can hardly be designed by the manufacturer, everything has been done to ensure that the Bugatti bike delivers maximum performance despite the variable constant of the rider.
The bike, which is intended to imitate the design of the Chiron - the successor to the Veyron - therefore had to be one thing above all: light. And light the bike has become. According to official information, it is made of 95 per cent of the highest quality carbon that money can buy. The frame, rims, hubs, saddle, seat post and even the brakes and pedals are made of carbon fibre. With a few technical tricks, this reduces the weight of the overall package to less than five kilos: for example, the construction of the frame without a second chain stay, with only one brake and the design as a fixie with a carbon toothed belt.
The Bugatti bike is colour-coordinated with the customer's Bugatti and is only sold in a limited edition of 667 units. The price is 35,000 euros. In the normal world, this is the equivalent of a smaller premium saloon à la Audi A4, but at Bugatti it is only the equivalent of a set of tyres.
Click here for the bike. Link.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
