Bugatti made a very important announcement earlier this week when they introduced the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Car Edition which as of now is the world’s fastest convertible ever. This news comes after Bugatti tested the car with Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu behind the wheel at VW’s Ehra-Lessien proving grounds where he was able to reach a top speed of 254.04 mph (408.84 km/h). Liu said during training sessions he was able to surpass 248 mph (400 km/h) and he was very surprised to find out that during the official run he exceeded that top speed and established a new record for a convertible.
As you would imagine, Bugatti has decided to celebrate this important accomplishment by launching a WRC (World Record Car) edition of the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse which will be showcased to the public later on this month during the 2013 Auto Shanghai. Powering the car is a huge W16 7.9-liter quad-turbo engine rated at no less than 1,200 HP (882 kW) and 1,106 lb-ft (1,500 Nm) of torque. This huge engine works together with a dual-clutch, seven-speed gearbox which allows the convertible to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in only 2.6 seconds.
Bugatti says they plan on making only 8 units of the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Car Edition and each will be priced from 1.99 million euros (1.69 million pounds or 2.60 million dollars).
On a side note, it wasn’t a very happy week for Bugatti as Guinness has decided to withdraw the Veyron Super Sport’s world title for the fastest car in the world after they found out the record-breaking car had its top speed limiter deactivated. As a consequence of this action, the SSC Ultimate Aero is once again the official fastest car in the world, being able to average 256.14 mph (412.22 km/h) back in 2007 on a public highway in Washington.
The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport’s record was of 267.8 mph (430.98 km/h) but it’s no longer eligible. They might claim back this record later this year as rumors are suggesting a Super Veyron with 1,600 HP which will reportedly hit an impressive top speed of 288 mph (463 km/h).
