Bugatti Veyron - 407km/h!

[kipperfan]

I read an article on the Veyron last week...cant find the link right now though. Apparently there are only 16 of the vehicles that have been sold, and only 2 of those are located in north america, and of course, neither of them in Canada. I also read in the article that the selling price was more then $1.1 million USD.

[RougeUnderoos]

The real remarkable thing is that they are able to get that car up to those speeds even though it weighs 850 thousand pounds.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

The real remarkable thing is that they are able to get that car up to those speeds even though it weighs 850 thousand pounds.

Yeah, that comment about this 850,000 pound car might confuse a few folks who don't pick up that it's a British program off the hop.

[Looger]

once cars get to a certain speed level it's rare that they're under 3500-4000 pounds, i used to think it was a bit nuts but increased stiffness in the structure, larger unsprung wieght in rims and tires, brakes, suspension, pretty soon it's heavy i guess.

all the mid-90s japanese supercars with the exception of the rx-7 (which had a very light engine and was a little smaller), were 3500 lbs +.

another factor is the seats, i indirectly knew a guy that installed stereos and he needed help to get the 300 lb seats out of a dodge stealth - so comfort seems to play a part too.

over 100 mph it's kind of a brute force over aerodynamics thing, weight savings would quicken the acceleration but wouldn't really have much of an effect on top speed as i understand it.

[Nuje]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Yeah, that comment about this 850,000 pound car might confuse a few folks who don't pick up that it's a British program off the hop.

Haha yeah. Top Gear is easily my favorite show, since I'm a bit of a Motorhead Clarkson type myself. Also, props to Hammond for recovering. Props to Hammond fans in sending money to the air ambulance company that transported him (they used it to buy another helicopter!). That Veyron is sweet...I need to get that episode.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Looger

over 100 mph it's kind of a brute force over aerodynamics thing, weight savings would quicken the acceleration but wouldn't really have much of an effect on top speed as i understand it.

Yup, the speed that a car can go is a function only of the engine driving it and the drag and friction the car produces (even at speeds below 100mph, it's just all cars have engines powerful enough to do it).

Which was cool because after the guy puts in the magic key the car pulls in its spoiler and hunkers down close to the road to decrease its drag coefficient!

[Draug]

Originally Posted by kipperfan

I read an article on the Veyron last week...cant find the link right now though. Apparently there are only 16 of the vehicles that have been sold, and only 2 of those are located in north america, and of course, neither of them in Canada. I also read in the article that the selling price was more then $1.1 million USD.

Here is a good article on them.

WOW.

http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/cars/bugatti_veyron.asp

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally Posted by Looger

once cars get to a certain speed level it's rare that they're under 3500-4000 pounds, i used to think it was a bit nuts but increased stiffness in the structure, larger unsprung wieght in rims and tires, brakes, suspension, pretty soon it's heavy i guess.

all the mid-90s japanese supercars with the exception of the rx-7 (which had a very light engine and was a little smaller), were 3500 lbs +.


over 100 mph it's kind of a brute force over aerodynamics thing, weight savings would quicken the acceleration but wouldn't really have much of an effect on top speed as i understand it.

case in point. Nissan Skyline R34 GTR

[Looger]

yep - never driven one however.

i'm a nissan buff, the 300zx i like as it feels very similar to the 2 240SX's i've owned. but you can definitely feel the 3500 lbs in the turbo.

also i drove a 1993 rx-7, and WOW did it feel light in the curves - those huge tires ran with every rut in the road however.
EDIT: drove meaning test-drove, never owned.

the supra is ~ 3500, never driven or even been in one (3rd gen).

an old roomate of mine had a stealth, and it felt like a monster even just as a passenger - lots of grip but wow - strange feeling.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally Posted by Looger

yep - never driven one however.

i'm a nissan buff, the 300zx i like as it feels very similar to the 2 240SX's i've owned. but you can definitely feel the 3500 lbs in the turbo.

also i drove a 1993 rx-7, and WOW did it feel light in the curves - those huge tires ran with every rut in the road however.
EDIT: drove meaning test-drove, never owned.

the supra is ~ 3500, never driven or even been in one (3rd gen).

an old roomate of mine had a stealth, and it felt like a monster even just as a passenger - lots of grip but wow - strange feeling.

Nice, sounds like you are a huge car buff. I am a nissan buff myself. I've seen a lot of work on the sr20dets and the rb series engines. Nissan was the reason why I got into imports. Oh, on a similar note, my ex-gf used to own a 3rd gen RX-7 FD. That thing was a beast! She even had a T88!

EDIT: However, she had to change oil every 3000km LOL. It was brutal work. Oh well, at least she was a happy rotory owner.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by kipperfan

I also read in the article that the selling price was more then $1.1 million USD.

I think it also costs Volkswagon (who owns Bugatti) about 2 or 3 million to produce a single car.

[Looger]

Originally Posted by TheyCallMeBruce

Nice, sounds like you are a huge car buff. I am a nissan buff myself. I've seen a lot of work on the sr20dets and the rb series engines. Nissan was the reason why I got into imports. Oh, on a similar note, my ex-gf used to own a 3rd gen RX-7 FD. That thing was a beast! She even had a T88!

EDIT: However, she had to change oil every 3000km LOL. It was brutal work. Oh well, at least she was a happy rotory owner.

those sr20s are monsters, and man are they cheap. i haven't even checked the prices lately because you can usually find a decent 'done' car in the states for 4000-5000 US which may be a better option.

EDIT: guy i went to school with moved to california and built an rx-7 to 400+ hp, it was a total deathtrap. but when it broke down, it was expensive. he upgraded just the downpipe for $1200 US!!!

i was planning to ride out the engine in my last 240 and then do the swap, but a winter+ of driving out to different sawmills every day totalled the suspension and necessitated body work. i had a good friend of mine seal it up and primer it but a decent paint job plus new suspension all around was looking more than another 240, so i donated it to my buddy who's always liked it - he's a mechanic, i'm not!

plus the electrical system had been hit pretty hard by some attempted thefts.

the sr20 thing though - it's a thought but maybe it's time to move into the 300, they are total sweethearts. every time i check into it they're a little cheaper. or maybe i'll get a nissan 4x4 truck. who knows.

[Looger]

Originally Posted by arsenal

I think it also costs Volkswagon (who owns Bugatti) about 2 or 3 million to produce a single car.

i'm not read up the bugatti but the old mclaren was a loser at each $700K tag as well, but they had something like 27 patents - many in carbon fiber construction - that were showcased in the car so it turned out to be a decent business model.

i think these makers like to have the image more than anything.

god bless them.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by Looger

those sr20s are monsters, and man are they cheap. i haven't even checked the prices lately because you can usually find a decent 'done' car in the states for 4000-5000 US which may be a better option.

EDIT: guy i went to school with moved to california and built an rx-7 to 400+ hp, it was a total deathtrap. but when it broke down, it was expensive. he upgraded just the downpipe for $1200 US!!!

i was planning to ride out the engine in my last 240 and then do the swap, but a winter+ of driving out to different sawmills every day totalled the suspension and necessitated body work. i had a good friend of mine seal it up and primer it but a decent paint job plus new suspension all around was looking more than another 240, so i donated it to my buddy who's always liked it - he's a mechanic, i'm not!

plus the electrical system had been hit pretty hard by some attempted thefts.

the sr20 thing though - it's a thought but maybe it's time to move into the 300, they are total sweethearts. every time i check into it they're a little cheaper. or maybe i'll get a nissan 4x4 truck. who knows.

I have an 89 240sx with a KA engine in it. I was planning on doing an RB25 DET swap, paint, etc the whole thing. Then I realized that if I did that, there was no way I would be able to afford the R35. So I am just counting the days untill spring of 2008.

[Looger]

Originally Posted by arsenal

I have an 89 240sx with a KA engine in it. I was planning on doing an RB25 DET swap, paint, etc the whole thing. Then I realized that if I did that, there was no way I would be able to afford the R35. So I am just counting the days untill spring of 2008.

i had a 90 with the KA24E and also a 92 with the KA24DE, and i definitely liked the old SOHC engine more - a lot more jam at lower revs, i swear it was faster at high speeds with that fat torque curve.

i haven't been following ANY developments with new cars, mostly because car/driver and road/track etc. have become 'SUV monthly' echhh. used to hang around the 240sx.org forums - also as Looger. we're talkin 2001, 2002! those guys sure know their stuff.

are we finally getting the skyline? links???

honestly i'd prefer the S15 (i think) with the 6-speed and the 240 hp engine, i'm in no need of a monster and a little mileage would be nice. it does kinda resemble a grand am but i'd like to see a car similar to that, with a fastback, marketed here - one day i hope to buy new but there is nothing worth bothering under $50,000.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by Looger

i'm not read up the bugatti but the old mclaren was a loser at each $700K tag as well, but they had something like 27 patents - many in carbon fiber construction - that were showcased in the car so it turned out to be a decent business model.

i think these makers like to have the image more than anything.

god bless them.

I agree. Volkswagon said to Bugatti "Make us a 1000-hp super car to sell".
Thank god they did. I am not up on how this actually will affect the car market in the future, or what new technologies they needed to create in order to make it happen. But with out companies doing things like this, the car market would be stagnent.

Another car company that is at the forefront (always) is Mercedes.
If you have time, check out the S-Class. It has features such as Infared lamps that display into the center console. And a system that can pick up both Radio and TV signals. Things that no other car has, but probably will have in the next 5 years.

[Looger]

i remember a chrysler exec saying in an interview that the viper gets people in the showroom even if they leave with a neon.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by Looger

are we finally getting the skyline? links???

Yep. Coming to NA in spring 2008. It is being released in Japan in the fall of this year. It looks like the 80-90% of vehicle being shown at the Tokyo 2007 auto show will be in the production version.
http://www.automotive.com/spied-cars...t-r/index.html

Nissan has confirmed that North America will get the same powertrain as the rest of the world, rumored to be a twin-turbo, 450-horse, 3.7-liter V-6 (there was talk our market only would get a 4.5-liter V-8)

Now we will have to see if this will pass Canadian DoT Standards.

Originally Posted by Looger

honestly i'd prefer the S15 (i think) with the 6-speed and the 240 hp engine, i'm in no need of a monster and a little mileage would be nice. it does kinda resemble a grand am but i'd like to see a car similar to that, with a fastback, marketed here - one day i hope to buy new but there is nothing worth bothering under $50,000.

I would like an S15 as well. They are pretty nice. But the chances of that happening are very very slim. But you could always pick one up in about 8 years Canadian DoT regulations are far too tight. We always get water-downed versions of cars.
We may not even be getting the Evo X. I guess it all depends on where they put the intercooler. Or at least brace the front bumper to the frame more.

[Looger]

eh - i was hoping they'd change it from the concept, i simply abhore those brutal jutting front fender flares a la 350Z.

i read an interesting styling analysis in a 'sports car international' when the 350Z debuted, and i totally agree with the article - we are seeing sport utility styling cues in the newer sports cars.

jutting fender flares, high window sills, fat asses. uuugghhh.

these cars will be the AMC pacers of the future, mark my words. the classic long hood, short rear deck, of the 1960s ferarris, jags, 240z's, still looks good today - form follows function.

[Nuje]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

The real remarkable thing is that they are able to get that car up to those speeds even though it weighs 850 thousand pounds.

now that I've watched the episode myself....he meant it costs 850 000 pounds...that IS their currency remember.