First launched at last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is now go into production at the company’s high-tech assembly facility in Molsheim, France. The production will be extremely limited to a total of 150 units over lifetime, and the first 50 will be made available exclusively to existing Bugatti owners. The very first build slot for the car was auctioned off at the Pebble Beach event to a wealthy buyer who paid $2.9 million for the privilege. The other 149 cars are priced at €1.4 million (approximately $2 million).
Despite being labeled a roadster, the Grand Sport actually features a removable targa style roof that must be stored away manually before setting off for a drive. According to Bugatti’s communication chief, Georges Keller, the roofless targa option was the only one available because there was no other solution which could fit with the Veyron’s safety cage. Most low-volume supercars use targa panels because of the low cost of development and to retain the structural integrity of the chassis.
With the roof in place, the Grand Sport will reach speeds of up to 252mph (407km/h) just like the hard-top. Speeds of up to 224mph (360km/h) are possible with the roof stowed away, which will ensure the Grand Sport remains the world’s fastest roadster for some time to come.
The interior comes with moisture-resistant, backstitched leather, a slew of new equipment which includes a reversing camera with 2.7-inch monitor inbuilt in the rear view mirror, and a sound system with digital signal processor from Puccini.
Despite its 1.4 million Euro price tag, 30 of the convertible Veyrons are already spoken for, and the happy owners should take delivery some time around July.
