X

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse: World's fastest convertible (pictures)

Last month, Anthony Liu put the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse into the record books as the fastest open-top production car, piloting it up to 254 mph. CNET takes a look at the car on the slower roads of Napa, Calif.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
35760944_SS11.jpg
1 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
Bugatti launched the first Veyron in 2005, then a supercar with 1,001 horsepower. Since then, the company has followed with the open-top Grand Sport, then increased the horsepower with bigger turbochargers for the Super Sport. The most recent variation is this Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, an open top using the more powerful engine of the Super Sport.
35760944_SS22.jpg
2 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
Bugatti was originally founded in France by an Italian, Ettore Bugatti, and had its heyday pre-World War II. Volkswagen bought the marque in 1998.
35760944_SS05.jpg
3 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
These hatches painted with the EB logo, for Ettore Bugatti, sit on either side of the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. The right side is for gasoline, and the left is the oil filler.
35760944_SS28.jpg
4 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
The Veyron's designers managed to put classic touches into the styling, reminiscent of earlier Bugatti models.
35760944_SS17.jpg
5 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
The Veyron is built around a center carbon fiber tub, with aluminum suspension components to the front and back. Dressed in carbon fiber body panels, it uses a mid-engine, two-passenger layout. For the open-top Grand Sport, Bugatti had to reinforce the sides.
35760944_SS18.jpg
6 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
The Veryon Grand Sport Vitesse features a fixed suspension and all-wheel drive. It is more softly sprung than the hard-top Veyron, but still rides like a sports car.
35760944_SS01.jpg
7 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
The top is a single panel that takes two people to lift off, one on each side. There is no place in the car to stow the top.
35760944_SS23.jpg
8 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
Electrically boosted power steering delivers linear, precision control. Paddle shifters are fitted to the steering-wheel cross-spokes.
35760944_SS25.jpg
9 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
This shift lever merely selects the drive modes for the seven-speed dual clutch transmission, or Dual Shift Gearbox in Bugatti terminology. The transmission hosts two computer-controlled clutches that can automatically grab gears or respond to driver inputs for up and down shifts.
35760944_SS24.jpg
10 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
This car included an audiophile Puccini stereo system, but you're not likely to hear it when accelerating with the top open.
35760944_SS26.jpg
11 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
Bugatti has a 30-pin iOS device connecter sitting in a space designed for an iPod or iPhone. If you have enough money for the car, you can certainly buy an iPod to leave in it.
35760944_SS09.jpg
12 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
At more than $2 million, the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse is only obtainable by a few, but it is also extraordinarily engineered, and delivers amazing acceleration while being surprisingly drivable.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos