10 Years Later, Bugatti's Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse Remains The World's Fastest Roadster | Carscoops carscoops
It has now been 10 years since the highest-power Veyron had its roof cut off for the 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, and Bugatti is looking back at the remarkable engineering that made it possible. Shortly after its debut in 2012, the roadster broke the speed record for open-top vehicles at 408.84 km/h or 254.04 mph, and holds it to this day.‘s massive W16 engine, the car was a direct result of customer demand for an open-top version of the Veyron 16.
To add reinforcement, the company made the removable roof section out of a lightweight piece of polycarbonate. With a rigidity of 22,000 Nm per degree along calculated load paths, the section became an important part of the car’s rigidity and safety standards.When the roof came off, though, the car still had to be stiff. The monocoque, then, had to be optimized to account for the change.