Bugatti having problems selling the remaining 40 Veyrons

 

All of them are convertibles

Bugatti is having major problems in selling the remaining Veyrons which are worth no less than 62.5M EUR (about 85.6M USD or 51.2M GBP).

The Bugatti Veyron coupe was introduced back in 2005 and its production was capped to 300 units which were sold over a course of five years. Bugatti planned an additional 150 units of the Grand Sport roadster of which they still have 40 units and can’t find buyers.

These 40 unsold Veyrons amount to around 62.5M EUR and Bugatti hopes that through its Dynamic Drive Experience program they will be able to shift some of the remaining units. The program gives prospective buyers the possibility to test the Veyron Grand Sport in the United States both on open roads and on a closed airport runway. Bugatti says this program is now being offered for 20 to 25 potential customers each weekend.

The company estimates all remaining cars will be sold within 12 months but don’t expect a successsor immediately after that as Bugatti Sales Director for the Americas John Hill told Bloomberg “I wouldn’t expect an announcement for a couple years down the road.”

Williams unveils its 2014 F1 car

So – now we get a real look at a 2014 F1 car and more specifically that nose and, like Cyrano turning to face Roxanne for the first time, it’s hard not to be shocked. That is one hell of a conk. Don’t blame the design team at Williams, they are only responding to the rule changes and it’s expected that by next Tuesday — by which time we will have seen all but one of the new cars — the F1 paddock will resemble a colony of proboscis monkeys.

The nose of the Williams-Mercedes FW36, which will be raced by Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas this year, is a response to a rule that simultaneously obliges the lower edge of the front bulkhead (the front of the monocoque) and the tip of the nose to be lowered — the tip by over 360mm.

The aero team, however, still demands as much air as possible goes under the car, hence what designers call ‘a finger’. Caterham’s Cyril Abiteboul said yesterday: “It does remind me of Alien…with something coming out of the mouth and whatever. It’s not very nice. Kids should be dreaming when they see a Formula One car. I don’t know what sort of dream or nightmare you will get when you look at those cars. It is going to be ugly.”

But back to the new Williams, the successor to last year’s terrible FW35 and the first to use Mercedes power now Williams have split from Renault. They were two years which only very occasionally evoked memories of the partnership’s success in the eighties and nineties. Now under the technical direction of Pat Symonds, the FW36 is Williams’ first turbo-powered car since the Mansell era, and Symonds is candid on the challenges packaging the heavier V6 turbo and its two energy recovery systems: “The build has gone remarkably smoothly, but it’s been a challenge to get the car down to the [690kg] weight limit,” he has said.

The computer generated image of the Williams-Mercedes FW26, along with yesterday’s image of the Force India-Mercedes VJM07, do give us the beginnings of a feel for F1’s new turbo-hybrids. This morning’s shot especially shows us the lengths aerodynamicists will need to go to now the extreme left and right of the front wing has been moved inwards (by 75mm each side) and effectively inboard of the front wheel. The trick will be to turn the airflow inside the front wheel and not just for aerodynamic reasons — those massive sidepod intakes are the first look we’ve had at all the extra cooling the turbo-hybrids require.

Tomorrow at noon we see the McLaren MP4-29, and let’s hope McLaren gives us a look at the back. There are big changes both to the exhaust (which can no longer blow the rear diffuser) and to the rear wing itself, which can no longer sport the lower beam wing. Together the changes mean a lot less drag but also a lot less downforce. Which is just what you need for a powertrain that promises to deliver great lumps of torque…

Audi A4 Celebration edition launched

Audi has launched the Celebration edition A4, which essentially loses out on a few features and comes with a cheaper price tag of Rs 25.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India) compared to the standard A4.

The Audi A4 Celebration edition loses out on features like a sunroof, 17-inch alloys, cruise control, Audi Drive Select, electric wing mirrors, front parking sensors and the wood trim on the dashboard. The front passenger seat’s electronic adjustment function also gets deleted.

What it does come with, however, is features like Bi-Xenon headlamps, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, three-zone airconditioning, eight airbags and rear parking sensors.

Powering the luxury car is the lower powered version of the 2.0-litre TDI engine that produces 141bhp and 32kgm of torque.

 

Ferrari FF Review

It’s expensive, but depending on where you live, the FF is fun and versatile enough to be your only car.

• Comfort

  Extremely comfortable. Extremely spacious. Don’t rub your eyes. It’s true

  

• Performance

  If this isn’t fast enough, you should consider flying fighter jets.

  

• Cool

  India thinks of hatches as cars bought by people who couldn’t afford sedans. Show them this, and their jaws aren’t going to work they way they used to.

  

• Quality

  For the day that we had it, nothing fell off. However, as we haven’t had the opportunity to live with Ferraris for longer, we can’t really tell.

  

• Handling

  This changes directions in the same manner an Indian politician changes parties. And for a car, that’s a good thing.

  

• Practicality

  It may not seem like it from outside, but the FF can comfortably seat four tall adults and carry their luggage. Two door supercars can’t get any more practical than that.

  

• Running costs

  If the first question that pops to your mind when you see an FF is ‘monthly EMIs’, then this car isn’t for you.

Watch a toy car do 330kph

330kph is a scary speed. Especially when the object in question is two-foot long, attached to a pole via a bit of wire and hurtling around an oval. Welcome to Tether Car racing: a mixture of mini NASCAR and supersonic swing ball. The centrifugal forces alone are capable of catapulting it into another planet.

It started in America during the 1930s when, because of the depression, money was scarce and people were bored. So to keep entertained, a bunch of people started putting model airplane engines in toy cars, attaching them to some wire and letting them fly around a metal pole at silly speeds.

People are still doing it nowadays with cars that are two foot long and built like Bloodhound. They have mini car bits in them too; including a combustion engine, exhaust pipe, air intake, flywheel, gearbox driveshaft and speedy wheels. At top speed they can pull a cheek-wobble-worthy 91G and look like they’re going to puncture a hole into a new time zone.

We haven’t seen something move this quickly round a pole since The Stig took up pole dancing.