The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is a mid-engine coupe built in Molsheim from 2005 to 2011. Its 7,993 cc quad-turbo W16 produces 1,001 PS (736 kW / 987 hp). Bugatti’s published top speed is 407 km/h, and only with the Speed Key fitted. Bugatti built 252 of these coupes. The wider Veyron family, counted through the last car in 2015, is 450.
The name is the engineering brief written on the bootlid. 16.4 means sixteen cylinders and four turbochargers. The car took the production top-speed record from the McLaren F1, and it did it with a cooling system, a gearbox and a tyre that had not existed when Gordon Murray’s car was timed.
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Specifications
The table is the standard 1,001 PS coupe. Super Sport and Vitesse numbers are in the next section. Mixing 1,200 PS or 431 km/h into a 16.4 listing is the mistake this page is written to stop.
| Specification | Veyron 16.4 coupe |
|---|---|
| Production | 2005–2011 |
| Designer | Jozef Kabaň |
| Factory | Molsheim, France |
| Named for | Pierre Veyron, 1939 Le Mans winner |
| Engine | 7,993 cc quad-turbo W16 |
| Power | 1,001 PS (736 kW / 987 hp) at 6,000 rpm |
| Torque | 1,250 Nm from 2,200–5,500 rpm |
| Gearbox | 7-speed dual-clutch, Ricardo |
| Layout | Mid-engine, all-wheel drive |
| 0–100 km/h | 2.5 s |
| 0–200 km/h | 7.3 s |
| 0–300 km/h | 16.7 s |
| Top speed | 407 km/h (253 mph), Speed Key only |
| Cooling | 10 radiators |
| Combined fuel use | 24.9 l/100 km |
| CO2 | 596 g/km |
| Built | 252 coupes |
252 Coupes, 450 Cars
Search results collapse every Veyron into one number. There are two, and both are correct if you say which one you mean.
| Model | Years | Power | Top speed | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veyron 16.4 coupe | 2005–2011 | 1,001 PS | 407 km/h | 252 |
| Grand Sport | 2009–2015 | 1,001 PS | 407 km/h roof on, 360 km/h roof off | 58 |
| Super Sport | 2010–2012 | 1,200 PS | 431 km/h record; 415 km/h customer cars | 48 |
| Grand Sport Vitesse | 2012–2015 | 1,200 PS | 410 km/h roof on; record 408.84 km/h | 92 |
| Family total | 2005–2015 | 450 |
The last car was the Grand Sport Vitesse “La Finale”, shown at Geneva in 2015. After that, the W16 programme continued as the Chiron, which is a different car. The current naturally aspirated successor is the Bugatti Tourbillon.
The Speed Key, and 407 km/h
In normal driving the Veyron 16.4 is limited to 375 km/h. The Speed Key, kept separate from the ignition key, is what unlocks 407 km/h. Turning it tells the car to drop closer to the road, move the rear wing into its low-drag position, and close the diffuser flaps. The published 407 km/h figure is that configuration, timed and certified, not a theoretical redline in top gear with the wing still up.
The wing you see in the rear photograph is the same part that brakes the car from high speed. Above 200 km/h it can deploy as an air brake. At the 407 km/h setting it does the opposite job: it gets out of the way.
1,001 PS, Ten Radiators
The W16 is two narrow-angle banks on one crank, 8.0 litres, four turbochargers. Output of the 16.4 is 1,001 PS at 6,000 rpm, with 1,250 Nm available from 2,200 rpm. Drive goes through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox built with Ricardo, then to all four wheels. There is no manual.
The number that explains the car is not the horsepower. It is the cooling. Bugatti used ten radiators, because the engine, the gearbox, the differentials and the cabin all reject heat at a rate a normal supercar layout cannot dump. Combined consumption on the period European cycle is 24.9 l/100 km, and 596 g/km of CO2. At a 400 km/h run the tank is emptied in minutes. That is the honest cost of the speed, printed by the factory.
The Super Sport raises output to 1,200 PS. On 4 July 2010 Pierre-Henri Raphanel recorded 431.072 km/h at Ehra-Lessien in a Super Sport. Customer Super Sports left the factory limited to 415 km/h. Quote 407 km/h for a 16.4, 415 km/h for a customer Super Sport, and 431 km/h only for that record car.
What a New Veyron Cost
Jozef Kabaň shaped the body under the Volkswagen Group revival of Bugatti. The car is named for Pierre Veyron, who won Le Mans in 1939 with Jean-Pierre Wimille in a Type 57. Early coverage in 2003, including Autoweek, put the target near €1 million before local tax. Later European list prices settled near €1,225,000 for the 16.4 coupe and the Grand Sport, and near €1,912,500 for the Super Sport and the Grand Sport Vitesse.
Those are factory list prices from the years the cars were new. Auction results since then move with mileage, colour and whether the car is one of the 252 coupes or a later special. This page does not quote a current asking price.
Batman Garage Collector Verdict
The 16.4 is the car that made 1,001 PS and 400 km/h a production specification, with a key you had to insert on purpose. Read the badge before you read the advert. A Super Sport is 1,200 PS and a different top speed. A Grand Sport is a roadster. The coupe you came here for is 252 cars, 407 km/h, and a W16 that ended the McLaren F1’s claim on the record. For the car that followed the whole 450-car run, see the Chiron Super Sport 300+.
Sources
- Bugatti period specification: 1,001 PS, 1,250 Nm, 2.5 / 7.3 / 16.7 seconds, 407 km/h with the Speed Key, ten radiators, 24.9 l/100 km, 596 g/km CO2
- Bugatti production close, Geneva 2015 — 450 cars, last car Grand Sport Vitesse La Finale
- Pierre-Henri Raphanel, Ehra-Lessien, 4 July 2010 — Super Sport, 431.072 km/h
- Autoweek, 2003 — early price target near €1 million before tax
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Bugatti Veyron 16.4 cars were built?
Bugatti built 252 Veyron 16.4 coupes between 2005 and 2011. That figure is the fixed-roof 1,001 PS car only. The whole Veyron family, including Grand Sport, Super Sport and Grand Sport Vitesse, is 450 cars.
What is the Bugatti Veyron horsepower?
The Veyron 16.4 produces 1,001 PS (736 kW / 987 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 1,250 Nm from 2,200 to 5,500 rpm. The later Super Sport and Grand Sport Vitesse are rated at 1,200 PS. Do not use the 1,200 PS figure for a standard 16.4.
What is the Bugatti Veyron top speed?
Bugatti published 407 km/h (253 mph) for the Veyron 16.4, available only with the Speed Key. The key lowers the car, sets the rear wing and closes the diffuser flaps. The Super Sport’s record run was 431 km/h; customer Super Sports were limited to 415 km/h.
What does 16.4 mean on a Bugatti Veyron?
Sixteen cylinders and four turbochargers. The engine is an 8.0-litre W16: two narrow-angle V8s joined on a common crankshaft, with four turbochargers.
How much did a Bugatti Veyron cost new?
Early reports in 2003 put the target near €1 million before tax. Later European list prices were about €1,225,000 for the 16.4 coupe and the Grand Sport, and about €1,912,500 for the Super Sport and Grand Sport Vitesse. Those are period list prices, not a current market value.
How many Bugatti Veyrons were made in total?
450. The split is 252 Veyron 16.4 coupes, 58 Grand Sports, 48 Super Sports and 92 Grand Sport Vitesse cars. The last car was the Grand Sport Vitesse La Finale, shown at Geneva in 2015.
