SANDOVAL

I had the great pleasure of hanging out with some of the guys from MBWorld last night at a Children's Hospital charity event hosted by Intrigue Detail. Thanks to Ronnie (MPRESIV) we had the opportunity to check out an amazing Bugatti Veyron which was the spotlight of the event. The owner brought the car in from Scottsdale just for the event. He was a great guy, down to earth and willing to answer a ton of questions. Anyway, I got talked into bidding on a ride in the Veyron during the charity auction. Thanks goes to 02C32 & dacls63amg ... My car now feels like it's moving at a snails pace. Thanks guys!

Well at around 2PM this afternoon I got to take my ride. Easiest way to describe the experience, this car feels like you're taking off in a Jet. What impressed me most, braking power and control is just amazing. Straight line force was awesome. I can't think of any other car that I have ever been in that had so much power. I felt really comfortable in the hands of the owner/driver. Even when multiple cars pulled in front of us at high speeds. I won't lie I had white knuckles on both occasions. It was just an incredible experience. Fit and finish in and out is just gorgeous. The owner has put 5600 miles on the car and my ride accounted for 10 of them lol. Some crazy facts. Annual maintenance $23K. Wheels must be shipped to europe to have the $38K Michelin tires changed. He has already gone through one set of tires and it took 10 days for the tire change. It took 16 months from the time of order to have the car built.

Ronnie should be posting his pics which I am eager to see!!! What a great weekend!

motorkas

I can't imagine how great of an experience that must off been - I remember my first "supercar" ride when I was a kid and I couldn't wipe the grin off my face for hours - God only knows what it must of been like since I'm sure words don't do it justice.

On a side note - I'm speechless about the maintenance

rondocap

Wow! Amazing car and experience. I really..really..really want to know how it feels like to ride in the Veyron. How does the acceleration feel like? Can you describe it a bit in more detail? Is it connected to the outside, or sort of it's own little world? (For example, a V12 Mercedes is usually quiet and you can't tell how fast you are going - while maybe a Corvette you really hear and feel it speeding up)

Luke_M

My dad just saw that car in Scottsdale a few weeks ago! Cool deal that you actually got a ride in it. Big thumbs up to the owner.

SANDOVAL

Ok I have ridden in some high HP TT P-Cars including a CGT, many F-Cars, Lambos etc over the years.This car felt and drove like it was a work of art. Inside the cabin it was very quiet like sitting inside a RR or Bentley. You sink down into very comfortable sport seats putting your body in a position that feels like your sitting in an exotic car. The car is very low to the ground so when your moving things feel fast. However, you feel like the car is very much in control. Nothing rattles, you can not really hear the exhaust or engine. It truly feels like the car is on rails. Because of the AWD all of the power just pulls you along evenly. I have driven in many cars that have that brute force and you feel as if the car is not stable. You do not get that feeling from the Veyron. Especially when you need to bring the car from 150 to 0 quickly. Ceramic brakes, Huge calipers and rear wing make it feel as if the car stops effortlessly. It's not a raw power like a Viper it's like your driving in a luxury sedan that has the agility of a cup car. All of the interior bits and pieces look like they were made by hand like a custom piece of fine jewelry. I guess at the price everything should be of a higher quality. The wheel wells are made of Dry CF. I thought that was pretty interesting too. It looked really cool.

SANDOVAL

He also has an SLR Mclaren, Gold Murci, and a NissanGT. The owner was awesome and he did about 20 tours throughout the entire day. We also got to chat for about 15-20 minutes last night. You could really tell he is really passionate about cars and enjoyed sharing his experiences.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21KxEUuuCVA

06E55

Awesome stuff! Almost anything feels slow compared to a Veyron!!! And yes, the build quality is amazing... both inside and out!

CharlyE500

Thats what they call "Dream Car " Nice experience !

Nightflyer

Pardon my ignorance, but why so much for a tire change? Isnt a tire change just as similar as any other car.., $38K...

SANDOVAL

It's the tires that cost so much. They are made for the Veyron and no other car. I think the rears were 375's 265's up front. They have top sped rating over 250+ For $38K It sounds like a bunch of BS to me but they do not sell these tires on Tirerack.com you can only get them if you send your wheels and $38K to France. The average Veyron owner has a net worth $100M net worth.

Gondon

How much did you bid for a ride?

SANDOVAL

Bids were from $250-800

02C32

And all for a good cause. Nice job sir.

jpohl402

Yes,
The owner is a good guy.
Believe the Gold Murci is sold though.

jpohl402

Yes, the designers feel you should not take chances with tires on a vehicle equipped to go 253 mph. They want to make sure they are stable at all times/all speed. Thus no risk taking. Pennies on the dollar for car's worth gentleman.

BenzoBoi

One could only be so lucky to experience what you did good sir!

novae500

wow, must be one great memory to ride in a veyron. Also saw the Nat Geo/Modern Marvels ?? special on the Bugatti Veyron build. Quite impressive to see the beginning to end product. So much R&D and testing to get each one built right.

06E55

I can certainly say that if I owned a Veyron, I surely would not want some local shop changing the tires on this! I watched one of the best shops in my area balance a set of wheels/tires on a Lamborghini and I was amazed at how crudely they handled the wheels and tires (bounced them multiple times for a height greater than 4 feet), used metal tools to get the tires off the wheel, and the degree of "off-balance" that they deemed acceptable. It wasn't until I asked them what their tolerances were that they put it back on the balancer and made sure each and every wheel read "0" on both sides. They ended up rebalancing three of the wheels. Imagine if the wheels hadn't been balanced properly and were wheels for a Veyron and were driven at 250+ mph! Disastrous!!!

06E55

Sandoval,

Was this your first time seeing a Veyron in person? They are a lot smaller in person than in photos aren't they!!!

06E55

http://www.mibz.com/4493-an-inspecti...w-vw-polo.html

MB_Forever

Tires are made of certain specs and special compound exclusively for the Bugatti Veyron. If they made millions of sets at a time, I'm sure the cost would drop substantially, but when producing one set at a time for each owner as needed, the cost of the set rises dramatically.

Thericker

If I hit the Lotto or a wealthy relative left me Millions, I'd certainly buy a Veyron but no way no how would I (1) care to drive it 253 mph or have a place to even try it, & I'd NEVER pay $38k friggin $$'s for (4) tires

(I'll bet $38k none of those guys that run Ford GT TT or Supra Turbos in the mile @ 250+mph pay $9,500 per tire LoL)

I'd swap on some lightweight aftermarket wheels & regular peasant tires till they blew the *** up. Then drive it into a swamp like that 1 clown in the news recently did & collect KBB

sy1616

good for you, that's awesome!

DAGREEKNYC

IF I WIN THE LOTTO ILL TAKE THE MIL AND THROW A MBWORLD EVENT AT TOOTSIES IN FLA AND WE CAN USE THE 38K FOR TIPS

jpohl402

Tootsies in Miami is a hell of a spot....

LOVE IT !