Driving a Bugatti Veyron has to leave you always wanting more. That’s because the top speed is likely to remain an ever elusive target. The average person, even the “average” Bugatti owner, simply doesn’t have enough space to see just how far they can push the machine. Radim Passer isn’t your average Veyron owner. After a lot of planning, a few not-quite fast enough attempts, and some recalibration with the car itself, Radim achieved his goal of hitting 250 mph in his Veyron, which is just shy of the car’s tested 254 mph top speed.
The planning involved finding the right road. That lead Radim and his team to Germany’s Autobahn. Derestricted zones allow for essentially clear sailing, at least in terms of the legality of this run. There really aren’t many places where one can embark on a top speed blast across a public thoroughfare, with the one exception being Germany.
In order to ensure that the roadway is as devoid of traffic as possible, the next step revolved around the proper day to make the run. There’s a state holiday that lined up with Radim’s efforts. Starting early that morning would allow for as little traffic as possible. With the road and date settled, Radim and his crew set off to make it happen. Only there was a problem and it happened to be the car itself. After trying over the course of a few runs, the Veyron would not let Radim unlock its top speed mode.
The attempt was scrapped and Radim headed off to Bugatti HQ with a number of questions. It was determined that the car knew that the ambient temperature was too low for a safe top speed pass. Another run was planned, this time with careful attention paid to the weather. Radim and his Veyron ventured out once again yet the top speed mode again remained locked away. Another consultation with Bugatti discovered that the transmission was due for replacement. The car wasn’t up to the demands placed upon it for such a run.
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Now the transmission has been replaced. The tires are new. And Bugatti has given the car a thumbs up. Radim set off down a straight 10-kilometer stretch of nearly empty Autobahn. The first run showed a 390 kilometer per hour run on the speedometer. According to the GPS, however, the Veyron was consistently breaking 400 kph, and on its final run posted a top speed of 402.5 kph. That equates to 250 mph for you and I.
While this is an adventurous way for a Veyron owner to experience the capability of their car, we cringe a bit at the fact that it was done on a public road. Certainly, the planning helped minimize the amount of other motorists on the road but so many things could’ve gone wrong and there’s simply no reason to put others at risk in the name of thrill seeking.
If you can afford a Veyron, you can afford to rent a runway and explore the upper limits of the car. Do it there.
