Bugatti claims 254-mph world record with open-top Veyron
Just days after Guinness World Records pulled from Bugatti the title of world’s fastest production car, the automaker said it’s back in the record books.
Bugatti announced Thursday that its Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse set the world record for fastest open-top production sports car. The automaker, which is owned by Volkswagen, said the car hit 254.04 mph at Volkswagen’s proving grounds in Germany.
The record was set with Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu behind the wheel. Bugatti said the independent German Technical Inspection and Certification Assn. was on hand to verify the record.
PHOTOS: Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sets world record
The Grand Vitesse is the open-top version of the Veyron Super Sport fixed-roof coupe. The coupe held the Guiness World Records title of fastest production car until earlier this week, with a speed of 267.86 mph.
According to Guinness, the organization stripped Bugatti of the title after it learned the car’s speed limiter was deactivated for the test, which violated official guidelines for the record.
“Following this, Guinness World Records is reviewing all ‘production car’ record categories with expert external consultants to ensure our records fairly reflect achievements in this field,†the organization said in a statement.
Until the review is concluded, Guinness said no car will hold the title as fastest production sports car.
Bugatti’s announcement came about a week before the Shanghi Auto Show. The automaker said it would debut the record-setting car to the world at the show. Thus, using a 29-year-old Chinese driver to set the record is likely not a coincidence.
The Grand Sport Vitesse is powered by an eight-liter, quadruple turbocharged W16 engine that makes 1,184 horsepower and 1,106 pound-feet of torque. It’s the more-powerful version of the 1,000-horsepower Grand Sport that Highway 1 tested in 2012.
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