PROVENANCE
Private Collection, California (acquired new in 2010)
Current Owner (acquired from the above in 2013)

THIS CAR
The approach of a new millennium, coupled with the acquisition of Bugatti by a major automotive conglomerate, culminated in three years of frenetic design innovation that produced a profusion of exotic supercar prototypes.

Showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1999, the EB Veyron was initialed for Ettore Bugatti and paid homage to Pierre Veyron, Bugatti’s development engineer, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1939 with partner Jean-Pierre Wimille. The next year a modified version – the EB Veyron 16.4 – was featured at shows in Geneva, Paris, and Detroit, as an aerodynamic two-seater, mid-engined supercar, sporting a W-16 engine with four turbochargers and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Automotive journalists were in awe of the hand-built powerhouse, which featured 10 radiators and produced over 1,000 hp.

In the wake of an overwhelmingly favorable reception, Bugatti began exhaustive performance testing in preparation for production in Molsheim, France, but despite Herculean efforts, the world’s fastest street car was not available until 2005. Still, its debut was acclaimed; Top Gear named the Veyron the Best Car Driven All Year in 2005, and it later doubled down, awarding it Car of the Decade (2000-2009).

In 2008, Bugatti unveiled its open-car version – the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport – at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®. Despite the demand of speculative buyers, the company announced it would produce only 150 Grand Sport supercars, and of those the first 50 would be reserved for registered Bugatti clients.

First produced in 2009, the Grand Sport allows for the 36-pound transparent polycarbonate roof to be removed, albeit with the aid of a friend, providing the driver with the ultimate convertible experience. Without the top, the driver’s physical proximity to the 16-cylinder, 1,001 hp powerplant is mere centimeters and produces an encounter not easily forgotten. Top speed with the top off is not for the faint of heart at 229 mph, eased somewhat by the self-closing windows that kick in at 100 mph. Prod the accelerator at the lights and the Grand Sport propels the driver to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds. The open-air soundtrack of the four turbochargers is the equivalent of sitting in the center of the orchestra pit, rather than in the balcony. It is immediate and visceral, or as commented in its June 2009 review of the Grand Sport, “the open car feels faster because it sounds so much better.” For the less audacious, there is a canvas soft top with carbon fiber bows and an umbrella-like mechanism, which can provide protection from the elements, but constrains the driving speed to around 100 mph.

Not to be distracted by the brawn of this supercar, the Grand Sport is, paradoxically, a mild-mannered beauty. The exterior is all soft curves with deep flank air scoops and an almost horizontal windshield rake. The ultraluxurious interior includes satisfyingly solid carbon fiber doors, a magnesiumtrimmed dash, wraparound carbon fiber seats clothed in sumptuous quilted leather with complementary stitching, and all manner of automatic touch-button amenities for driver and passenger alike.

This gorgeous white over navy example of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport was purchased new in January 2010 by a discerning collector with a stable of exceptional classic sports and modern high-performance cars. Maintained as recommended by the manufacturer and garaged in a private collection in California, this Grand Sport was then acquired by the current owner in 2013. Displaying fewer than 9,000 miles on the odometer, this superb Veyron is accompanied by accessories as well as records testifying to a software update and service in 2018.

In superlative condition with luxurious appointments and the statistics of an F1 racer, this limited-production Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is well positioned to take a place of pride within any of the most distinguished exotic car collections in the world.