The on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bugatti transmission order means Veyron may last well into 2014

Bugatti has reportedly extended its order for the unique seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox in the Veyron through 2014. Originally, the automaker had only maintained a contract for the transmissions through the end of 2013. Rumors have been swirling around the possibility of a new iteration of the Veyron in the works capable of dropping a 1.8-second 0-60 time. It's entirely possible the new transmission order could be used in that contraption, though Bugatti isn't saying one way or the other.
The transmission is used only in the Veyron and has been engineered to withstand a full 1,200 horsepower by Ricardo. With shift times of less than 150 milliseconds and both automatic and manual modes, there's no other transmission like it in the world. Of course, they don't come cheap. Toast one of these and Bugatti will kindly ask for $120,000 for a replacement, not including installation.

Watch the 1,500-hp Bugatti Chiron engine thrashing in a test rig

Making sure the Bugatti Chiron is "Ring-Proof" takes a lot of testing. This rig, built by Bugatti's engineering and testing partner AVL-Schrick, demonstrates the hypercar's heart beating wildly while it's subjected to the g-forces it would experience on the Nurburgring. The footage was tweeted by James Mills of The Sunday Times. Oil starvation is one of the key issues a car manufacturer has to tackle when making sure its product can withstand track time. For example, the Group B rally car derived all-aluminum XU9J4 engine in the first edition of the Peugeot 405 Mi16 suffers from oil starvation in prolonged track use in long corners. Due to insufficient oil pan baffling, the engine oil isn't evenly distributed when g-forces work their magic. By the time the 2.0-liter iron block XU10 version of the engine was rolled out in the facelifted car, the oil pan featured specially designed ports and baffles that restricted the oil's movement, making the engines less susceptible to crankshaft damage when driven spiritedly on a track. Not seen this before: @Bugatti engine rig simulates a flat-out run of the @nuerburgring, #chiron #hypercars pic.twitter.com/pwu6IpVQKq — James Mills (@squarejames) March 18, 2017 But in that case we're talking about a 150-horsepower car, and the quad-turbocharged, W16-engined Chiron has 10 times as much power. When it was new, the engine in the $20,000 Peugeot reportedly cost the manufacturer nearly $5000 to produce, per unit. One imagines the Bugatti engines are far, far more expensive, and damaging one at a race track due to a manufacturer oversight must be a nightmare, hence this specially designed rig to iron out any Chiron bugs. Related Video: Image Credit: James Mills Plants/Manufacturing Bugatti Supercars Videos viral video Bugatti Chiron

Of course, Dubai Police add Bugatti Veyron to fleet

Well, now it's official: Nobody in Dubai is going to be able to outrun the police. You see, in addition to the Aston Martin One-77, Ferrari FF and Lamborghini Aventador that were already part of its stable of police cars, the constabulary in Dubai have most recently procured a Bugatti Veyron to add to the force. And, since the Veyron is the fastest production vehicle in the world, it'd take something truly special to evade the long arm of the law.
The image you see above was tweeted by Dubai's Chief of Police, and as you can see, it's painted up in the green and white hues we've come to expect from its ilk. We do have to wonder, though, if they drilled holes in the Bugatti's roof for the light bar or if it's held on by suction cups or something else less likely to damage the delicate carbon fiber bodywork...