New car news

22 June 2009 - 12:00

First-ever Veyron on sale

The first production Bugatti Veyron ever built - number 001 of 300 - is up for sale. With a mere 643km on the clock, in mint condition.

There are just a couple of tiny problems. One, it's on sale in Beverly Hills - on the forecourt of a luxury car dealer to be precise - which is quite a long way away from the Top Gear Australia office. This makes the possibility of a cheeky test drive somewhat remote.

Two, the price. US$2.4 million. Which is quite a lot more than the Veyron's list price.

Still, you do get a 8.0-litre W16 engine putting out very nearly 745kW, and a car that'll hit 100km/h in 2.5 seconds. And the happy glow of knowing that you're number one, baby. Number zero-zero-one. And a nice red-on-black paint scheme, though if we're being fussy we'd still prefer it in white-on-black.

If you could resist driving it, we'd imagine the 001 Veyron would earn you a tidy mint at auction in a few years' time. But would you be able to resist? 

Now watch James's brilliant Veyron V-Max clip: