Cadillac Sixteen

The Cadillac Sixteen is a high performance concept car first presented by Cadillac in 2003.

The vehicle is equipped with a Cadillac proprietary-developed 32-valve V16 engine displacing 13.6 liters (~830 cu. in), which was exclusive to the Sixteen model only, it is mated to a four-speed, electronically controlled, automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. The engine features fuel-saving Active Fuel Management "Displacement on Demand" technology, much improved from its notorious ancestor, debuting in 2004 on some 2005 GM models. On the Sixteen, it would seamlessly shut down twelve cylinders in light driving, eight during strenuous driving, and only awaken the entire engine under full acceleration. With this type of system, the engine was capable of 16.65 mpg under normal conditions. The engine was said to produce a minimum of 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) and at least an equal amount of torque at 1000 lb.-ft. using no form of forced induction. The car itself weighs about 2,270 kilograms (5,000 lb). The car referenced the Cadillac V-16 of the 1930s. The actual design of the car was a combination of Cadillac's current "Art and Science" design theme and 1967 Cadillac Eldorado cues. Additional original design elements were provided by an in-house design competition led by GM Vice President Bob Lutz. The Sixteen has the Cadillac logo carved out of solid crystal on the steering wheel and a Bulgari clock on the dashboard.

Although the Sixteen fell short (narrowly, by some accounts) of production approval, its legacy is alive in Cadillac's future product planning. The subsequent generation of Cadillac products, particularly the revised CTS, have incorporated elements of the Sixteen's design. A scaled-down version of the car, referred to as the ULS (Ultra Luxury Sedan) or XLS, with a standard V8 and an optional V12 (the latter was to be called the Cadillac Twelve), has been rumored for production since 2005, but was shelved in favor of the Cadillac XTS.

Ever since the Sixteen was first unveiled there have been resurfacing rumors, speculation and high hopes of automotive journalists and aficionados about a possible very limited production of an exclusive Cadillac halo model such as the Sixteen as the "ultimate flagship" of the brand to sit even atop of the upcoming flagship, as previewed by the Ciel concept of late 2011.

It was on the episode of Ride with Funkmaster Flex at the 2003 New York International Auto Show.

Also in 2003, Top Gear reviewed the Cadillac 16 with its presenter James May in Series 2, Episode 10.

In the 2006 comedy film Click starring Adam Sandler, Sandler's character is seen driving a Cadillac Sixteen when he visits his family in the year 2017.

In the 2011 film Real Steel, starring Hugh Jackman, the child's parents are seen getting in and out of a Cadillac Sixteen at around 18 minutes in, as Jackman's character collects his money and his child.

Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined sports car, designed and developed in Germany by the Volkswagen Group and manufactured in Molsheim, France, by Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

The original version had a top speed of 407 km/h (253 mph). It was named Car of the Decade and best car award (2000–2009) by the BBC television programme Top Gear. The standard Bugatti Veyron also won Top Gear's Best Car Driven All Year award in 2005.

The current Super Sport version of the Veyron is recognised by Guinness World Records as the fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of 430.9 km/h (267.7 mph), and the roadster Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse version is the fastest roadster in the world, reaching an averaged top speed of 408.84 km/h (254.04 mph) in a test on 6 April 2013.

The Veyron's chief designer was Hartmut Warkuss, and the exterior was designed by Jozef Kabaň of Volkswagen, with much of the engineering work being conducted under the guidance of engineering chief Wolfgang Schreiber.

Several special variants have been produced. In December 2010, Bugatti began offering prospective buyers the ability to customise exterior and interiors colours by using the Veyron 16.4 Configurator application on the marque's official website. The Bugatti Veyron was discontinued in late 2014.

Origins

In 1998, the Volkswagen Group purchased the trademark rights on the former car manufacturer Bugatti in order to revive the brand. Starting with the Bugatti EB118, they presented at various international auto shows a total of four 18-cylinder concept cars. At the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, the first study of the Veyron was presented. At the time, the name of the concept car was "Bugatti Veyron EB 18.4," and it was equipped with a 3-bank W18 engine instead of the 2-bank W16 engine of the production version. While the three previous prototypes had been styled by Giugiaro, the Veyron was designed by the Volkswagen stylists.

The decision to start production of the car was taken by the Volkswagen Group in 2001. The first roadworthy prototype was completed in August 2003. It is identical to the later series variant except for a few details. In the transition from development to series production considerable technical problems had to be addressed, repeatedly delaying production until September 2005.

The Veyron EB 16.4 is named in honour of Pierre Veyron, a Bugatti development engineer, test driver and company race driver who, with co-driver Jean-Pierre Wimille, won the 1939 24 hours of Le Mans while driving a Bugatti. The "EB" refers to Bugatti founder Ettore Bugatti and the "16.4" refers to the engine's 16 cylinders and 4 turbochargers.

World record controversy

A controversy developed in 2013 over the Veyron Super Sport's status as the world’s fastest production car, ultimately resolved in the Veyron's favor.

In early April 2013, driving.co.uk (also known as Sunday Times Driving) began an investigation following claims from US car maker Hennessey that its 928 kW (1,244 bhp) Hennessey Venom GT was entitled to the Guinness World Record. With a recorded speed of 427.6 km/h (265.7 mph) the Hennessey was 3.4 km/h (2.1 mph) slower than the Veyron but Hennessey dismissed Bugatti’s official record saying that the Veyron Super Sport was restricted to 415 km/h (258 mph) in production form and that for it to achieve its record top speed of 431.0 km/h (267.8 mph), the car used was in a state of tune not available to customers. Hennessey said its Venom GT was road-ready and unmodified and was therefore a production car in the strict sense of the term.

Driving.co.uk requested clarification from Guinness World Records, which investigated this claim and found that the modification was against the official guidelines of the record. Upon finding this, Guinness World Records voided the Super Sport's record and announced it was "reviewing this category with expert external consultants to ensure our records fairly reflect achievements in this field."

After further review, Shelby SuperCars, the producers of the Ultimate Aero TT, said that they had reclaimed the record, however Guinness reinstated the Super Sport's record after coming to the conclusion that "a change to the speed limiter does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine."

Bugatti Veyron (2005–2011)
Specifications and performance

The Veyron features an 8.0-litre, quad-turbocharged, W16 cylinder engine, equivalent to two narrow-angle V8 engines bolted together. Each cylinder has four valves for a total of 64, but the VR8 configuration of each bank allows two overhead camshafts to drive two banks of cylinders so only four camshafts are needed. The engine is fed by four turbochargers and displaces 7,993 cubic centimetres (487.8 cu in), with a square 86 by 86 mm (3.39 by 3.39 in) bore and stroke. The transmission is a dual-clutch direct-shift gearbox computer-controlled automatic with seven gear ratios, with magnesium paddles behind the steering wheel and a shift time of less than 150 milliseconds, built by Ricardo of England rather than Borg-Warner, who designed the six speed DSG used in the mainstream Volkswagen Group marques. The Veyron can be driven in either semi-automatic or fully automatic mode. A replacement transmission for the Veyron costs just over US$120,000. It also has permanent all-wheel drive using the Haldex Traction system. It uses special Michelin PAX run-flat tyres, designed specifically to accommodate the Veyron's top speed, and cost US$25,000 per set. The tyres can be mounted on the rims only in France, a service which costs US$70,000. Kerb weight is 1,888 kilograms (4,162 lb). This gives the car a power-to-weight ratio, according to Volkswagen Group's figures, of 530 PS (390 kW; 523 bhp) per ton.

The car's wheelbase is 2,710 mm (106.7 in). Overall length is 4,462 mm (175.7 in) which gives 1,752.6 mm (69.0 in) of overhang. The width is 1,998 mm (78.7 in) and height 1,204 mm (47.4 in). The Bugatti Veyron has a total of ten radiators:

    3 heat exchangers for the air-to-liquid intercoolers.
    3 engine radiators.
    1 for the air conditioning system.
    1 transmission oil radiator.
    1 differential oil radiator.
    1 engine oil radiator

It has a drag coefficient of Cd=0.41 (normal condition) and Cd=0.36 (after lowering to the ground), and a frontal area of 2.07 m2 (22.3 sq ft). This gives it a drag area, the product of drag coefficient and frontal area, of CdA=0.74 m2 (8.0 sq ft).

Engine output

According to Volkswagen Group and certified by TÜV Süddeutschland, the final production Veyron engine produces 1,001 metric horsepower (736 kW; 987 bhp) of motive power, and generates 1,250 newton metres (922 lbf·ft) of torque. The nominal figure has been stated by Bugatti officials to be conservative, with the real total being 1,020 metric horsepower (750 kW; 1,006 bhp) at 6,000 rpm.

Top speed

German inspection officials recorded an average top speed of the original version of 408.47 km/h (253.81 mph) during test sessions on the Ehra-Lessien test track on 19 April 2005.

This top speed was equalled by James May on Top Gear in November 2006, at Volkswagen Group's private Ehra-Lessien test track. May noted that at top speed the engine consumes 45,000 litres (9,900 imp gal) of air per minute (as much as a human breathes in four days). Back in the Top Gear studio, co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson commented that most supercars felt like they were shaking apart at their top speed, and asked May if that was the case with the Veyron at 407 km/h (253 mph). May responded that the Veyron was very controlled, and only wobbled slightly when the air brake deployed.

The car's everyday top speed is listed at 343 km/h (213 mph). When the car reaches 220 km/h (140 mph), hydraulics lower the car until it has a ground clearance of about 9 cm (3.5 in). At the same time, the wing and spoiler deploy. In this handling mode, the wing provides 3,425 newtons (770 lbf) of downforce, holding the car to the road.

Top speed mode must be entered while the vehicle is at rest. Its driver must toggle a special top speed key to the left of their seat, which triggers a checklist to establish whether the car and its driver are ready to attempt to reach 407 km/h (253 mph). If so, the rear spoiler retracts, the front air diffusers shut, and normal 12.5 cm (4.9 in) ground clearance drops to 6.5 cm (2.6 in).

Braking

The Veyron's brakes use cross drilled, radially vented carbon fibre reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) composite discs, manufactured by SGL Carbon, which have a much greater resistance to brake fade when compared with conventional cast iron discs. The lightweight aluminium alloy monobloc brake calipers are made by AP Racing; the fronts have eight titanium pistons and the rear calipers have six pistons. Bugatti claims maximum deceleration of 1.3 g on road tyres. As an added safety feature, in the event of brake failure, an anti-lock braking system (ABS) has also been installed on the handbrake.

Prototypes have been subjected to repeated 1.0 g braking from 312 km/h (194 mph) to 80 km/h (50 mph) without fade. With the car's acceleration from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 312 km/h (194 mph), that test can be performed every 22 seconds. At speeds above 200 km/h (120 mph), the rear wing also acts as an airbrake, snapping to a 55° angle in 0.4 seconds once brakes are applied, providing an additional 0.68 g (6.66 m/s2) of deceleration (equivalent to the stopping power of an ordinary hatchback). Bugatti claims the Veyron will brake from 400 km/h (250 mph) to a standstill in less than 10 seconds, though distance covered in this time will be half a kilometre (third of a mile).

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport (2009–2015)

The targa top Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport version of the Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 was unveiled at 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It has extensive reinforcements to compensate for the lack of standard roof, and small changes to the windshield and running lights. Two removable tops are included, the second a temporary arrangement fashioned after an umbrella. The top speed with the hardtop in place is the same as the standard coupé version, but with the roof down is limited to 369 km/h (229 mph)—and to 130 km/h (81 mph) with the temporary soft roof. The Gran Sport edition was limited to 150 units, with the first 50 going exclusively to registered Bugatti customers. Production began in the second quarter of 2009, with the car priced at €1.4 million (excluding taxes and delivery).

A version was introduced at the Qatar Motor Show 2012 with a horizontal colour split with a bright yellow body framed in visible black carbon (including black-tinted wheels), seats in yellow-coloured leather upholstery with black stitching, middle console in black carbon, dashboard, steering wheel and gearshift made of black leather with yellow stitching.

Special versions
Sang Bleu (2010)

The Sang Bleu is blue carbon-fibre with polished aluminium, wheels inspired by the Grand Sport Roadster, highlighted in a Midnight Blue and Diamond Cut two-tone finish.

Soleil de Nuit (2010)

The Soleil de Nuit was first shown at the 2009 Dubai Motor Show. It combines polished aluminium accents with metallic blue/black paint. It also features a burnt orange interior. It was sold for US$2.27 million.

Grey Carbon (2010)

The Grey Carbon was first shown to the public at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The exterior features exposed carbon-fibre with metallic dark grey aluminum body panels, and lower portion in polished aluminium. Only one Grand Sport Grey Carbon edition was made.

Royal Dark Blue (2010)

The Royal Dark Blue was shown alongside the Grey Carbon at Geneva 2010. It features a carbonfibre monocoque and the bonnet and rear section finished in Royal Dark Blue, hence the name. The rest of the car is painted Arctic White. It sold for €1.75 million.

Sang Blanc (2010)
The Sang Blanc was designed at the request of a client from the UK. It is finished in a matte pearlescent white with black front grille, exhaust and engine cover, as well as a black interior. In 2011, the Sang Blanc was sold with 448 miles on the odometer for £1.25 million.

Matte White (2011)

The Matte White was first shown at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show. It features a matte white paint finish, with the lower section of the car finished in blue carbon fibre. The interior is also blue. It was sold soon after it was put on display.

L'Or Blanc (2011)

The one-off Veyron "L'Or Blanc" ("white gold") uses porcelain produced by Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur to distinguish its body and interior with a blue and white pattern.

Red Edition (2011)

The Red Edition was shown at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, with a red body, interior and wheels. It is thought Bugatti brought this car to Frankfurt to speed up purchases of the Grand Sport, as the sales figure was disappointingly low.

Middle East Editions (2011)

Three different ‘Middle East Edition’ cars were shown at the 2011 Dubai Motor Show. The first car combines a bright yellow exterior and interior with black carbon fibre inserts and black wheels. The second has a blue carbon framed exterior with polished aluminium and an orange interior. The final edition features a green carbon finish, once again framed with polished aluminium. The yellow model sold for €1.58 million, while the other two were sold for €1.74 million.

Wei Long (2012)

The Wei Long was first shown at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, built to honor the Chinese year of the Dragon. As in the case of the Veyron L'Or Blanc, Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur provided several porcelain motifs. Most of the pieces depict a dragon and are featured on the body and in the cabin. The car has a pearl white exterior with contrasting carmine red interior and dragons in various places. It was sold for €1.58 million.

Bernar Venet (2012)

The Barnar Venet edition is the result of a 2012 invitation from Bugatti to artist Bernar Venet to create an artwork to be applied to a Veyron Grand Sport. The finished work, described as "the fastest artwork ever", features an interpretation of Venet's trademark mathematical equations and was revealed at the Rubell Family Collection in Miami during Art Basel Miami Beach.

Chassis 001

The chassis 001 of the 2009 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport was sold at the 58th annual Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company for US$2.9 million (US$3.19 million after buy premium), benefiting the Pebble Beach Company Foundation.