Bugatti supercars

By Tim Pollard

29 July 2008 09:00

You could say that Bugatti has been round the houses. Originally founded in 1909, it ceased trading in the Sixties. Rich Italian maverick Romano Artioli revived the brand in 1987 and in the following eight years he created the landmark EB110 and even acquired Lotus, before the business collapsed in 1995. Three years later, it was snaffled up by Volkswagen as part of its ambitious weltpolitik expansion, spawning the extraordinary Veyron. Troubled gestation notwithstanding, it remains one of the most incredible supercars of our times.

Make and model

Year

Price

Engine

0-60mph

Top speed

1992

£281,000

 3500cc V12, 553bhp, 451lb ft

3.6sec

 209mph

For 

 So good to drive that Schumacher paid for one 

Against

 Went everywhere fast, including bankrupt

Verdict 

 Great car, lousy economy. We wouldn't have VW's Veyron had
 it survived

With Gandini styling, an ultra-exclusive name, a carbonfibre body, four turbos, up to 600bhp and well over 200mph the Bugatti EB110 had all the credentials but not enough customers.

Make and model

Year

Price

Engine

0-60mph

Top speed

 2005

£840,000

7993cc W16, 987bhp, 921lb ft

2.5sec

205mph

For 

 Given VW's eye-watering costs, even a million quid is a bargain 

Against 

 It's an engineering struggle to contain all that power, weight
 and heat

Verdict 

 There might never be another supercar like it

At launch, the Veyron stole all the supercar superlatives: fastest, most powerful, most expensive. We thought Ferdinand Piech's pet project was a folly, but it turned out pretty good

By Tim Pollard