Bugatti Veyron Super Sport sets fake speed record

Bugatti has launched a new version of their fugly Veyron, dubbed the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, and to celebrate, they went about breaking the official production car speed record. But there is a catch.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport has 1200 hp, up from the regular version’s 1001 hp. It also boasts 1500 Nm of torque, put to the ground via an automatic gearbox and all-wheel-drive.

So they took the Super Sport to the VW test track, and hit a record-breaking 431 kph with the prototype, making it the fastest production car ever, as verified by Guinness Book Of Records officials.

The catch is that the tyres apparently cannot handle those speeds for too long, so the actual production versions will be speed-limited to 415 kph. Hardly anything to whine about for inexperienced owners, but that leaves the door open for others to shoot down any “production car world record” boasting at cocktail parties.

Bugatti Automobiles has sold 260 Veyrons and 35 Grand Sports by now, of which 249 Veyrons and 22 Grand Sports had been delivered. The Super Sport will begin production this autumn alongside the Veyron and the Grand Sport. The first five already-sold cars -– known as the World Record Edition -– will come with the awful black-and-orange paint-job.

Keep track of prices and updates in the Bugatti Veyron buyer guide.