By Karl Peskett.
You may have seen a rather interesting video last month, with a driver named Andy Wallace strapping himself into a car and setting off to hit a top speed that no-one has seen from a production car.
The car in question was the Bugatti Chiron, and the piece of road was the Volkswagen Group’s famed Ehra-Lessien test track. That same track was where the mighty Veyron was proven to be the fastest production car in the world. We say “was” because that mantle has now been transferred to the Chiron. And this Chiron is no ordinary version. The engine has been tweaked to produce 1600hp, which is 1194kW. No, that’s not a typo. The bodywork had to be restyled to prevent it from lifting off the deck, and the tyres were bespoke Michelin units.
The top speed? A scarcely believable 489kmh (304mph). That’s right, a road car has nearly cracked the 500kmh mark. And now, you can own basically the same car.
Bugatti is releasing 30 units of the Chiron 300+ to celebrate its record achievement. Apart from the data logging equipment on board, the Chiron 300+ is effectively the same machine as the one which Andy Wallace piloted into the record books. Expect to pay in excess of $10 million. For one car.
According to the brand’s chief, former Lambo CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, the 30 cars will “be gone in the blink of an eye”. Sort of like how fast they drive by.
The Vanquish has been vanquished
It was with some trepidation that we discovered one of the greats of the automotive design world was leaving a treasured post and setting out on his own. But this wasn’t just any penman – this is Ian Callum, arguably one of the most influential designers of the past 30 years.
Callum parted ways with Jaguar earlier this year, creating his own design and engineering firm, called – imaginatively enough – “Callum”. And his first project is one of his most endearing designs. The original Aston Martin Vanquish was first introduced at the turn of the century, and even made an appearance in the Bond film Die Another Day.
After Callum had finished it, he was proud, of course, but revisiting things in a few years can change your perspective somewhat. His company has now turned its attention to the Vanquish to give is a nip and tuck and fix a few things that he was never able to years ago.
Callum’s version is called the Vanquish 25 and it takes the original car back to bare metal. It is fettled and the interior is redesigned, creating some signature touches and a new look that’s barely distinguishable from the original car. But with new suspension and some tuning, you now have an even more remarkable machine that looks just as good (if not better) than the very first Vanquish.
With around 45kW more, bigger carbon-ceramic brakes, larger wheels, louder exhaust and visual enhancements, you’ll need to pony up a fair few dollars to make it worthwhile. At around $990,000, most buyers will likely be Callum fans.
Considering a new Aston Martin DBS Superleggera will cost two thirds of that (and will be a lot faster), it’s no wonder only 25 cars will be built.
Five for fifty
It’s been 50 years since the iconic Porsche 911 was introduced. It’s a car that has such a storied history and a legacy that it appears to have rewritten the rulebooks on where an engine should be placed in a sports car.
To celebrate, a north Sydney Porsche dealer has created five 911s that have been customised to pay homage to the anniversary. Designed by general manager Sean Lygo, the special edition Porsches have been coated in colours including ‘Racing Yellow’, ‘Aventurine Green’ and ‘Crayon’ to name a few. Each vehicles receives a custom illuminated door sill with the words ‘PCW 50 Year Anniversary’.
Lygo, who has been at Porsche Centre Willoughby for nearly three decades says that his time in the role has been a memorable one. “Sitting next to Jerry Seinfeld at the International launch of the Porsche Boxster in Arizona in 1996” and “organising Keanu Reeves to drive a 911 during his time in Australia for the launch of MATRIX in the 2000s” were some of his highlights, he says.
“The five ‘50th Anniversary Special Edition’ Porsche 911’s are a tribute to the Porsche brand and local Willoughby centre over the past five decades and we are delighted to provide customised offerings to our clients,” said Mr Lygo.
