Dan Neil takes the new Bugatti Veyron for a spin.
About nine seconds ago, I was dawdling at 100 mph. Then I squeezed the throttle. The seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox clicked twice, the engine took a huge lung-busting toke of atmosphere through its twin roof snorkels — and then things got interesting. Something slammed me from behind and I realize it was the seat. Captain, it appears we have fallen nose-first into a wormhole.
Two-hundred mph. And I’m not even in top gear.
Top speed: 253 mph. But it has a safety feature. At that speed it will run out of gas in 12 minutes.
MSRP: $1.25 million. (“The down payment is $413,000, enough to buy six Chevrolet Corvette Z06s.”)