Bugatti Veyron Vitesse vs Pagani Huayra: titans – Sports Cars
Dad EVEN WOULD LIKE: that was Harry's comment.
“I think so too,” I reply, sitting on a stone wall overlooking Marseille and the Mediterranean. "He may have taken a ten-year vow of silence and skipped a single day to respect him, and yet I bet he'll still come out with an exclamation of amazement."
You can't do without it. For the first time, the thin red arrow on the tachometer rises straight up to gaze at the sky at 4.000, and four turbines shoot air into the sky. 16 cylinders, the overload is so exaggerated that no matter how polished you are, you can't help but pull the hook. I know that this is so: it was with me too. This is an involuntary reaction, such as when you burn yourself and automatically remove your hand. If you are sitting behind the wheel when starting the machine gun, you spontaneously take your foot off the gas, as if for self-preservation. Bugatti Veyron, here in its final version Grand Sport Vitess from 1.200 hp, it's absurdly fast.
But fast is not necessarily fun. There is a car parked on the side of the road that can teach Veyron a couple of lessons. This is one of the few hypercar able to keep up with the powerful Bugatti. In acceleration, it looks like a Boeing take off. there Pagani Huayra it has "only" 730 hp, but at the same time its weight is 600 kg less. This is the perfect modern hypercar that all manufacturers should theoretically compare to, for better or for worse. I say “theoretically” because until now he has never met a Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. To be honest, not a single car has yet had a chance to test itself at Vitesse, so this is a real novelty.
The organization of the competition was a headache even for us at EVO, who are theoretically used to these things. It was supposed to take place last week in Italy, but after a month of trying to convince both houses that it was a great idea, the weather decided to spoil our party at the last moment with heavy rain and even hail. I think this is a punishment for blasphemers… All Bovingdon, Metcalfe and Dean Smith could do was sit and watch the rain. Two days later they went home and everything seemed lost. but Metcalfe doesn't like to lose, and after spending three days on the phone, he managed to get us here in the south of France, with another Vitesse and another Wyre, on an amazing road and, above all, with a bright sun in the sky.
Harry and I are waiting for Dean to join us at the rented Seat Alhambra. Even in sunny weather, a crazy wind blows from the coast, so strong that I can't help but take refuge in Vitesse.
It is enough to open the door to understand that this is an unusual car: this example is the car that broke the world record by accelerating to 408,84 km / h in Era-Lessien, and to prove that it is on the windowsill in silver ink, this is the car's signature Anthony Liuwhich led her to triumph that day.
I bypass the signature on window sill and I sit on orange seatplunging into what seems to be a bit boring interior in the photographs. But live it is completely different: this is a cabin that is worth all those 2 million euros. compared to this, the new Audi A8 looks dull and provincial. It doesn't have touch screens or weird gadgets. Veyron, simply perfection and luxury that every line and every detail exudes. It's a car that is fun to touch too: when you slide your fingers over the center steering wheel, Thealuminum looks like silk. The crown conveys a unique sensation to the skin: if you close your eyes, it seems that it is touching something in between suede and neoprene.
Apart from those Headlights long and narrow - which is not very good - even on the outside Veyron Grand Sport Witness it conveys the same feeling of liquid silkiness, which makes it even more aggressive and exaggerated Huayra parked behind her. I can understand why many people dislike Veyron's apparent sobriety and why they do. gutters from a rocket Pagani и Mirror like a lady on very thin stems, they acquire even more charm, but when you see, it lives there Bugatti has an extraordinary ability to hypnotize you for every supercar self-respecting.
Finally, Smith arrives with the asthmatic Alhambra and is amazed at the path we have chosen. We needed somewhere close enough to the Paul Ricard track for Bugatti he also does some demonstrations on the track (by the hands of Andy Wallace) and is due to return there in the afternoon. We chose the beautiful D2 road to the east of Gemenos: it looks like a highway surrounded by green hills. Dean Smith asks us to walk down the street with two supercar take some suggestive photos, and since there are very few points wide enough to turn around, Harry and I have to travel several kilometers to satisfy Dean.
Below 3.500 rpm, the Vitesse is very easy to ride. By dial power, you can keep a stock of at least 1.000 hp. when driving fast, but driving in a relaxed and calm manner. Driving is clean and it is steering it is accurate and more accurate than the stock Grand Sport. She is so calm and reserved that when turbo finally going crazy, you are even more dazed. If you throttle in second position below 3.000 RPM, the Veyron will run like crazy, but you know it has so much more to offer: the best is yet to come. Keep your foot down while the needle is at 3.500 rpm, hear the turbos kick in, and at 3.750 rpm bam! The world spins backwards and turns your head as 1.500 Nm of torque takes you to the horizon. It's a continuous and progressive push that pushes you into the seat, taking your breath away until your next shift. The first time you try all this, you will not be able to resist the dirty word (we already talked about this), but only when the acceleration allows you to catch your breath.
On such a road full of such turns, there is not much room for a lot of acceleration, but it only increases the opportunity to open the throttle and get short but bright shots against the horizon. In all of these corners, you have to brake, dash in, and then open the throttle again until you get to the next corner and it will repeat itself. Whether it is long or short, the acceleration still leaves you breathless and wanting to repeat the experience as soon as possible.
On the move, the Veyron doesn't seem to have much trouble with its weight, but in braking complicates. It's almost impossible not to panic when hitting the center pedal because - unless you're driving F1 for your job - it's very hard to keep track of braking distance at these crazy speeds and with such exaggerated horsepower. When you apply the brakes hard, you feel the weight of the Vitesse move forward significantly in an attempt to counteract the force of the mighty W16 behind you, peeping out of the ABS from time to time. It's not that the brakes aren't up to par, it's just that you're pulling the reins of a two-ton animal.
Time seems to be flying by, and soon we need to return to Paul Ricard to schedule an afternoon. Veyron: I decide to get behind the wheel Pagani. Oddly enough, even if the Veyron is the one with no roof, the Huayra is lighter and airier. Compared to the Bugatti's upright seat, the Pagani's driving position is larger sports, from the slightly reclined seat, the glass roof panels are visible, through which the sun comes in and floods the interior with light.
I turn the key and twin turbo V12 he is in no hurry to wake up. When I pull the left racket Speed it takes a couple of seconds to decide whether to obey or not and join the fight first. It takes several revolutions of the engine before the electronics activate it. Clutch and finally we leave. Looking through the windshield (not the window) in the mirror, I see the Veyron on my back. On the Huayra, you will immediately notice the solid steering. IN steering wheel with a flat bottom and a leather crown, it is quite inert and turns hard, especially in tight corners where a fight is felt, which is quite unexpected for such a car. Jethro is well aware of this, he had two such hands when he took the Huayra to the presentation. Oddly enough, but, fortunately for us, the individual that participated in Ecoti turned out to be much more manageable.
There is an unpleasant dead end in the initial pedal travel, which causes some delay between the moment you take your foot off the gas pedal and the moment the brake starts to work. It is possible to partially solve the problem by resorting to the heel (even if it's not really anyone's specialty), and fortunately, the placement of the pedals in this sense makes the task easier (compared to the Veyron, in which they are shifted to the side of the center of the car in front of the wheel arch) ... However, once you get past the dead center, the brake pedal is progressive and responsive and seems to tell you how accurately the pads are grinding the discs.
As we descend towards the town of Gemenos, the road straightens a little, and Huayra he begins to feel more at ease, finds his own rhythm. Compared with Veyron, the guide is more elastic and suspensions they have more travel: when cornering, it feels like the car relies more on the outer front wheel. Once you get over the strange feeling transmitted steering heavy, le Pirelli tires the front wheels make you feel like they're working, but as Harry says, "The weight of the steering wheel is like a fog that obscures and prevents you from fully seeing its sensitivity."
But what shocks you the most (I don't believe I'm writing, but that's all!) Is that Huayra it doesn't seem particularly fast. I know it sounds crazy, but after being hit in the back with 1.200 hp. BugattiThe Pagani's more linear traction is not as intuitive. It seems to suffer less turbulence than Veyronbut the difference is that the Pagani's energy delivery is a bit like lighting the room slowly, whereas the Veyron has a short pause and then a blinding flash. When he gets out of the Vitesse, Harry is as surprised as I am by the difference in driving between the two cars.
Veyron is gone for four hours. It seems like an eternity, but in the end he comes back to us with Peter Reid (the very helpful owner of the Huayra, the only right-hand drive car in existence), who meanwhile took a ride in a Bugatti to get an idea clearer than the car that Pagani sees him against.
When I try the Huayra and hop into the Veyron to get back on our hillside roads, its handling feels even more precise and harmonious. In particular, the dual clutch is amazing. It's a bit tricky at maneuvering speed, but after a slight increase in speed it becomes smooth and seems to dance between gears. Even when you downshift to grab the pin, the shift is so clean you don't feel the slightest jerk.
As we approach the end of D2, spots of colorful flowers and signs of skidding (many of which end up in the grass or against a stone wall) begin to appear here and there, making this road special. Preparing for what lies ahead, I instinctively lower my head when the monster behind me growls. Among the criticisms that were initially leveled at the Veyron, there was also criticism for the not very sharp soundtrack, but noise without the roof panel. engine invades the salon. At first, you only hear the deep cavernous barking of 8.0, but when the turbines wake up, the two top vents kick in, sucking in oxygen with a sound reminiscent of a beach wave.
Dean wants to immortalize the two cars coming out of Turn XNUMX so that Harry and I jump on top of our two opponents and start circling again. On the Huayrawhich does not have the advantage of an open roof, noise high school graduation it's less audible than on the Vitesse, but if you hit the switch behind the handbrake (not the one on the door ...) to lower the window, you can enjoy the orchestra of "suction" coming from the air intake on the rear wheel arch. None of the cars have a breathtaking soundtrack or the heights of a Carrera GT or Zonda, but there is something exciting about sitting in the midst of this cacophony of compressed air.
Peter, the owner, stood next to Smith to take some pictures, so I walk to the right uphill bend to take a second with some caution. The car shifts the weight to the outer front wheel, everything is under control: I gradually open the throttle, the speed increases, the sound increases. At some point, all of a sudden the rear wheels slip and go away, and I immediately find myself in a wonderful traverse with a hypercar that costs more than a million euros, a hypercar whose owner is watching me ... Fortunately, I can continue to drift. no problem, but as soon as I stop by the side of the road, Dean from the radio tells me that, by the way, he no longer needs photos ...
My heart is beating fast when I open the door: I can already imagine Peter running up barking and wondering why the hell did I do that. Fortunately, however, he seems understanding: he smiles, and I do not stop apologizing. “Don't worry, these tires are not mine. You can also do this all day long if you like! ” Personally, I was more worried about the possible close collision of carbon and rocks, but I'm glad he didn't notice.
The more I ride the Pagani, the more I realize that if you just want to try and explore its limitless possibilities, you have to be willing to let the tires smoke and take risks, even on a straight line if there are obstacles on the road. slope. With Huayra, you will never have precise control over engine atmospheric, therefore couple it is transmitted in waves, and your task is to be able to stop it. Fortunately, even though the front wheels can lose traction in a second, step The Huayra is long enough to prevent a sudden exit from the trajectory, and when you take your hand, you can keep it at bay. And have some fun.
In comparison, with the Veyron, the curves are very simple. IN steering it is so accurate and so easy to get the car to follow the desired trajectory that there is nothing to worry about. The Bugattona is always crouching in the back and ready to get out of corners, and only the curves of the stud allow you to catch your breath between the crazy straight and the next.
In a way, what characterizes these two machines the most is traction. Pagani is always on the verge of losing traction, while the Veyron has a lot to sell. Following Harry in the Pagani, it is clear that on twisty roads the Bugatti is significantly faster than the Pagani, thanks to the advantage it has between the end of the rope and the exit from the bend. Where Huayra (but I think it's the same with Venom or Agera) is forced to take a break before unloading his power, Veyron just gets to the rope point and chases all his horses through them. • four wheels with maximum efficiency. OccasionallyESP turns on, but this system is so invisible that you do not even suspect that it is interfering.
In straight sections, Harry and I rush into some Drag Race very revealing starting from the second. Even with hot tires, when I bury the accelerator, the Pagani struggles a bit in the back, even if in the end it manages to keep its grip and keep up with the Bugatti. But when we repeat everything with cold tires, the Huayra puts in a little more effort, and by the time it finally gets traction, the Veyron is already gone.
As the sun sets behind Marseille and Dean Smith packs up his gear, Harry, a true gentleman, leaves me the choice of which car to return to the hotel. And therein lies the problem, the real crux of this test: Given a choice, which one would you bet on? The breathtaking Huira is a real temptation. On a wide and smooth road it finds its amazing pace and if you are brave enough you can try to tame its 730 horsepower in the back. The problem is that the turbo gets in the way of complicating things by preventing linear and predictable delivery.
People are usually fascinated by the speed the Grand Vitesse can achieve. I couldn't go past 240 km/h today, but those 170 km/h short of his actual top speed didn't stop me from having some fun. In my opinion, with a Veyron you can go even at 150 an hour and enjoy it all, because what makes it so unique and special is the fact that you don't have to go a very long straight to enjoy it. That absurd per-second acceleration that pushes you into your seat as you slide down a winding road like the D2, with sudden bumps, rocks that make the roadway tighter, and no room for error, is an experience like no other. Fast means fun.
To summarize, to return to your hotel at breakneck speed at night on a thrilling and challenging road, which one would I choose? Unexpectedly, maybe this time I'll go for the Veyron.
