During its decade-long production, the Bugatti Veyron saw many special editions. While its initial model featured a substantial 987 horsepower, subsequent versions significantly boosted the W16 engine's output. The quad-turbo, 8.0-liter engine eventually reached a peak of 1,183 hp in the Super Sport and Grand Sport Vitesse. Despite these impressive figures, there was potential for even greater power.
Frank Heyl, Bugatti's design chief, revealed to Top Gear magazine that there were plans for a Veyron facelift, intended to be the supercar's final iteration. Bugatti aimed to upgrade the sixteen-cylinder engine to 1,341 hp, which would have given this ultimate version a 158-hp advantage over the most powerful variant at the time. This model was to be named the MegaWatt Veyron and could have surpassed the Koenigsegg One:1 in terms of raw power. The Swedish supercar, introduced in 2014, a year before the Veyron's discontinuation, already boasted an astonishing one megawatt of power, equivalent to 1,341 hp.
The decision to halt development on a more powerful Veyron stemmed from Ferdinand Piëch's ambition to push the car's performance even further. Piëch, the former CEO, wanted the Veyron Super Sport to achieve an astounding 1,479 hp and reach a top speed of 279 mph (450 km/h). The existing Super Sport had previously hit 267 mph (431 km/h) at Volkswagen Group's Ehra-Lessien test track in June 2010. Achieving the additional 12 mph (19 km/h) proved too complex, requiring extensive re-engineering of the Veyron. Consequently, Bugatti opted to defer these advancements to the Chiron, which eventually debuted with the 1,479 hp figure that Piëch had envisioned for its predecessor.
The Chiron later saw even further power increases, with the Super Sport model delivering a remarkable 1,578 hp. At the Ehra-Lessien track, where the Veyron SS set records, the Chiron Super Sport achieved 304 mph (490 km/h) in August 2019. However, the production version was electronically limited to 273 mph (440 km/h), similar to the Veyron SS, which was capped at 258 mph (415 km/h) to preserve tire integrity. Bugatti subsequently announced a pause in its pursuit of speed records shortly after the Chiron Super Sport surpassed the 400 km/h mark. However, under the new leadership of CEO Mate Rimac, this stance seems to be evolving, with potential future attempts to break the 500 km/h barrier with the new V16-powered Tourbillon, though this would necessitate specialized tires.
As Bugatti no longer has access to the Ehra-Lessien proving grounds, a new location would be needed to establish a production-car speed record. Potential venues include the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds in Florida, where the SSC Tuatara reached 295 mph (474 km/h) in May 2022. Alternatively, the Koenigsegg Agera RS set multiple records in 2017 on a closed section of Highway 160 near Pahrump, Nevada. Given Volkswagen's 45-percent ownership stake in Bugatti through Porsche, a cooperative agreement for track access could still be a possibility.
The Veyron, even without its most powerful theoretical variant, remains a pivotal automobile of its era. Its numerous records in both power and speed underscore its status as a pinnacle of internal combustion engineering. While the Chiron pushed boundaries further, it built upon the relentless pursuit of automotive excellence championed by Ferdinand Piëch. Bugatti recently honored Piëch's legacy with the FKP Hommage, and a fitting tribute would be to push the Tourbillon to 500 km/h, commemorating the visionary engineer's profound impact on the Volkswagen Group.