Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the standard Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, the open-top, two-seat, mid-engine, all-wheel drive Veyron with the 8.0L quad-turbo W16 petrol (7993 cc) engine and the original 1001 PS output. It is not a guide to the fixed-roof 16.4 coupe (we cover that in our Veyron 16.4 coupe guide), the Super Sport coupe, or the Grand Sport Vitesse, which has its own entry. We say below where each of those differs, so that you can tell which car an advert really describes.

We have not driven this model for this article. The figures come from three cited sources: a Globe and Mail road report by Michael Bettencourt (31 May 2010) on a 2010 Grand Sport, PistonHeads' Veyron used buying guide (4 April 2021), and the government recall checker. We also read Bugatti's own 2008 launch release and its 2012 Vitesse release, and we flag every point that rests on them or on other pages. Where sources disagree we say so and show our choice rather than pick a winner quietly. Prices are history or ranges, not valuations.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 8.0L quad-turbo W16 petrol (7993 cc), mounted behind the cabin, with four turbochargers.
• Power: 987 bhp. Bugatti's official rating is 1001 PS, and 1001 x 0.98632 is about 987.3, so we round down to 987 bhp. The Globe and Mail prints 987 hp (SAE) and notes the official DIN rating of 1,001 hp, and PistonHeads prints 1001 at 6,000 rpm. The 1,001 hp label is a metric PS figure under a different name, not a different engine.
• Torque: 1250 Nm. PistonHeads prints 922 lb ft at 2,200 to 5,500 rpm, which converts to the same 1250 Nm (922 x 1.3558 is about 1250).
• 0-100 km/h: 2.7 seconds, which the Globe and Mail says Bugatti quotes for this car. Other pages print 2.5 seconds, 2.6 seconds or 2.46 seconds, and we explain why below.
• Top speed: 407 km/h with the roof fitted, which is the 253 mph in PistonHeads' specification table (253 x 1.609 is about 407).
• Drive: all-wheel drive with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, as on the coupe.
• Weight: no figure from our three sources. One enthusiast guide we read puts it at 1990 kg, about 102 kg more than the coupe, and we treat that as unverified.

What the Grand Sport was

Bugatti presented the Grand Sport on 16 August 2008 on the lawn in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach, California. Its release calls the roof unique and removable and says the first build slot would be built in spring 2009. It was not a Geneva show car: Geneva is where the later Vitesse was shown, in 2012. PistonHeads dates the car to 2009 and says it had chassis reinforcements and two temporary roofs. The Globe and Mail describes a lightweight, clear polycarbonate targa panel that can be lifted off, with nowhere in the car to store it, plus a fabric umbrella top for emergencies.

That makes it a roadster only in a loose sense. It is a targa with a removable roof panel, and it keeps the coupe's carbon structure, reinforced to make up for the missing fixed roof. The Globe and Mail quotes a base price of 1.4 million euros and 1.6 million euros as tested, in 2010. Treat that as history.

How many were built

The count is the weakest number in this guide. PistonHeads says production of the Grand Sport was limited to 150 examples, alongside 252 coupes, 30 Super Sports and 5 World Record Edition cars, though it admits its split does not add up to the 450 total it also gives. One enthusiast guide says 158 had been completed, which exceeds the announced limit. A reference-site listing that we did not cite says 58 built, and that is the number the catalogue held before this review. We could not find that figure in any source we read, so we replaced it with 150 and describe it as the announced limit, not an audited count. We also could not confirm whether the Vitesse is inside or outside the 150, so ask a seller which count they mean.

Why the quoted performance varies

Acceleration is the most disputed figure. Bugatti quotes 2.7 seconds to 100 km/h for the Grand Sport per the Globe and Mail, which is slower than the 2.5 seconds on the coupe because the open car is heavier. The 2.5 seconds printed in a pre-launch report from August 2008 was a forecast that the car should match the coupe. A reference-site entry lists 2.46 seconds, and PistonHeads' 2.5 seconds is a general Veyron figure for 0-62 mph. We use 2.7 seconds because it is the only Grand Sport figure that a source attributes to Bugatti for the production car.

Top speed depends on the roof. With the roof fitted, the car matches the coupe at 407 km/h. PistonHeads says the top is limited to 229 mph, about 369 km/h by our conversion, with the roof panel off, and about 81 mph, roughly 130 km/h, with the umbrella roof. The Globe and Mail says Bugatti gives only 100 km/h with the umbrella up, and another enthusiast page says 224 mph, about 360 km/h, roof off. If you have seen 360 km/h quoted for the soft top, that is a roof-off number in the sources we read, not a soft-top one. The fabric roof is a way home in the rain, and not a roof for driving.

Drivetrain and engineering

The Grand Sport is an all-wheel drive, mid-engine car with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the same layout as the coupe. The aluminium W16 and carbon monocoque are shared, with reinforcement for the open roof. We have not tested any of this and report the sources only. Because the roof panel is removable by hand, it is worth asking how the seals, fixings and any storage cover have been looked after, but none of our sources document roof faults, so we make no claim about them.

How the Grand Sport differs from other Veyrons

The 16.4 coupe, which we cover in its own guide, has a fixed roof and the same 1001 PS engine. The Super Sport coupe, from 2010 per PistonHeads, has about 200 hp more and is 50 kg lighter, with 30 built plus 5 World Record Edition cars. The Grand Sport Vitesse, shown at Geneva in 2012, is the targa version of that stronger engine. Bugatti's release gives 882 kW (1,200 hp), 1,500 Nm, 2.6 seconds to 100 km/h, a 410 km/h top speed and an electronic limit of 375 km/h in normal mode, which it describes as 199 hp more than the Grand Sport's 1,001 hp. If an advert says 1200 PS, a Vitesse badge or 92 cars built, it is not the car in this guide.

Running costs

The costs below come from PistonHeads' 2021 guide, which covers all Veyrons and is not specific to this model. An annual dealer service is quoted at 10,000 to 20,000 pounds. The recommended fluid change is said to cost more than 20,000 pounds, and bills of 100,000 pounds have not been uncommon. A fuel tank replacement is about 35,000 pounds, mostly labour. Fuel is also a cost: a fill of 22 gallons is about 124 pounds, and at just under 12 mpg it lasts about 240 miles. We have no insurance or storage figures, so we give none.

Tyres and wheels

PistonHeads says tyres should be changed every two years or 2,500 miles, whichever comes first, with the tyre glue renewed every 18 months. The full wheelset should go at the fourth tyre change or every 10,000 miles. The wheelset was about 50,000 pounds when new and is now under 30,000, and a full set of tyres is about 25,000 pounds. Ask for the dated record of every tyre and glue change. A lapsed schedule is a safety question, not a cosmetic one.

Known faults and recalls

PistonHeads lists a fuel gauge fault affecting 72 cars, including 2010 to 2011 Grand Sports, fixed under warranty with software and a new tank. It also lists a 2016 jacking plate recall covering 87 cars, including 2010 to 2012 Grand Sports, because corrosion could let the plates fall off. A separate recall for faulty side airbags is linked to a heat shield assembly and needs the seats removed, although PistonHeads does not say which models it covers. We have not confirmed whether any of these remain open on a given car.

What to check before buying

• Confirm from the chassis number that it is a standard Grand Sport, not a Vitesse, Super Sport or coupe.
• Check both roof types are present: the polycarbonate panel and the umbrella top, plus the second key and manuals.
• Inspect the roof panel, seals and mounting points, and look inside for damp or staining.
• Ask for evidence of the fuel tank, jacking plate and side airbag work, and the full dealer service history.
• Get dated records of tyre changes, glue renewals and the wheelset age.
• Look at the underbody and jacking plates for corrosion.
• Run the registration through the recall check described below.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We did not run the government checker, because it needs a registration number or the manufacturer, model and year, and we are not looking at a specific car. The page says the MOT service shows outstanding safety recalls for a registration, that a search by make, model and year is the alternative, and that non-safety recalls come from the manufacturer directly. The recalls above come from PistonHeads, not from the checker. Run any registration through GOV.UK and ask a Bugatti dealer to confirm anything outstanding.

Verdict

The Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is 987 bhp, 1250 Nm, a Bugatti-quoted 2.7 seconds to 100 km/h and 407 km/h with the roof on, all-wheel drive and mid-engine, in a run announced as 150 cars. It rewards an owner who treats every service as a specialist job and budgets for labour as much as parts. If you are shopping for one, confirm which version it is, insist on a full history and recall evidence, and treat the published figures as claims with the caveats above. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a proper inspection to decide.