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Did you know that a Bugatti Veyron can do 0-60 in 2.5 seconds? No, me neither but when you've got an 8 litre W16 engine with four turbos delivering around 1,000bhp to the four wheels giving it a top speed of 254mph it's not really so surprising.

Similarly unsurprising is that it consumes more fuel than any other production car, using 6.99mpg in city driving and 11.7mpg in combined cycle. Pushed flat out it uses 2.46mpg.

Oh yes, and if you're done with going fast then at speeds over 124mph (200 km/h) the rear wing also acts as an air brake, flipping up in 0.4 seconds when you brake to provide additional stopping power equivalent to the brakes on an ordinary hatchback and giving it a 249mph to zero time of less than ten seconds.

All of this I discovered after watching Top Gear on iPlayer tonight and then wandering off to discover more about it.

Now why we need this thing at all is a good question, but it is a rather cute bit of kit from a technology point of view I must admit.

Personally though I preferred the Pagini Zonda Roadster F featured on the same show as it just looked like a lot more fun. Still completely outrageous mind you: 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, 7.3L AMG V12 engine, blah, blah, blah.

Pagani Zonda Roadster F

The body is all carbon fibre. Isn't that lovely? And a bargain at only £800,000 or thereabouts.

Tags: tv Written 24/11/08

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