The first Bugatti Veyron had “a top speed of over 406 km/h.” It was a cold revenge born in Le Mans

Le Mans is a beautiful race that has left us many stories and cars to remember. One of the most beautiful times, personally, was the second half of the 60s. They were the years in which the Ford GT40 managed to dethrone Ferrari in a battle recently remembered in cinemas.

But Ford had several competitors in the following years. Chevrolet, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo and, above all, Porsche, which in 1970 hit the table with the Porsche 917, one of the most beautiful cars that have passed through the French track.

After a second half of the 60s with absolute dominance by Ford, Porsche achieved victory in 1970 and 1971. It is precisely in that last year that we want to focus.

A brutal record

Let’s put context. It was 1971. More than 50 years ago this story. Porsche fought every year with Ford to break the dominance of the Americans. To achieve this, in 1969 he presented his new weapon at the Geneva Motor Show: the Porsche 917.

The car was born a year earlier, with the FIA ​​creating a new category, with cars with a minimum weight of 800 kg and an engine of up to 5.0 liters. Shortly after, the German company would appear in Le Mans with a car that used a 4.5-liter V12 and was capable of developing 520 HP. To keep the weight at bay, a body made of fiberglass and alloys such as aluminum or magnesium were used.

The rest is history. In its first Le Mans, in 1970, Porsche won its long-awaited trophy, breaking Ford’s dominance. But his success was repeated in 1971 when he also raised the bar. In the 24 hours of the legendary test, the winning car traveled 5,335 kilometers, closing with an average speed of 222 km/h during the test.

But his second unit also broke a new record. On the famous six-kilometre-long Mulsanne straight, cars fly every year. And in that 1971 edition, Porsche flew up to 387 km/h. A new top speed record for the competition. Let’s remember: 387 km/h with a car designed half a century ago.

That same year, the FIA ​​closed the category and Porsche would take the development of the 917 in other directions, with the clear objective of maximizing the benefits of its development. Without any obstacles, he was now able to develop a turbocharged version of the competition car that reached over 1,000 HP. In 1973, the figure rose to 1,200 HP, as reported in Motor Journalism.

A thorn in the side

At the head of that team was Ferdinand Piëch, an engineer who shared more than just a name with Ferdinand Porsche. Piëch was the grandson of the founder of the German company and worked in charge of gems such as the Porsche 917.

Just after his successes, the Porsche family decided that the family could not run the brand and he was transferred to Audi. At the same time, Piëch came to design engines for Mercedes but would soon gain fame within the company with the Audi 80 and 100 but, above all, with the famous Quattro drive and its performance in the World Rally Championship.

Already in the 90s, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche He would take control of the parent company, Volkswagen, from which he was able to control a multitude of brands. One of them would be Bugatti, where he would put his personal stamp.

The Bugatti Veyron was characterized as an extraordinarily rare and excessive project. Its 8.0-liter W16 engine has gone down in history for being one of the most complex and brutal engineering works ever carried by a street car. Piëch knew that Bugatti had to do something of this style if he wanted to fill covers, attract attention again and recover his history.

But the Veyron came with more surprises. Its engine developed 1,000 HP and its top speed was 407 km/h. A figure that is by no means coincidental. While engineer Piëch was away from Porsche’s developments for Le Mans, one car set a new record.

The French track had to wait until the end of the eighties for the Porsche 917 to reach 387 km/h. He got it WM P88 Peugeot in 1988 and did it in a big way. With a V6 engine and an extraordinarily aerodynamic body, in Mulsanne it achieved brutal 407 km/h. The 400 km/h barrier was broken and a new record was established. Furthermore, in 1990 a chicane was installed to prevent this number from continuing to grow.

Interestingly, Peugeot decided that the actual speed was 405 km/h. Although the records show a higher top speed, as explained in Autobild It was decided to boast a top speed of 405 km/h as an excuse to sell the new Peugeot 405.

The new record must have especially hurt Piëch who, as they say in Diariomotor He took revenge years later with the weapons he had at hand. The Bugatti Veyron was presented in 2005, with its gigantic engine, its imposing figure and a presentation text that read: “more than 406 km/h top speed”.

And Piëch’s jewel delivered. Shortly after, he took over the throne of the fastest car in the world, setting a top speed of 407 km/h, equaling Peugeot’s record although, this time, with a street car. Later, successive new top speed records and a fierce battle with Koenigsegg, Hennesey and the response with the Chiron would arrive, but that is another story.

Image | Bugatti

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