November 3rd, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
New Zealand used to have the highest number of Ferraris per head in the world. As the number of Bugattis in New Zealand breaks into double figures, now it’s looking as though Kiwis are getting the edge with the ultimate in pedigree motoring marques, Bugatti
There is no such thing as a moderately-priced Bugatti, every single one of these pieces of automotive art is highly sought-after in the world of collector cars. This month we look at the latest example to hit our road after a magnificent restoration.
This beautiful Type 44 straight-eight has been in the country for some time under the ownership of Paul Hicks. Paul had a couple of magnifi cent projects on the go, and sold the pile of Type 44 bits to Lionel Rogers so he could fund them. This Type 44 was shipped new in 1929 to South America, and remained in Argentina or Brazil for the larger part of 70 years.
There is little known about its individual history other than it has had an engine swap at some time. One thousand and ninety-five Type 44s were made between late 1927 and 1930. Lionel, well known to Targa fans for his exciting Nissan 350Z, commissioned Wallace McNair of Hamilton to turn a basket case into a beauty. He couldn’t have chosen a better person to do it.
Read the rest of this entry »September 10th, 2008 by NZCC Editor
Amazingly, in a world of restricted speed limits, top-end supercar manufacturers are still chasing their tails in increasingly silly bids to produce even fastesr road cars. It’s all wildly impractical but for small boys (and for men who haven’t yet grown up) this quest for road cars capable of setting lend speed records is always going to catch the imagination.
At the moment, the Bugatti Veyron tops the list with a maximum speed that makes the old title holder — the McLaren F1 — look like a bit of a tortoise.
However, with Aston Martin chasing the top speed title with their One-77, Bugatti recently announced yet another challenger — the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport; and it’s a convertible. Even if the 16.4GS doesn’t prove itself faster than the tin-top version, at least it’ll go down as the quickest drop-top ever.
Apart from the lack of a roof, the 16.4GS may look outwardly similar to the ‘standard’ Veyron but, under the skin, it has been significantly re-engineered with extensive use of carbon-fibre in order to maintain overall chassis stiffness — always useful to counter the floppiness usually experienced when you chop the roof off a coupe.
In the top speed stakes, Bugatti reckon that the 16.4GS is good for a maximum of 410km/h (255mph) — that’s actually just a few miles an hour quicker than the fixed head Veyron. Although you’ll need to have a good supply of brave pills, and the removable top firmly in place to achieve that — with the top down, travelling at that speed is sure to tear out your hair at the roots and, quite literally, bring tears to your eyes!
And, if you leave the car’s top in the garage at home, the 16.4GS also has a umbrella-like folding roof which can be stored in the luggage compartment. However, Bugatti don’t recommend that you try for a maximum speed pass with this ‘temporary’ roof erected; it’s only good for a piddly 128km/h (80mph).
Bugatti intend to build only 150 16.4 GS models, so if you’re into ultimate oneupmanship, you’ll have to be quick getting in your order. You’ll also need a massive bundle of cash — when the cars go on sale next March they’re expected to be wearing a 1.4 million Euro price tag. That’s around NZ$2.8M — just a tad more than I earn at the present!
