Bugatti sets the title for fastest roadster, officially verified by TUV

Less than a week after Bugatti's 2010 record setting Guinness title was stripped, the French-German automaker claims the world's fastest roadster is a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse. The record was verified by TUV, not the famed Guinness World Record publishing group that verifies and declares the widely accepted world record title.

The Grand Sport Vitesse set the record at the Volkswagen Group's proving grounds in Ehra-Lessien where TUV, the renowned independent German organisation for Technical Inspection and Certification, officially confirmed that a top speed of 408.84 km/h was recorded.

"When we introduced the Vitesse, we could not let go of the idea of reaching the 400km/h mark with this car. The fact that we have succeeded in reaching 408.84km/h is a thrill for me, and it reaffirms once again that Bugatti is the leader when it comes to technology in the international automotive industry," said a delighted Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse was launched last year and is powered by a colossal 8.0-litre W16 engine, with an output of 1,200bhp and a torque of a massive 1,500Nm. Keeping wind noise and air turbulence to a minimum in the vehicle's interior is a particular concern for roadsters. Yet the Vitesse features a specially developed roof spoiler along with a complex windbreak for a composed open top driving - important virtues for reaching the record breaking speed of 408.84km/h.

The Vitesse is finished in a striking black and orange dual-colour scheme and Bugatti intents to produce a scarce of eight vehicles in a World Record Car (WRC) Edition for an exorbitant price of €1.99 million (S$3.22 million) each.

The record setting car will be globally unveiled at the forthcoming Shanghai Motor Show that runs from the April 21^st till the 29^th.