Chapter XV – Public relations – Bugatti and Top Gear

Bugatti mainly uses press relations to advertise new cars and to bring awareness to the company. An example of this is Bugatti's relationship with the British TV program Top Gear. Ever since the Veyron was released the hosts of the program couldn’t wait to put it on their test track, but Bugatti wouldn’t allow it, but they did allow the show to borrow the car and use it in a couple of challenges, like; a race against Cessna 182 Private Plane from Alba, Italy to London to deliver a truffle, Veyron won, of course. In another episode the car was pinned against a Eurofighter Typhoon jet, to see which one could travel two miles faster (the Bugatti along a runway and back, the Eurofighter climbing a mile straight up and back down), Eurofighter won this one. It was also featured in a race against the McLaren F1 in a one mile drag race in Abu Dhabi, Bugatti took the win. But the most notable use of the Veyron on Top Gear was when one of the hosts, James May aka “Capitan Slow”took the Veyron to its top speed of 253mph. it was the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever seen on TV. The Veyron was also Top Gear’s Car of the year 2005 and Jeremy Clarkson declared it “the greatest piece of engineering ever. No, I'm sorry, this is the greatest car ever made and the greatest car we will ever see in our lifetime."

Then finally four years after its release the Veyron appeared on Top Gear’s test track, initially it was third behind the Gumpert Apollo and Konigsegg CCX, with the time of 1:18.3 seconds, but two minutes later it was bumped to fourth place by Pagani Zonda F roadster which was just 5 milliseconds faster.

At first when the Veyron came out, I honestly didn’t like it, I thought that it was ugly, it was too heavy, and it was too arrogant with its 1001 hp and 253mph. Only recently (after being influenced by Tog Gear) my view of the car has changed radically, I have seen the other side of the beast and now I think that it’s the most beautiful car ever both in the looks and engineering department. So I think the PR effort was pretty effective.