Testing the Bugatti Veyron meant resetting everything drivers thought they knew about speed

Testing the Bugatti Veyron was not an easy process.

Because it meant resetting everything the drivers thought they knew about speed.

It was an incredibly intense and demanding process.

But it completely revolutionized the nature of the supercar industry.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

Bugatti Veyron testing left in the hands of this man

The Bugatti Veyron is an incredibly important creation.

In many ways, it is single-handedly responsible for the creation of the hypercar industry.

But what was testing the Bugatti Veyron actually like?

Well, now we know – thanks to the man who actually did it.

Loris Bicocchi was Bugatti’s high-speed testing expert at the time of the project.

The Italian had actually worked for the brand before – on the EB110 GT and EB110 SS from 1990 to 1995.

But he has revealed what testing the Bugatti Veyron was like for him.

He got the call about the new project back in 2001.

Sitting down in an interview with Newspress USA, Bicocchi offered some truly amazing insight.

“All car enthusiasts had heard rumors about the Veyron. 1,001hp, more than 400kmh, 16 cylinders – 16. Can you imagine?” Bicocci said.

“Even today, when I say that, I still get goosebumps.”

The debut itself took place at the Michelin test track in Ladoux, France.

And sitting behind the wheel of the black-and-red prototype had a profound effect.

“Simply put, we all were amazed by what the car was already showing.”

At the time, the Veyron delivered double the power of any other four-wheeled production car.

“I didn’t dare to go full throttle. It was so impressive – crazy, almost inexplicable. You immediately understood what this car stood for.”

Project changed everything Bicocchi knew about speed

Testing the iconic hypercar meant resetting everything Bicocchi thought he knew about speed.

“From 300 or 320kmh onwards, everything changes. Especially aerodynamics. Every single detail counts.

“I had to reset all the references I had built during my career, because the Veyron was simply incomparable to anything I had driven before.”

In many ways, the biggest challenge of it all was the driveability, because it wasn’t a track-only machine. Regular Joes would be driving it, on regular roads.

“We had to create an incredible car, yes, but one that could be driven by anyone, not only by professional drivers,” Bicocchi reflects.

So what was the most memorable part of the process for the Italian?

In Bicocchi’s mind, it is attacking the high-speed testing at Ehra-Lessien, Germany.

“I remember being asked to fully accelerate and then apply full braking at more than 400kmh,” Bicocchi recalls. That’s a whopping 248mph, in 2001.

Even today, the Bugatti Veyron stands alone as a turning point in the supercar industry.

Because it truly redefined what was possible with four wheels and an engine.

And Loris Bicocchi is one of the men to thank for that effort.