Volkswagen Group sold the 450th and final Bugatti Veyron, marking the end of one of the most exclusive supercars ever built. The last Veyron is called La Finale and is a version of the open-top Grand Sport Vitesse variant that generates 1,200hp from a supercharged engine. The car will be on display next week at the Geneva auto show.
The 450 Veyrons were sold for an average price of about 2.3 million euros (USD2.6 million) each. The Veyron set industry records not just for speed, but also for losing money, according to estimates from Max Warburton, a Singapore-based analyst for Sanford Bernstein Ltd. VW lost 4.6 million euros on every Veyron sold and lost 1.7 billion euros in total on developing and selling the car.
After buying the Bugatti brand in 1998, Volkswagen revived the carmaker, which was originally founded by designer Ettore Bugatti. The goal was to develop a vehicle powerful enough to drive faster than 400 kph (249 mph) as well as stylish and comfortable enough for a trip to the opera. The Veyron was first presented in 2005.
The final Veyron was purchased by an unidentified customer from the Middle East. Over the production run, about half the cars were sold in Europe, with about a quarter being delivered in the U.S., according to Bugatti.
