Things That Don’t Mix (Updated)
[Guest post by DRJ]
Salt water, a pelican, a cell phone, and a $2M Bugatti Veyron:
“The Veyron’s powerful engine gurgled like an outboard motor for about 15 minutes before it died.”
— DRJ
EDIT: Gazzer has video.
UPDATED — Two years later and this story isn’t over yet: Insurer calls crash of $1.2 million car fraud.
Well, at least it’s not a real Bugatti. They haven’t been made since 1959. The are really rare and expensive. A friend of mine has three. He invested his pension plan in them in the 60s and boy has that been a good investment !
Mike K (2cf494) — 11/12/2009 @ 3:01 pmYou could say it was a Royale flush. (Car guy joke.)
Gazzer (f4dafa) — 11/12/2009 @ 3:08 pmI would be very careful about buying any used Veyron from Texas.
AD - RtR/OS! (05d966) — 11/12/2009 @ 3:26 pmSalt-water is not very friendly when it comes to non-ferrous metals,
or anyplace else where it cannot be properly flushed away.
Sorry Mike K.
That’s the real deal. http://www.bugatti.com/en/veyron-16.4.html
My 7-year-old is way bummed right now.
Wife and Mom to car nuts – Em
Em (11cf60) — 11/12/2009 @ 3:49 pmSo, how much Obama cash for that soaking-wet klunker?
Old Coot (166f79) — 11/12/2009 @ 3:50 pmEm, I think Mike is saying that the new Bugattis are not authentic in the true spirit of the old company.
I agree with Mike that this would be much worse if it was a classic Bugatti. This is just a nice piece of plastic.
Dustin (bb61e3) — 11/12/2009 @ 3:52 pmfine-tuned, French-built car
Ok, if there ever was a contradiction in terms ….
nk (df76d4) — 11/12/2009 @ 3:55 pmAh, got it Dustin.
My bad.
Still pretty sad though. I think they’re pretty cool. But that’s just this chick’s opinion.
Em (11cf60) — 11/12/2009 @ 4:13 pmEm, this is a Bugatti like the Ritz Carlton hotels are the Ritz Carlton. A very smart lawyer bought the Ritz Carlton name about 1970 and sold it to partnerships to build those luxury hotels. He made a ton of money. But those are not the original Ritz Carlton, which was in Boston. Even the 1959 Bugatti was not a real one.
Mike K (2cf494) — 11/12/2009 @ 4:17 pmVintage vs. “kit car.” Got it.
I imagine small consolation for the dude now out $2 mil. Great advertisement for hang up and drive though.
Em (11cf60) — 11/12/2009 @ 4:49 pmOuch.
tyree (63f92c) — 11/12/2009 @ 5:34 pmHang up and drive.
Or as I saw once on a bumper sticker, “Steering is not enough”
Pelicans can be really treacherous but the thing is, they really do mean well. I don’t know what to tell you.
happyfeet (b919e7) — 11/12/2009 @ 6:09 pmOut of respect for the dead, I will not insert the obligatory Ted Kennedy snark here.
Dave N (c7afc5) — 11/12/2009 @ 6:20 pmDave N – hey, the video is sorta emblematic of the Obama Ship of State, is it not ?
(It couldn’t be Kennedy, cuz it’s not *under*water)
Alasdair (e7cb73) — 11/12/2009 @ 6:27 pmVeyrons are amazing cars. It is a shame that such an amazing machine was wasted on a jackass… but that’s the way it works with awesome cars.
Dustin (bb61e3) — 11/12/2009 @ 6:29 pmThe Veyron is not a “kit” car. It is built by VW, because their chairman Ferdinand Piech wanted a “supercar”, and along with the VW Phaeton is considered to be his pet projects trying to move the VW more upscale.
He is a minority owner of Porsche, but was forced to move to Audi/VW because of rules that forbid Porsche family members from being involved in management of the company.
He also bought the Bentley and Lamborghini brands for VW.
doug (49dd6f) — 11/12/2009 @ 8:05 pmDoug – I know Veyron isn’t a “kit car.” I was using car lingo (lamely I guess) to show my understanding that some automobile purists might find it to be, shall we say, a departure from the original owner. Then again, Ettore Bugatti did seem to enjoy flash. And since VW just surpassed Toyota for #1 position, that group must be doing something right.
I live with one man and two young sons – it’s Car and Driver, BBC America Top Gear and HotWheels 24/7 here.
Now, who wants to talk shoes?
em (11cf60) — 11/12/2009 @ 8:31 pmPaging Dana …
DRJ (dee47d) — 11/12/2009 @ 8:49 pmDmac has a lot of singles laying about…
AD - RtR/OS! (05d966) — 11/12/2009 @ 8:53 pmseems someone keeps throwing them at him.