The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse: The world's fastest supercar

In the world of supercars, it's the superlatives that matter.

Volkswagen's Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse certainly has its share of superlatives to boast about. It is the world's fastest production roadster—and the most expensive. And with only 150 Grand Sports scheduled to be built, owning one puts a person in a very exclusive club.

The titanium grille in the Vitesse, pictured here, is designed to withstand bird-strikes at 250 miles per hour.

Click ahead to take a close-up look at this $2.3 million supercar.

By Christina Cheddar Berk
Posted 1 August 2013

Vitesse is the French word for speed, and the Grand Sport Vitesse delivers.

In April, the open-top version reached a maximum speed of 408.84 kilometers per hour (254.04 mph) at Volkswagen's proving grounds in Ehra-Lessien, Germany. That record gave the car its title as the fastest open-top production sports car in the world.

The leather used in the car's interior is made from the hides of cows that were raised at high altitudes. This helps prevent imperfections in the leather because the high elevation limits the number of insects that could bite the cows and damage their hides.

Every element of the Grand Sport is designed to enhance the speed of the car and add to the driving experience, including its tires, which cost about $35,000 for a set of four.

The Grand Sport Vitesse boasts a eight-liter, quad-turbocharged W16-cylinder engine that unleashes 1,200 horsepower, and revs up to 60 miles per hour in a lightning-quick 2.6 seconds.

The "EB" inscribed on the car's gas hatch refers to Bugatti founder Ettore Bugatti, while "Veyron," is a nod to Pierre Veyron, a Bugatti development engineer, test driver and company race driver.

Veyron, with co-driver Jean-Pierre Wimille, won the 1939 Le Mans race while driving a Bugatti.

A look at the car's interior, which is made primarily of carbon fiber, aluminium and magnesium and was designed to be simple and comfortable for everyday drivers.

The Vitesse has a top speed of 255 miles per hour, although the Grand Sport Vitesse is electronically limited to 233 miles per hour.

Vitesse owners receive two keys when they purchase the car: a black-and-red ignition key and a second silver key. The silver key is inserted into a slot next to the driver's seat to allow the car to reach its top speed.

The rear end of the car is characterized by a double diffusor and centrally positioned twin tailpipes.

The front end of the Grand Sport Vitesse has larger air intakes, with the two central air intakes to the left and right of the Bugatti radiator grille.

Since the engine is in the rear, the only storage is under the front hood. It's large enough for only a few of the car's accessories.

Despite being built for speed, the car's designers also made sure that it was easy to handle.

Keeping wind noise to a minimum in the car's interior also was a priority. In the Vitesse, a specially developed roof spoiler along with an intricately designed windbreak guarantees calm open-top driving.

(Read more: My test drive of the world's fastest supercar)