It's been rumoured for a while, but finally it appears to be about to come to pass - Ireland will see its first Bugatti Veyron early this year.
Cunningham Higgins Specialist Cars in Galway has confirmed that it has one of the 400km/h machines on order for an - as yet unnamed - Irish customer.
Niall Cunningham, while insisting it was strictly "unconfirmed" as yet, said he was confident the supercar would be delivered within the next two months. There is no official retail price for the car in Ireland, but it is estimated the buyer will be at least €1.2 million out of pocket.
It is quite a coup for Cunningham Higgins. Slots on the waiting list for the Veyron, of which only 300 are being built, cost over €400,000. Developed in conjunction with Bugatti's parent company Volkswagen, the all-wheel drive Veyron is the most powerful, most expensive production car of all time. It is also the fastest, with a proven top speed of over 400 km/h.
Its V16 eight-litre quad-turbocharged engine generates 1,001 horse power, allowing it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds.
It reaches 200 and 300 km/h in 7.3 and 16.7 seconds respectively.
This performance comes at a price - the Veyron is also the thirstiest supercar ever.
It goes through 40.4 L/100 km (5.82 mpg) in city driving and 24.1 L/100 km (10 mpg) in combined cycle.
If driven at full speed, its range would be a mere 80 kilometres, with its 100-litre fuel tank emptying in just 12.5 minutes.
