The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport has set a new production car land speed record, hitting 267mph at VW’s Ehra-Lessien proving ground. 267mph. Well, 267.91mph to be precise, or 431.072km/h, thrashing the 256.23mph set by the SSC Ultimate Aero in Nevada in 2007.

You don’t need us to tell you this, but that is obscenely, absurdly fast. To set the production speed record is impressive. To smash it by 11mph is astonishing.

Then again, the Veyron Super Sport is an astonishing car. Effectively the final iteration of the Veyron, it shares the same 8.0-litre, 16-cylinder engine, but with larger turbos and bigger intercoolers to push power to 1,183bhp, a jump of 196bhp. Torque increases from 921lb ft to 1106lb ft.

It’s lighter than the standard Veyron, too: that black’n'orange skin is constructed solely from carbon fibre, saving around 50kg. The Super Sport gets stiffer suspension, aiding high-speed stability and allowing lateral acceleration of 1.4g. Good work if you’ve spotted the new NACA ducts and reworked double diffuser.

The Super Sport will hit 62mph in the same 2.5 seconds as the standard Veyron (and never was such an adjective less appropriate), but its 0-124mph and 0-186mph times are reduced to 7.3 seconds and 15.0 seconds. 124mph in just over seven seconds. Yowch.

On the Ehra-Lessien test track, the Super Sports hit 427.933km/h (265.96mph) on its upwind run, before reaching 434.211km/h (269.86mph) on the return leg.

“We took it that we would reach an average value of 425km/h, but the conditions were perfect and allowed even more,” Bugatti chief engineer Dr Wolfgang Schreiber said after.

The world record was filmed for the BBC’s motoring series Top Gear who said, “Now, we wouldn’t want to give anything away, but you know how TopGear has always been pretty intimately involved with high-speed runs in the Veyron? Remember, for example, James’s blast to 253mph in Series 9?”

Fortunately for our underwriters we didn’t insure Janmes May, however if you want instant cover for your Bugatti and a Veyron SS if you just happen to own one – call us now on 0800 089 0182 or visit High Performance Car Insurance on-line.

Bugatti Veyron SS Sets New Road Car Speed Record is a post from Performance Car Insurance - The UK's High Performance Car Insurance Website

Times have changed and due to the economic crisis and a change in the attitude of a generation, sports cars, high performance cars and classic cars are all the rage with the baby boomers, who can now be seen driving around town in cars they once pushed around as dinky or matchbox toys when they were little boys and girls.

Those big kids who would once maybe invest in shares on the stock exchange are now putting their investments into tangible property, and classic cars and performance motors have become the investment collectors portfolio of choice. Consequently as demand for expensive cars rises, the supply of car insurance responds, and there are now some excellent money saving opportunities on the market that were only available to a privileged few before the advent of online underwriting.

For those of us who have eventually realised our dreams and secured that prized classic car or souped up modified sports car we always wanted, it is important to protect it with a comprehensive policy from an independent insurance specialist.

Specialist car insurance providers will save you money by presenting to you unique cover options and high performance car insurance schemes, which have been specifically incorporated into the policy wording for your specific vehicle.

These bespoke policy types are known as classic car insurance schemes and are often initially drawn up by an underwriter, in request to a large pool of insurance presented by a classic car club club or society. Each manufacturer will have multiple members clubs and there may be many schemes for a particular car model.

Hence the policy wordings of classic motor and sports car insurance schemes often contain elements that are specific to a particular car make, type and model. These schemes often include additional benefits, such as helplines and approved specialist repairers who are on hand as part of the claims package.

Specialist car insurance schemes also provide cover for high performance, prestige, classic or sports cars in particular, and you could certainly save money by taking out a policy from a scheme associated with your car, rather than standard motor insurance from a insurance comparison supermarket.

If your car is not a regular everyday standard road vehicle, but is special with accessories and modifications, or it is worth over £10000 you may find yourself subjected to higher premiums from the standard motor insurance providers.

Wholesale insurance companies argue that handling claims and arranging specialist parts for replacement and repairs, tend to be much more difficult to arrange and expensive and the result is higher premiums. Many mainstream car comparison insurers do not want to cover you period, so they will try to exclude you and dissuade you by offering highly weighted premium quotes and expensive cover.

Worse still if you are forced to claim, you may even get sent to the wrong type of repair workshop by a standard insurer, when your motor or classic car requires specialist tools at the main dealer or makers garage!

You could be paying much less for your classic cover by switching to a specialist provider of classic car insurance. In certain circumstances, for example where your existing policy provider is charging you for unnecessary elements of cover, or does not really want you as a client as your profile does not match the optimal risk profile for their book of insurance business, you could save hundreds if you switch to a classic scheme. Additionally schemes more frequently than not offer exclusive discounts not found at the mega insurance supermarkets.

The benefits of these schemes are that you buy a product that is totally suitable for your individual situation and designed around your exact personal requirements and your classic or performance car’s particular insurance cover needs.

Original Article & Author: Dave Healey

Specialist Car Insurance Schemes Will Save High Performance Car Owners a Small Fortune! is a post from Performance Car Insurance - The UK's High Performance Car Insurance Website