25 years ago, Loris Bicocchi received a phone call that changed his life—now he talks about how demanding the tests of the first true hypercar were.
It has now been over 20 years since the Bugatti Veyron turned the sports car world upside down. But while we have now almost become accustomed to hypercars with 1,000, 1,600, and even 2,000 hp, back then the project was a step into the complete unknown. One person who had to take this step very early on was test driver Loris Bicocchi.
Bicocchi was no stranger to Bugatti. The Italian speed specialist took part in the test program for the EB110 GT and EB110 SS from 1990 to 1995 and was therefore very familiar with the remarkable performance figures that Bugatti’s all-wheel-drive super sports cars were capable of achieving. But when he received the call for the new project under VW’s direction in 2001, he too was entering uncharted territory.
16 cylinders and no reference values
“All car enthusiasts had heard rumors about the Veyron. 1,001 hp, more than 400 kilometers per hour, sixteen cylinders – sixteen,” recalls Bicocchi today. “Can you imagine that? Even today, I still get goose bumps when I talk about it.”
The first encounter took place on the Michelin test track in Ladoux. A red and black prototype was ready and waiting. “I was so excited that I couldn’t even wait for the official tests on Monday morning,” recalls Bicocchi.
“I drove to the test track on Sunday when the car was delivered and got in. When the engineers arrived the next day, I was completely focused on sharing my first impressions with them. In short, we were all thrilled with what the car already had to offer.”
The problem: there was no benchmark. The Veyron simply had twice as much power as the top sports cars of the time. So even for a driver with experience in the most modern super sports cars, there was no reference point. “I didn’t know what to expect,” explains Bicocchi. “I didn’t dare to put my foot down. It was so impressive – crazy, almost indescribable. You immediately understood what this car would stand for.“
The rules change at 300 km/h
The development work mainly consisted of pushing physical boundaries. According to Bicocchi, all the experience he had gained in his career had to be readjusted. ”Everything changes at 300 or 320 kilometers per hour. Especially aerodynamics. Every single detail counts.“
But top speed was only one side of the coin. The specifications from Wolfsburg were much more complex: the Veyron was to be a hyper sports car that could be driven safely and confidently by drivers in all conditions. ”That was an enormous responsibility, both for me and for the brand,” recalls Bicocchi.
“Yes, we had to develop an incredible car – but one that could be driven by anyone, not just professional drivers. It was real teamwork – a group of experts covering all areas – and we all learned together while making history. It was incredible.”
Emergency braking at 250 mph
A key moment in the testing took place on the VW test track in Ehra-Lessien. The task: maximum acceleration to over 250 mph, followed by emergency braking. “I remember being asked to accelerate to full speed and then brake hard at over 400 km/h,” recalls Bicocchi. “It was incredibly stressful and exciting at the same time. When you achieve your goal and the whole team comes to celebrate with you, you really feel like you’re part of a family – and part of history.”
For Bicocchi, who grew up just a stone’s throw from Lamborghini in Sant’Agatha Bolognese, trained there, and has also worked for Pagani and Koenigsegg, the Veyron remains a timeless piece of engineering even two decades later: “A Bugatti is timeless and should remain so,” he sums up.
“When you look at the design, the lines, and the emotions they evoke, it becomes clear that they are not tied to a particular era. That’s what makes Bugatti so special.”
