Bugatti has placed a further two-year contact for the production of the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) system of its Veyron supercar. Ricardo director of high performance transmission products Mark Barge said:
Ricardo is really pleased to see a further extension of the partnership with Bugatti on the dual clutch transmission of the Veyron, a supercar that represents the ultimate in high quality automotive design, engineering and manufacture. We look forward to two further very successful years in the story of this truly great automobile with its advanced Ricardo transmission.
The new order represents a further two years of production for the seven-speed DCT unit – which was designed in collaboration with Ricardo – and will be manufactured at the Ricardo facility at Leamington, UK. It is rather interesting to see this news popping up with the Veyron lifecycle coming to an end.
So what is the deal here. Simply there can only be a two explanations. The first one is that Bugatti is planning to extend the Veyron production with more versions. One option could be the upcoming Grand Sport Super Sport or Super Grand Sport, which is rumoured to be in development as we speak. This final huarah combines a removable roof panel with a more powerful engine and the bodywork of the Super Sport.
Another option could be the Galibier 16C Concept, a four-door super-sedan, planned by the supercar maker from Molsheim. The latest news is that the release of the four-seat luxury sedan is pushed back to at least 2015, which means Bugatti has to cover at least two additional years with the current Veyron, before the Galibier takes its place. This seems feasible with respect to the production extension.
