Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse Plays Cat and Mouse with LP700-4 Aventador

The 8.0-liter W16 monster was famously born with 1,001 hp, just enough to crest over the 1,000 line and become the world's fastest (and most expensive) production car at the time. Later on, the engine received an update that saw its power output skip to 1,200, which is what this Grand Sport Vitesse version we see here can produce.

The thing with the Veyron was that it had the kind of frightening performance other vehicles needed to go through extensive modifications programs to get, but with the Bugatti, it all came stock. Granted, it also came with a price tag that would allow you to buy a jetplane and win every drag race, but for those who could afford, it was worth it.

The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, on the other hand, is a bit of a monster itself. With 700 hp, all-wheel-drive, and not much to stand in the way of the air it's trying to move trough, the Italian supercar is able to reach the benchmark 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.9 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds longer than what the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse needs.

With a 1.5-liter smaller displacement and four fewer cylinders - not to mention the 500 hp handicap - that's quite impressive stuff from the Lambo. In fact, we think a standing quarter-mile between these two would be a close enough affair, even though all the numbers point toward just the one winner.

However, two of these runs are going to have rolling starts, and when traction isn't a thing anymore, the sheer grunt of the Veyron can stomp on anything in its way. In fact, the driver was so certain it could beat the Lambo it gave it a two-second headstart even with a standing start. That's like a cat playing with the mouse it just caught. "OK, I'm letting you go now," and two steps later "Nope, just kidding," and smacks the poor rodent with its paw.

And it's not just the performance itself, but also how effortlessly it seems to be doing it. The Veyron looks and feels more like a luxury car, like a grand tourer that only accepts these duels because its honor commands it to. And after it wins them, it's back to sipping tea and talking about golf.

The fact it's been more than a year from the Chiron's launch and we're still talking about its predecessor is a clear indicator that the new model will never be able to replicate the wow-factor of the original, despite improving on its performance significantly.