Let’s face it: the list of people who can afford to buy a Bugatti Veyron is a short one, and the list of people who can afford to drive and maintain a real Veyron is even shorter. The annual major service runs around $20,000, and a set of Veyron-specific Michelin tires runs around $35,000. Every four sets of tires (roughly every 20,000 miles, since the tires only last 5,000 miles per set) the Veyron requires new wheels, too.
One Florida man who wanted a Veyron did the next best thing: he built his own, by hand, laying up fiberglass and composite over a steel tube frame. The underpinnings come from a 2002 Mercury Cougar, and unlike a real Veyron this example even has a functional back seat. Annual service will be quite a bit less, and I’d be willing to bet that tires last longer than 5,000 miles. I know for certain that they cost a lot less than $35,000 for a set of four.
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Downsides? Under the skin, it’s a stock 2002 Mercury Cougar, complete with a tired 2.5-liter V-6 and an automatic transmission. The car has over 120,000 miles on the clock, most of which was racked up with the Cougar’s original body in place. The interior was redone when the car was built, but I’d be willing to bet the engine and transmission could benefit from some serious attention. You could probably stuff an LS3 motor under the hood, or maybe even a Ford Coyote 5.0-liter V8, but neither engine swap would be easy or cheap to undertake.
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If you want the next best thing to your own Bugatti, this replica is currently for sale on eBay. The asking price is a rather ambitious $89,000, which undoubtedly reflects the amount of time and effort spent building the car. It looks like a nicely built replica, but I’d have a hard time coughing up Corvette Z06 money for a rebodied Mercury Cougar. The car may look like a Veyron, but it certainly won’t run with the big dogs, and getting walked by a stock Civic Si would be, um, embarrassing.
Source: Yahoo News
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
