Bugatti loses top speed record, teases new garage doors

Bugatti placed this teaser shot on its Facebook page Monday with a cryptic quote.

“The stage is set. It's almost time for us to share the latest example of exceptional Bugatti performance, simply keep a close eye on Facebook over the next few days.”

Rumors floating around say this could be the Super Veyron we've heard whispers of. It could debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. We've heard power could be rated at an amazing 1,600 hp.

We can't tell much from the picture -- actually nothing -- but it does look like a 1938 Bugatti 57C. #waronteasers

But the really interesting Bugatti news came to us over the weekend, and it came directly from John Hennessey, who was spreading the news: The Veyron Super Sport has been stripped of its Guinness World Record for fastest production car.

Apparently the car used to set the record of 267.8 mph had its speed limiter turned off. The production car is limited to 258, which is obviously much, much safer than 267.8.

“As the car's speed limiter was deactivated, this modification was against the official guidelines. Consequently, the vehicle's record set at 431.072 km/h is no longer valid. Following this, Guinness World Records is reviewing this category with expert external consultants to ensure our records fairly reflect achievements in this field,” Guinness told The Sunday Times.

Texas tuner Hennessey stands to gain from the change. Its latest car, the Venom GT, just hit 265.7 mph at California's United States Naval Air Station Lemoore, which would make it the fastest production car. However, the Venom GT only made one run; to be the record holder, the car has to make two passes in opposite directions.

A Bugatti spokeswoman told The Sunday Times, “Guinness knew the Veyron's speed limiter was deactivated but that for safety reasons, cars subsequently sold to customers would have their speed limiters activated [set at 258 mph].”

The spokeswoman also told The Times that the model's reputation would be safe.

“It's not a hard blow if we lose this title. The Super Sport is more than just a world-record car.”

We're done with manufacturer efforts to drag vehicle reveals out for weeks and months. It's a marketing gimmick, and it's jumped the shark -- we're taking our ball and going home. If you're desperate to catch a glimpse of some random outline you'll have no trouble finding it on the Internet. If you want to see the actual Bugatti, we'll have it for you here, after the full reveal.

By Jake Lingeman