Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport revealed

We knew it was coming, and here it is -- the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, which made its first public showing at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The open-topped Veyron took its bows on the evening prior to the Concours d'Elegance, and Bugatti graciously offered the car to charity, with the vehicle destined for the highest bidder.

As per its coupe sibling, the Grand Sport is backed by a host of completely OTT stats, including the ability to reach a v-max of 407km/h with the roof closed. Naturally it's not quite as quick with the roof off… it can only touch 360km/h in this configuration.

The luggage compartment also houses a folding canvas roof "that can be opened up like an umbrella" in case you get caught out by an unexpected shower --- but top speed has to be kept to below 130km/h with this in place.

Assembled by hand at the company's headquarters in Alsace, France, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport will be available internationally from March 2009 wearing a sticker price of 1.4 million euros ($2.4 million)... excluding tax.

Just 150 examples will be made, with the first 50 of these earmarked for registered Bugatti customers.

Creating the Grand Sport involved more than merely lopping off the roof, and Bugatti aficionados may have picked up on the slightly higher windscreen and stylised daytime running lights, not to mention the lightweight, transparent polycarbonate roof.

Dispensing with the roof obviously impacted on the Veyron's rigidity, so the Bugatti boffins have countered this by reinforcing the monocoque structure around the side skirts and the transmission tunnel.

The B-pillars have been cross-stiffened using a carbonfibre support, and a central carbon plate has been positioned beneath the transmission tunnel to ensure the vehicle suffers from less torsional flexing than any other roadster, according to its maker.

The Grand Sport's doors are made of carbonfibre, and house an integrated longitudinal beam.

In the event of an accident, says Bugatti, this transfers the load from the A to the B-pillar, thereby dissipating impact energy. What's more, the two redesigned air intakes for the 16-cylinder engine now feature 10cm wide 'carbonfibre elements' to offer protection in a rollover.

The Grand Sport's mod-cons include moisture-resistant, backstitched leather, a reversing camera with 2.7-inch monitor in the rear-view-mirror, and a 'Puccini' sound system with digital signal processor.

We can't think of a better -- or faster -- way to pose...

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