Even nearly seven years after its introduction, the multimillion-dollar Bugatti Veyron is still the pinnacle of automotive engineering — enough so that seeing one of the fewer than 300 built taken to a California coin-operated car wash nearly sparked an intervention.
Tipster Will sent us this photo from Torrance, Calif., where he says his first thought upon seeing a Veyron owner fishing for quarters was to think someone had been playing Dr. Bugatti with the Bondo and a Mercury Cougar again. Upon inspection, it turned out to be the real deal — one that Will reports was upsetting to the car wash's owner: "He said if they take the foam brush to it he would turn it off and make them leave."
But such a display of quarter-pinching from a Veyron owner is understandable in these hard economic times. For those not accustomed to the world of Bugattis, merely paying $2 million for the two sets of keys to your Veyron is only the beginning of an ownership journey. And it is an actual journey; your run-flat tires are only to be removed from their rims in France, and must be replaced every 2,500 miles, at a cost of about $40,000 for all four (made exclusively for the Veyron, the Michelin rubbers are not sold at your local Costco.) A "routine" service runs about $19,000; would you really trust Jiffy Lube with a car that has 10 radiators?
The Veyron actually has a clearcoat paint that's as thick as the entire coat on regular vehicles — so they'll be plenty to work with for a proper cleaning job. The Veyron owner left the self-service bay without drying his car, saving the two bits otherwise spent on the vending machine shammy or the highfalutin' new-car fragrance dispenser. He was last seen heading toward the nearby dollar store, because where else can you get a whole case of ramen noodles for a buck?
Thanks Will!