Peter Lyon
January 16, 2026
In the history of the automobile, some creations are defined by figures and performance statistics, while others are remembered for the way they transform an era. Belonging to an even rarer category – an entirely new segment – the Bugatti Veyron was the first hypercar to exist; a masterpiece that fundamentally redefined what was thought possible, while forging an emotional connection that endures long after its first record-breaking runs.
For Loris Bicocchi, Bugatti’s high-speed expert at the time, testing the Veyron represented a deeply personal journey shaped by awe, responsibility and a lasting sense of privilege.
Two decades on, the Bugatti Veyron remains a defining moment in automotive history. For the man entrusted with exploring its limits from the very first prototypes, the experience is as vivid today as it was at the beginning of the project. For Loris Bicocchi, the Veyron was an encounter with something entirely new – a machine that could not be measured against anything that came before it.
But the Veyron was not the first time he collaborated with the inimitable marque. Joining the testing program for the sensationally fast EB110 GT and EB110 SS from 1990 through to 1995, the Italian speed specialist was well accustomed to the remarkable heights of performance that four-wheel-drive Bugatti supercars could reach.
But when he received a call in 2001 asking if he was available to work on a new Bugatti project, he did not yet know what awaited him. Unofficially, however, the automotive world was already effervescent with excitement.
“All car enthusiasts had heard rumors about the Veyron. 1,001 horsepower, more than 400 kilometers per hour, sixteen cylinders – sixteen. Can you imagine? Even today, when I say that, I still get goosebumps.”
Loris Bicocchi
Expert in high-speed testing for the Bugatti Veyron
His debut run in the car took place at the Michelin test track in Ladoux, Clermont-Ferrand, behind the wheel of a red and black prototype. Anticipation quickly turned into emotion. “I was so excited that I couldn’t even wait for the official tests on Monday morning,” Bicocchi remembers.
“I went on Sunday when the car was delivered and sat in the car. When the engineers arrived the next day, I was laser-focused on relaying my first impressions. Simply put, we all were amazed by what the car was already showing.”
“At that moment in time, the Veyron delivered twice the power of any other production car. Even for a driver with experience across the most advanced supercars, there was no reference point. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Bicocchi explains. “I didn’t dare to go full throttle. It was so impressive – crazy, almost inexplicable. You immediately understood what this car stood for.”
Testing the Veyron meant stepping into unknown territory. With speeds exceeding 400 km/h, the rules governing aerodynamics, stability and braking changed entirely.
“From 300 or 320 kilometers per hour onwards, everything changes. Especially aerodynamics. Every single detail counts. I had to reset all the references I had built during my career, because the Veyron was simply incomparable to anything I had driven before.”
