Frankly I don’t care much about whether this particular story of Ukrainian corruption is true or not.
I think the thing that bugs me the most about this is someone buying a car like that just because it’s expensive. I know that sort of thing goes on all the time, but it feels insulting that these things are bought like they’re display objects. Whoever actually bought one of the Tourbillons will almost certainly drive it very little, or maybe even keep it in a display garage somewhere. They will never ever come close to the true performance envelope of that car. They’ll replace the tires and wheels every few years as the maintenance schedule requires, but the tires will have almost no wear, and the wheels will not have any stress microfractures. The owner will have effectively no understanding of the true meaning behind the car having 1800 horsepower.
I will never have the resources to own any modern Bugatti, but I probably have a better understanding of the implications of the car than 90% of the actual owners. I feel the same way every time I see a Viper on the road (though as those cars age, they’re finally trickling down into the hands of people who can properly use them). The vast majority of Vipers were bought by people who did NOT understand what the car really was.
I apply this standard less for cars like Zondas and Lamborghinis (which I likely also will never own), because they are not at the same level of engineering as the Bugatti. I still think it’s silly to waste them on prowling through expensive areas of the city late at night at 25mph, but in the final analysis, those cars are at least as much about how they look as they are about what’s under the hood. But the Bugattis were built around that incredible goal of the 1000hp (and higher) engine, but they’re mostly bought by people who will never truly understand what they have.
Oh, and I completely understand that there’s not really many places outside of a track where you can truly appreciate that kind of power, but there are some, and there are plenty of “driver’s roads” where the rest of the car can shine, and that deep well of power is there to keep the car moving energetically.
Most people who buy a “supercar” buy it as a status symbol. If they ever attempted to drive it to it’s full potential, they would crash, and burn, and die. People have no clue how much driving skill is required. Find a professional race car driver, and ask them how hard it is to drive a Formula 1 car. Same idea.