Features

Petrol heads could have witnessed some horsepower of a very different kind at Royal Ascot last week when the world’s most valuable racehorse, Frankel, took his unbeaten run to 11 with a stunning 11-length victory in the Queen Anne Stakes. 

At first glance, it might seem a little unfair to compare the one horsepower, Frankel, to the world’s fastest road car, the Bugatti Veyron (1183 break horsepower) but their credentials deserve close scrutiny.

As you might expect with the most expensive car in the world, the Bugatti comes with an eye-watering, on-the-road price of £2million. However, that’s cheap compared to Frankel who’s been valued at £100million, even though he already has quite a few miles on the clock.

The Bugatti certainly has the edge when it comes to speed, having topped 268mph on the track. In contrast, Frankel has achieved a more modest top speed of 41mph at full throttle on the racecourse but this has still left the opposition trailing in his wake on 10 consecutive occasions. Frankel’s also a little slower from the gate, taking nearly 28 seconds to cover the first quarter mile, compared to the Bugatti at a mere 10.5 seconds but he’s never going to get a speeding ticket.

The world’s highest-rated racehorse does rather better when it comes to fuel consumption, consuming 35,000 Kcalories a day, most of which are oats and hay. The Bugatti requires super lead free octane, burning up a gallon of petrol every 11 miles. 

Frankel’s contribution to greenhouse gases is also significantly lower, with CO2 emissions of just 60g per kilometre compared to the Veyron Super Sport’s contribution of 539g over the same distance. However, Frankel’s digestive system is rather less sophisticated than the exhaust of the Bugatti so methane production is an unfortunate bi-product.

For the technically minded, the Bugatti is powered by an 8.0 litre quad-turbocharged, W16 cylinder engine. Frankel has a heart that can deliver 240 beats a minute, pumping 60 pints of blood around the body every sixty seconds of a race. Frankel’s air intakes support enormous lungs that draw in 150 litres of air per second, breathing in and out 140 times a minute. 

Insurance won’t be cheap for either mode of transport. Frankel’s annual premium will set you back at least £2.5 million, whereas the Bugatti’s in insurance group 20 so a decent no-claims bonus would be helpful!

The Bugatti Super Sport has the advantage of being a two-seater convertible, whilst Frankel has just one leather seat and little or no protection from the elements. Steering and braking are also rather more rudimentary on Frankel, whereas the Bugatti has power steering, ceramic brakes and comes in a range of colours. Both come with four wheel drive as standard.

On the downside, a new set of tyres for the Veyron would set you back £16,000. In contrast, four new aluminium racing plates are cheap at a little over £100, including fitting!

A test drive of the Bugatti should be relatively easy; provided you can persuade the car showroom that you have the necessary funds. Riding Frankel is somewhat more of a challenge, with Tom Queally partnering the four-year-old for every one of his victories.