2013 Audi A3

Man Trades In Bugatti Veyron For Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

 
15 13,169 views Feb 25, 2010
Follow Viknesh

2004 Bugatti Veyron 16.4

HI-RES GALLERY: 2004 Bugatti Veyron 16.4

You’d never expect to see a Bugatti Veyron sitting in the used car lot of a Chevrolet dealership but that’s exactly what happened at All American Chevrolet in Midland, Texas. The circumstances surrounding the bizarre occurrence are not exactly clear but allegedly a man by the name of Carlton Beal Jr. traded in his Veyron, estimated to be worth around $1.6 million, for a brand new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which costs a little over $100 grand.

The Veyron was a 2008 model finished in a two-tone black and red color scheme similar to the one pictured and only had 2,307 miles on the odometer. It was traded in for a black Corvette ZR1 that was sitting in inventory.

Beal runs a privately held petroleum and natural gas company, also in Midland, and has previously owned a Lamborghini Diablo and McLaren F1 so it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about supercar ownership.

Perhaps it was an investment gone bad or an extreme act of patriotism but whatever it was Beal must have had a good reason for the trade. No details surrounding the deal have been revealed.

Incidentally, the Corvette ZR1 runs a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 205 mph. The Bugatti Veyron packs a quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W-16 engine and takes just 2.4 seconds to reach 60 mph from rest and maxes out at 253 mph.

[Jalopnik]





Posted in:
 
Contribute
Send us a tip Comment Contact the editor
Follow Us

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

  • Posting indicates you have read this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Notify me when there are more comments
Comments (15)

  1. By Big Boss Posted: 2/25/2010 6:44pm PST

    One would think that's a totally bizarre situation, but for a person such as myself, this kinda hits close to home. I recently switched from an '08 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 to a '10 Chevy Camaro SS. Now, undoubtedly Carlton's Bugatti is 10x more expensive than my Benz, but perhaps he felt just as I did when he got his 'Vette: prioritizing. Ever since I got my Camaro, I have LITERALLY seen guys in Audi R8s to Ferrari 430s "oogling" at my car! I grew tired of all the "gaudy" imagery that my car represented, and opted for something that complimented my true nature. Maybe Carlton felt like that ZR1 'Vette was more "bad-ass" than that Veyron--sometimes as a man you want to drive around in something that makes you feel invigorating, instead of an elitist. Besides, in today's economy, driving around in a 1.5 million dollar vehicle does make you "rethink" your spending habits! The way I see it, no matter how many pretty, expensive European cars they make, you can NEVER go wrong with an bad-ass American car!
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  2. By  find coupon Posted: 2/25/2010 9:34pm PST

    Well the Chevrolet Corvette Convertible's big LS3 engine gives supercar acceleration while providing useful torque in everyday driving that you would like and also it delivers better fuel economy compared with other cars in its class. Its magnetic suspension system contributes to handling, while the Corvette's look is distinct.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

     

  3. 95z28 avatar 95z28 Posted: 4/27/2012 10:34am PDT

    Except the 2010 ZR1 has the LS9, the vette gave away it's old goodies to the camaro in 2010.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  4. By EL34 Posted: 2/25/2010 10:32pm PST

    Wow, this nitwit went from a hand made work of art Veyron to a plastic piece of garbage Corvette. He needs his head examined or he needed the money.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  5. By SuperSkyline89 Posted: 2/26/2010 5:09am PST

    Well, the ZR1 is definitely more badass than the Veyron. But seriously, there's not way this guy did this because of fuel economy or anything like that. I mean come on, he's owned a McLaren F1 and a Diablo before. And as for elitist cars, that's just people being jealous of others' success, it's not real. More likely he just thought the Vette would be a more fun car, which I bet it is.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  6. By Michael Posted: 2/26/2010 7:08am PST

    Isn't that the guy who crashed his car into a beach? I remember hearing a story of a big wig petroleum owner who got distracted looking at a seagull and then crashed his bugatti veyron into a beach at corpus christy. Maybe they think they can fix it?
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  7. By Shappy Posted: 2/26/2010 9:39am PST

    Well considering the chocolate doppelganger, I'd say he made a good decision. The Veyron is overrated. He must have taken a tip from Good Time Charlie and got the ZR1. God knows Two Finger Tommy would have convinced him otherwise considering the DFG the Veyron has. I'm going to look into get a DTD up and runnning dedicated to finding out what the DFG is on the ZR1. I'll keep you guys updated.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  8. By Steph Posted: 2/26/2010 5:35pm PST

    Hi, I own a Subaru STI 2009, anyone want to exchange with a Porsche 911 Twin Turbo? I am very deseperate, I woul also accept a Bugatti Veyron any year. lol :)
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  9. By atyty Posted: 2/27/2010 9:28am PST

    I think some people miss the point. It is not surprising that he uses a corvette after bugatti, it is surprising that he seems to make the exchange the cars without gaining money. Otherwise almost every superrich guy changes many cars frequently. I would not be even surprised even he had a smart, but with 1 000 000$ money in exchange
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  10. By Shappy Posted: 2/27/2010 3:19pm PST

    Update:
    After getting the DTD up and running I found out the DFG on the Veryron is horrible. Which gives us another reason why he traded it in for a ZR1. Now if he trades the ZR1 in for something else, I'll try to check the DFG on that too. We may be seeing a pattern here. I'll keep you guys updated. Until then, stay low and curb the straight.

    - Shappy the Bandit
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  11. By Rick Posted: 3/1/2010 11:47am PST

    I still have a hard time believing this guy essentially gave away 1+million dollars trading down to a substantially cheaper car. I just don't see that happening. There has to be more to the story.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  12. By ColtsChiefsTitans Posted: 3/1/2010 2:34pm PST

    Everyone: Think about it....
    Assume he owned the Bugatti free-and-clear (paid off). He just negotiated the selling (trade-in) price and the dealer wrote him a check for over $1M plus he got the Corvette. In this economy, CA$H is king, and maybe he wanted the pocket change? OR, maybe he was choking on the $40-50K monthly payments.. maybe he's getting a divorce or wants to buy a $1.5M condo in the Caribbean, or whatever. Just reallocating his assets, moving ridiculous $$ out of the Veyron into cash (probably moved off-shore for tax reasons!). Only reason to buy a car w/that price is 1) EGO and 2) Appreciation as a collector's item. But c'mon, how many rich folks are there to buy these up in years to come? Expensive toy & waste of precious cash resources in a roller coaster economy. How will Veyron help you pay the bills if his oil company goes bankrupt?
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  13. By ColtsChiefsTitans Posted: 3/1/2010 2:38pm PST

    Rick, I agree, he did NOT trade the Veyron straight up for the Vette. How many times do us 'little guys' make an even 1-for-1 trade of cars w/dealers? Now usually, our "trade-in" is worth less than our new car purchase... in this case he was 'trading down' but left with lots of cash in his pocket... liquidated his asset and still drives away in a beautiful (albeit much less exclusive) supercar.
    Folks, can you just imagine the car salesman at the dealership... having to go into the 'back room' and talk to his manager, coming back with a number written down on the back of the Vette brochure, saying, "My boss told me to tell you he'll give you $950K for your trade, and take 2% off MSRP for the ZR-1..." :- O hahahahaha
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  14. By ColtsChiefsTitans Posted: 3/1/2010 2:41pm PST

    The dealership will not let is sit on the 'Used Car' lot... to be vandalized, stolen, or have hormonal teen boys drooling over it. The dealership owner will hang onto it in his private collection, or they will sell it through one of the big auction firms... and unless they were stupid, they'll make a healthy profit (even 5% wouldn't be bad - $50K!)
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  15. By yodaddy Posted: 11/18/2010 3:10pm PST

    what a moron i would of just sold the bugatti and bought a corvette
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

Connect with Facebook

Motor Authority. Now with your friends.

Discover stories your friends read.
Share stories more easily.
You control what you share.
Learn more

Research New Cars

Go!

More from High Gear Media

 
 
MotorAuthority
  • Follow Us
  • Twiiter
  • Facebook
 
 
© 2011 MotorAuthority. All Rights Reserved. MotorAuthority is published by High Gear Media. Stock photography by Homestar, LLC. Send us feedback.