When Bugatti first launched the Veyron midway through the last decade, the automaker said it would build just 300 examples. Shortly thereafter the figure was lifted to 450 examples, to allow for an additional run of open-top Veyron Grand Sports. Now it’s been confirmed that there are just eight build slots remaining for the Veyron, all of them for the Veyron Grand Sport.

The information was revealed by Bugatti boss Wolfgang Dürheimer during a recent interview with CAR. Once the final build slots are sold and the cars eventually built, which is likely to take place very soon, Bugatti’s factory in Molsheim, France will be tooled up to start production of the Veyron’s successor, a faster and more powerful model packing hybrid technology.

This means we could see the Veyron successor unveiled this year—a debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show in September is a strong possibility. The first examples to be built will all be pre-production units; the first customer examples should be rolling off the line sometime in 2016.

During the same interview with CAR, Dürheimer said that Bugatti will continue to produce the “most luxurious, fastest cars in the world.” He pointed out that there is a “crazy American” that is out to claim the production car land speed record (either John Hennessey of Hennessey Performance or Jerod Shelby of SSC) and that Bugatti must do its homework to be prepared for any future challenges to the top speed crown.

_______________________________________

Follow Motor Authority on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.