In folk tales, old and new, it is often the case that our hero prevails in achieving his goal despite all overwhelming circumstances. Our hero in today’s tale is none other than Ed Bolian, purveyor of terrible examples of terrific cars, world-famous shrewd negotiator, and utmost authority on drug overlord-owned McLarens. His goal? One we all aspired to once upon a time in our youths: to own a Bugatti Veyron.

And thanks to Bugatti Broward, Ed was able to complete his quest after decades of pursuit and a delayed 2 hour flight that turned into a grueling 12 hours. This particular Bugatti is a very special version of a 2012 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, one of only 58 worldwide and 14 in the US. It made its debut at Bugatti’s stand at the Frankfurt Motor Show donned in red and wearing Veyron Supersport wheels and clear tails, the first and only Grandsport specced this way. Its color and undoubtedly the eye-popping top speed of 254 mph earned this Veyron the “Red Dragon Edition” nickname.

Following the Frankfurt Motor Show, the car was purchased by rapped “Birdman” who later gifted it to Justin Bieber in what was then a widely covered event. After him, Floyd Mayweather purchased it to preemptively celebrate beating Connor MacGregor, a victory he seemingly manifested so maybe TikTok is onto something.

RD Whittington of the Los Angeles-based customization shop Wires Only and nephew of the infamous Whittington Bros was the next owner this stunning Veyron. Eventually it was bought by rapper Lil Uzi Vert, of course now making Ed “Big Eddie Vert” once his rapper career skyrockets. One of the downsides of Lil Uzi’s ownership is his decision to make a necklace out of the speed key that unlocks the 254 mph top speed. Perhaps one day Ed can procure it.

The Veyron changed hands once more when it went back to Wires Only and was sold to an anonymous Miami owner who Ed bought it from through Bugatti Broward. In true Bolian fashion, it’s nowhere near the perfect example of a Bugatti Veyron Grandsport, but he wouldn’t want it to be. It has had a lot of paintwork done, the interior is worn out, it is missing the top “toupee”, car cover, trickle charger, owner’s manual, and its original PDA.

It would of course be very boring if the only issues were cosmetic gremlins and missing parts. After a quick romp down the Florida freeway, an upset exhaust gas temperature sensor caused a flashing check engine light that was quickly remedied by Bugatti Broward. The second issue arose at the hotel when the valets returned the car to Ed, claiming it wouldn’t make it up the hotel’s ramp and they were uncomfortable with the liability of parking a seven figure car. Thankfully the folks at Curated were more than pleased to have such a rare Veyron parked in front of their dealership until it gets road-tripped back home to Atlanta.

And from me, Ed gets a huge pat on the back and congratulations! It’s an incredible feeling when someone you know finally achieves such a long-standing dream. If it ever makes it to NorCal, you can bet I’ll be the first in line to experience it.