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Debuting at the Geneva Motor Show this week is a car set to be the fastest, and also one of the most expensive, production models in the market.
The Bugatti Chiron succeeds the Veyron, and while that car set a host of records, the Chiron is expected to beat them all.
Bugatti describes the Chiron as the most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car in the world.
“The Chiron is very well-positioned to become the next world speed record holder and reach a maximum speed significantly above the record currently held by Bugatti,” the brand says.
That top speed is quoted at 261mph, which is electronically limited mainly to ensure that the tyres remain durable enough to cope with the Chiron’s pace.
Bugatti is not revealing an unrestricted speed but it is predicted to be at least 285mph, combined with a 0-62mph time of under 2.5 seconds.
Equally impressive is the price of the car, £1.9 million. Buyers are required to put down deposits of at least 200,000 Euros but despite this Bugatti says that around a third of the planned 500-strong production run – 50 more than the Veyron achieved – have already been reserved.
The Chiron is the production successor to the Vision Gran Turismo concept that debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2015.
And while the all-carbonfibre construction car is clearly also related to the Veyron, Bugatti claims that it is an all-new machine with very little carry-over from its predecessor.
Powering the Chiron is a heavily developed version of the Veyron’s 8-litre W16 engine. Its four turbochargers have been replaced by new items boosting peak output to 1500PS, alongside torque of 1600NM available from 2,000rpm upwards and put through an all-wheel-drive transmission.
The first Chiron will be delivered to its customer in the autumn of this year. Bugatti intends to make one a week which could result in a production run lasting almost 10 years.
According to Bugatti president Wolfgang Dürheimer, the Chiron is the result of the brand’s efforts to make the best even better. “It is part of human nature to cross boundaries and set new records – to run 100 metres faster than ever before, to fly even further into space and to enter new realms, this striving is also our driving force at Bugatti,” Dürheimer says.
Andrew Charman
