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The Chiron has been recalled. But don't worry, there's no unscheduled trips to the dealer
When you have an ordinary car, recalls are a bit of a PITA. Not so if you’re the owner of a Bugatti Chiron – TG’s Hypercar of the Year. Last week Molsheim issued a recall for 47 cars built since production began in February because of defective welds in the seat recliner brackets.
Normally mending such an issue would require a trip to a dealer, and a lengthily wait involving many cups of sub-standard coffee. But Bugatti recognises that when you’re spending millions on a car, you expect a bit more in the way of service.
Which is why as well as the letters the law obliges it to send to owners, Bugatti’s “Flying Doctors” will make phone calls to every affected owner, and arrange for their cars to be collected and trucked to the nearest dealer to have the entire seating assembly replaced (free of charge, obviously).
Bugatti says its “Flying Doctor” programme, which gives owners 24/7 support, is “comparable to the concierge service at a six-star hotel”. Technicians that can monitor cars remotely and arrange for their repair, sometimes even flying directly to the owner’s home. Oh, to be wealthy.
Lighter, pointier 1,479bhp hypercar is a circuit special. With carbon fibre wipers
Bugatti has revealed a new version of its mighty Chiron. It is called the Bugatti Chiron Sport. It features no additional power from its herculean 8.0-litre, 1,479bhp 16-cylinder engine. It’s not faster at the top end. It’s not even quicker to 62mph.
But it is faster around a handling circuit over a ‘base’ Chiron, thanks to a new handling pack, and slightly trimmer kerbweight. And some carbon fibre wipers.
Yes folks, this is the circuit-friendly Bugatti Chiron. The engineers have tweaked the shock absorbers so that they are ten per cent stiffer than standard. The steering too, has been modified, though we’re promised the ‘outstanding direct feel’ has not been compromised.
The rear differential gets a wee tweak too, and the hypercar now features a Dynamic Torque Vectoring function that fields out torque to assist agility during what its drivers might like to call ‘spirited driving’. Or what regular mortals might like to call ‘oh god this is fast’.
A grand total of 18kg has been removed from the Chiron’s bulk, attributable to new lightweight wheels, a carbon fibre stabiliser and intercooler cover, and of course, the amazing carbon fibre windscreen wipers – a world first on a production car, no less. They’re 1.4kg lighter than before, and feature 3D-printed aluminium tips. Frankly, this is amazing.
There’s also lighter glass in the rear window and a lighter exhaust deflector. All in all, these small, detailed tweaks add up to a five second advantage over a regular Chiron around Nardo’s handling circuit, though we’re not told specifically what the lap time is.
A quick recap on the Chiron – and therefore this Chiron Sport’s – key numbers: it’ll do 0-62mph in less than 2.5secs, 0-124mph in less than 6.5secs, 0-186mph in under 13.6secs, and top out at 261mph. Clearly, speed was never an issue.
Distinguishable from its regular Chiron sibling, this Sport version gets rounded quad tailpipes, Sport logos on the door sills and centre console, an anodised black engine start button (and drive mode selector – ‘Handling’ mode unleashes the full Nardo monster), and features a new set of colour and trim options. This red und black version - replete with a giant ‘16’ in the front grille - is rather fetching.
It’s all black inside, and features three different materials: Alcantara for the roof liner, leather for the seats, door trims and so forth, and carbon fibre for the dashboard and steering column.
Your base price, should you choose to accept it, is €2.65m. And let’s be honest, it looks fantastic. If the standard car is already a testament to speed and a defiance of physics, this one threatens to tear a hole through time itself.
Bugatti has honed the Chiron and is offering a Sport version of its 1,500 PS super sports car two years after its world debut at the Geneva International Motor Show. At the same venue this year, the French luxury brand is presenting the Chiron Sport which offers significantly improved handling and even greater agility with no change in the power or performance data. For this purpose, Bugatti has developed a dynamic handling package and reduced the weight of its car by about 18 kilograms. As a result, the Chiron Sport reaches higher cornering speeds and can lap the Nardò handling circuit in the south of Italy five seconds faster than the Chiron. The main differences between the appearance of the Chiron Sport and the standard version are a new wheel design and new four-pipe exhaust deflector. The basic price of the Chiron Sport is €2.65 million net. A base price of US$3.26 million including transport, customs duties, taxes and fees has been set for the US market. In addition, there is an optional colour and trim package allowing customers to individually tailor the sporty appearance of their Chiron Sport. It is planned to deliver the first vehicles to customers at the end of the year.
“We have developed the Chiron Sport for customers wanting an even sportier driving experience with their Chiron, with improved lateral dynamics on winding roads,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. “What was important for us was to leave unchanged the unique character of the Chiron, its combination of ultimate performance, longitudinal acceleration and maximum speed with luxury, comfort and everyday usability.”
This is why the extreme power and performance data of the Chiron as well as the ease and convenience of driving remain unchanged. There is however a significant improvement in the handling of the Chiron Sport.
“The Chiron Sport has become perceptibly more nimble and its new agility, especially in tight corners makes for a much more emotional experience for the driver on winding roads and handling circuits,” Winkelmann continues.
Dynamic handling package and lighter weight make Chiron Sport faster
The Chiron Sport benefits from a new dynamic handling package. The Bugatti developers have defined a stiffer suspension. This includes a new control strategy for the shock absorbers, which react 10 percent more stiffly than on the Chiron on average. The steering has also been modified without sacrificing its outstanding direct feel and its calculable performance. These new settings only take effect in the Handling mode of the Chiron Sport, which is therefore distinguished from the EB mode more clearly for the driver.
In addition to these changes, the rear-axle differential has been optimised and the car now features a Dynamic Torque Vectoring function that distributes torque individually to the wheels on each side, significantly improving the steering behaviour and agility of the vehicle, especially in tight curves. This change is effective in all driving modes.
One of the modifications which make the Chiron Sport more nimble is a weight reduction of about 18 kilograms, thanks to the use of new lightweight parts. The greatest savings were possible as a result of the new lightweight wheels, together with increased use of carbon fibre, for example for the stabiliser, the intercooler cover or the newly developed windscreen wipers. The Chiron Sport also features lighter glass in the rear window and a new, lighter exhaust deflector.
As a result, the Chiron Sport has become even more responsive and corners even faster. On the handling course of the Nardò test circuit, Bugatti developers recorded a lap time which is five seconds faster than the base Chiron model. Due to its design the Nardò circuit is especially well-suited as a reference track for the Chiron, as the super sports car can reach its full handling potential even at cornering speeds in excess of 200 km/h.
Bugatti is the first manufacturer to develop a carbon fibre windscreen wiper
The windscreen wiper arms developed by Bugatti for the Chiron Sport are an interesting technical detail. This is the first production car to feature windscreen wiper arms made from carbon fibre. This new development means that Bugatti no longer needs the articulated joints which normally feature on conventional wipers. The function of these joints has been integrated into the carbon fibre structure of the wiper arms. In addition, the wiper arm tips, which are made from aluminium, are produced by a weight-saving 3-D printing process. This means that the new carbon fibre wipers are 77 percent or 1.4 kg lighter than their predecessors.
In addition, thanks to the new material, the wiper arms have a new profile that allows improved aerodynamic properties.
New wheel rims and exhaust deflector distinguish Chiron Sport from Chiron
At first glance, the Chiron Sport can be recognised by its new “Course” alloy wheel rims and the new exhaust deflector, which has four round tailpipes instead of the rectangular design used on the Chiron. In addition, the Sport version has a number of design features that underline its identity as a Chiron Sport. For example, the engine starter button and the driving mode selector knob on the steering wheel as well as the marketing plate have an anodised black finish, the “Sport” logo is in evidence on the door sill strips and there is an insert on the central console with an embroidered “Chiron Sport” logo.
More colour and trim options available for an even sportier look
In addition, Bugatti’s design team has created a package of colour and trim options for the Chiron Sport allowing customers to give their vehicles the sportiest look possible. The Chiron Sport on show in Geneva features all the options available.
The vehicle body has a classic duo-tone colour scheme. The A-colour at the rear of the vehicle is determined by visible grey carbon; Italian Red paintwork at the front represents the B-colour. Apart from red, the colours available are “French Racing Blue”, the silver tone “Gris Rafale” and a dark grey “Gun Powder”.
The distinctive Bugatti side line, a C-shaped trim strip made from aluminium alloy, is painted in the B-colour, in this case “Italian Red”. This red tone is also to be found on the brake calipers, the EB logo on the hubcaps, the underside of the rear spoiler and in the labelling on the intercooler cover. Here, it creates an exciting contrast with the “Gun Powder” grey of the carbon fibre intercooler cover and the same tone which is used for paintwork on the wheel rims, the aluminium bezel of the Chiron’s iconic rear lights, the EB logo on the rear and the famous Bugatti horseshoe on the radiator grille.
A red “16” is positioned prominently on the black-painted grid of the radiator grille – referring to the number of cylinders which gives the Chiron engine its unique position.
Black is the dominant colour of the interior. All the controls of the car have a black anodised finish. The steering wheel and selector lever are covered with suede leather. In addition, Bugatti has used three materials for the styling of the interior: Alcantara for the roof liner including the A-pillar and sun blinds, the rear wall trim, the sill trims, the lower part of the central console, the insides of the seat side cushions and the boot lining. Smooth leather is used for the seats, the inside door trims, the islands on the dashboard including the instrument cluster trim, the airbag container on the steering wheel and the armrest and insert of the central console. Finally, the dashboard itself, the door trims, the rears of the backrests and the steering column housing are made from exposed carbon fibre.
The B-colour of the exterior, “Italian Red” on the Geneva show car, is used to create restrained but distinctive accents in the interior, for example on the stitching, the safety belt, the surround of the C-shaped light bar in the centre of the vehicle, the back of the rear-view mirror and the lining of the central console stowage compartment.
Including this optional colour and trim package, the Chiron Sport on show in Geneva costs €2.98 million net (US market: US$3.672 million gross), which probably makes it the most expensive production car on display at this year’s show.
The International Motor Show is being held at the Palexpo exhibition centre in Geneva from 8 to 18 March 2018. The Bugatti stand is in Hall 1.
Anybody want my '17 Chiron? Only has 80 miles on it.
I simply must have the Sport. Having the "base" model simply won't do. Those carbon wipers...
Pass. Too many miles.
Also, I wonder how many millions went into the R&D for those wiper blades which, I might add, contribute 15% to the overall weight reduction over the normal model.
Sky View sunroof glass panels add more light and headroom
If you thought there couldn't be anything missing on the multi-million-dollar, 1,500-horsepower, 250-mph Bugatti Chiron hypercar, we wouldn't blame you. But you would also be wrong. Apparently this massively fast tribute to capitalism didn't have an option for a sunroof. Can you believe it? The 2018 Bugatti Chiron couldn't be had with a feature you can get on a Hyundai Accent. Well, Bugatti Chiron buyers no longer have to suffer this indignity thanks to a new option called "Sky View."
What Sky View amounts to are two glass panels, one over each seat, affixed to the roof of the hypercar. Each panel is laminated for a total of four layers and is designed to provide both UV protection for occupants and to be stiff and strong both to keep the car rigid and provide protection in a crash. Another upside to the option is that it adds 2.7 centimeters, or about an inch, of headroom.
There do appear to be a couple of downsides, though. Bugatti mentions that the panels are tinted to keep the incoming light from being too overbearing, but it says nothing about any sort of sunshade if you find the tinting to not be sufficient. Not only that, but the panels are fixed, so you won't be able to get much of an open-air feeling. We should say the aforementioned Hyundai Accenthas both of these features, but hey, you're making progress Bugatti, and that should be lauded. Maybe you'll get those details next time.
110 years. Scarcely any other luxury car brand can look back on as long a tradition as Bugatti. The French hyper sports car manufacturer celebrated this fantastic anniversary with a special edition of the Chiron Sport limited to 20 cars. This new edition is not only extremely exclusive but also pays tribute to France.
"With the limited Chiron Sport '110 ans Bugatti', Bugatti is ushering in the 110th anniversary of its foundation. At the same time, we are underlining our origin and our French roots in Molsheim," says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. "Molsheim in the Alsace region of France is an essential element in Bugatti's brand history and this is also where we are planning our future."
Tricolour decorates the "110 ans Bugatti" in tribute to France
The Bugatti Chiron Sport "110 ans Bugatti" bears one of the most famous symbols of a proud nation. The French tricolour "Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge", with its colours of blue, white and red, decorates the body and interiors at several points and harmonizes perfectly with the extraordinary Chiron Sport. The flag originally symbolized the union between monarch and people in the phase of the constitutional monarchy. Since the end of the monarchy, it has represented the French Revolution with its famous ideals of liberty (blue), equality (white) and fraternity (red).
Taking a first look at the Chiron, you may be surprised to see that the colours of the French flag are shown as a mirror image on the right-hand side of the vehicle. This is also the arrangement adopted on French official vehicles, where the standard has the colour of liberty (blue) to the fore on both sides.
The body and the front end are made from carbon fibre and the Bugatti line and the typical Bugatti radiator from aluminium. The matt Steel Blue paintwork at the rear of the car, produced in a complex process, has a sheen like hot-rolled steel. The typical Bugatti line, the dominant "C" surrounding the passenger compartment, is also painted Steel Blue. The front end consists of exposed carbon fibre in Steel Blue Carbon, once again a matt colour suggestive of steel. The two-tone colour scheme is reminiscent of historic models: in the 1920s, this type of paintwork was a sign of luxury and exclusiveness, while it now signals a sporting character and high technological competence. In the case of the Chiron "110 ans Bugatti", the colour scheme divides the bodywork into the monocoque and engine compartment.
Behind the alloy wheels painted in "Nocturne" matt black, the bright blue (French Racing Blue) brake calipers are visible. To obtain an immaculate finish, the aluminium filler cap is sandblasted and hand-polished. The "110 ans Bugatti" emblem, with the French flag running vertically through the logo, features at the centre of the cap. If the customer so wishes, the base plate of the filler cap can also be painted blue or white.
The rear end is dominated by the diffuser and bumper in glossy Steel Blue Carbon with the contrasting matt black exhaust system. The underside of the rear spoiler boasts the French flag over its entire width. The rear spoiler mechanism is anodized in matt black to harmonize with the matt black Ettore Bugatti logo on the centre of the rear, the matt black wheels and the matching sports exhaust system. The Sky View roof consisting of two fixed glass panels above the driver's and passenger's seats, available as an option on the Chiron, is a standard feature of the special edition. These panels have a newly developed laminated structure with thin glass and four intermediate layers.
Exclusive hand-crafted interior
The French tricolour also features at several points in the interior of the "110 ans Bugatti" special edition. These include the two headrests and the back rests of the sports seats, decorated by high-quality embroidery with the French flag in a vertical position, and the 12 o'clock mark on the leather steering wheel. The sports steering wheel combines matt carbon fibre with a blue leather cover.
Carbon fibre is also be found on the nacelle, steering wheel, steering column and seat trims. The interior is upholstered in soft Deep Blue leather. The door trims, sides and seat areas of the sports seats are covered in Alcantara. Bright French Racing Blue elements on the contours of the seats, stowage compartments, belt trims and the leather of the window buttons provide a sporting contrast. The key of the "110 ans Bugatti" is surrounded by three sewn leather patches in the colours of the tricolour.
Another special feature bearing witness to the high level of craftsmanship is a specially crafted medallion in the central console stowage space, made of solid silver with enamel inserts, positioned on a carbon fibre plate.
The "110 ans Bugatti" joins some illustrious ancestors
Hyper sports cars have been a Bugatti tradition since the establishment of the brand - they are part of Bugatti's DNA. When Ettore Bugatti designed his first model in 1909, the Type 10, he deliberately broke new ground in terms of design. The Type 10 was light, small and nimble with an adequate power output - an agile racing car with function following form in an uncompromising way. At the beginning of the 20th century, this was a new approach and it has defined the mission of Ettore Bugatti's successors to the present day. With the assistance of some partners, Ettore Bugatti set up in business at a disused dyeing plant in Molsheim at the end of 1909. Shortly afterwards, he continued the development of his Type 10 to create the Type 13 - the first official Bugatti model.
This first Bugatti was followed by some high points in the history of the automobile. In the 1920s, these included the Type 35, one of the most successful racing cars ever, as well as the Type 41 Royale, the epitome of absolute automobile luxury. The founder's son Jean Bugatti created his own memorial with the Type 57 SC Atlantic, a design manifesto.
Up to 1956, about 7,950 vehicles of Types 10 to 252 were produced, of which an estimated 2,000 or so are still in existence. In 1987, Romano Artioli revived the brand and produced the EB 110, a super sports car with a top speed of over 340 km/h - the fastest production car in the world at the beginning of the 1990s.
The new Bugatti era started with the Veyron 16.4
The Veyron 16.4 with more than 1,000 PS, produced between 2005 and 2015, brought the tradition of Bugatti forward to the modern era. The Chiron, which has been made since 2016 in weeks of hand crafting, is a modern luxury hyper sports car that fits seamlessly into the Bugatti family tree. It combines the technical excellence, style and iconic character of the historic vehicles, reinterpreting them as the renaissance of legendary cars produced by a legendary brand. Since 2018, this has also included the Bugatti Divo, a hyper car with modified aerodynamics designed for significantly higher lateral acceleration.
Both models feature a superlative powerplant: the 8.0-litre W16 engine with four turbochargers delivers 1,103 kW/1,500 PS and 1,600 Newton-meters of torque. The engine compartment cover of the "110 ans Bugatti" is resplendent in Steel Blue and Steel Blue Carbon. The inserts on the cylinder banks are made from aluminium with a clear anodized finish. The car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 2.4 seconds, reaching 200 km/h in 6.1 seconds and 300 km/h in 13.1 seconds. Even the magic figure of 400 km/h can be reached in only 32.6 seconds. The maximum speed is far higher, at 420 km/h. "The ultimate hyper sports car from France is still the most powerful, highest-quality, fastest and most comfortable gran turismo in existence - a blend of elegance, quality, unique character and power," says Stephan Winkelmann. This is an industrial product of considerable artistic merit.
Form follows Performance. This applies especially to the new edition. The famed Bugatti line, the brand's graphic DNA, also adorns this exclusive model. Behind the C line, set off by a contrasting colour, the extraordinary engine receives sufficient air for combustion and cooling. "The design element also establishes a link to the historic Type 57 SC Atlantic, which is now one of the world's most valuable cars," says Achim Anscheidt, Chief Designer of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. The special model celebrating the 110th anniversary of the brand's existence in France keeps up this tradition.
Was discussed on The Grand Tour last week. IIRC, the Sport gets no extra power, but loses a bit of weight (carbon wipers were mentioned); for a big increase in price.
Im fascinated and confused by this. 304mph is outrageous and something I didnt think Bugatti was chasing after the Agera pooped all over their face a while back(obviously I was wrong) But releasing this on Labor Day Weekend with no prior "big announcement coming" has me scratching my head. Bugatti should have teased the shit out of this. Instead they dump it during a holiday news cycle
In case you haven't heard, Bugatti recently broke the 300-miles-per-hour barrier with a tweaked Chiron, hitting precisely 304.773 mph at Germany's Ehra-Lessien test track. Bugatti then promptly announced its retirement from top speed records for good, opting to "focus on different projects" instead. Despite walking away from any future record attempts, however, the company seemingly isn't done making the lives of its competition difficult.
In a thinly-veiled power move that effectively marks any future records broken by its competition with an asterisk, Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann said "We're not just the first manufacturer to produce a car that goes faster than 300 mph. We also did this on a test track that has a major drawback when it comes to speed tests."
Essentially, Ehra-Lessien is only 50 meters above sea level, much lower than, say, Route 160 in Nevada where Koenigsegg happened to take its Agera RS to an average top speed of 284 mph. The higher you are, the thinner the air is. The thinner the air is, the less aerodynamic drag you have to deal with. In short, Bugatti Head of Development Stefan Ellrott said, "Our calculations have shown that we would have been around 15 mph faster in Nevada."
Despite this, the company says it opted to stage the record run at Ehra rather than Nevada because the former is much safer. (We suspect the fact that Ehra is owned by Bugatti parent company Volkswagen had a bit to do with the decision as well.) "Safety comes first at Bugatti," said Ellrott. "The route in Nevada is very long and only goes in one direction: security forces would have taken too long to get to the scene in an emergency. In addition, the track has a slight gradient of about three percent. It wouldn't have felt right to set a record there."
Given the 12-mile test track's ownership status, it's unlikely that Koenigsegg, SSC, or Hennessey will be granted access to the high-speed circuit any time soon.
Technically, doesn't the Koenigsegg still hold the record, since they did it both directions?
Not sure if they ran the Chiron down both legs of Ehra, or if it would count to do it that way, since it's not the exact same stretch.
Nobody is faster. Just a few weeks after the sensational record-breaking run undertaken by Bugatti - when for the first time a hyper sports car drove faster than 300 miles per hour - the French brand has showcased a very special edition based on this new Chiron derivative: the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+.
Bugatti presented the new model to a selected group of customers as the highlight of the celebrations to mark the 110th anniversary of the tradition-steeped company in Molsheim. The Chiron Super Sport 300+ played a very special role among numerous historic Bugatti models and the current Bugatti hyper sports cars of modern times, such as the Divo, La Voiture Noire and the Centodieci.
Chiron Super Sport 300+ - the fastest Bugatti
The special edition Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, limited to 30 units, is visually based on the record-breaking car. A few weeks ago, it became the first series-production car to break the magical 300-miles-per-hour barrier. Achieving a speed of exactly 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h), it is now the fastest production hyper sports car ever. But not only that: With an output of 1,176 kW/1,600 hp, the Chiron Super Sport 300+ exceeds the Chiron by 100 hp.
"After the incredible speed record of more than 300 miles per hour, which we were the first series manufacturer to achieve, we're now offering our customers the Super Sport 300+ - a very special edition model and the fastest Bugatti ever", says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. "But the Chiron Super Sport 300+ is more than just the fastest series-production sports car in the world. It is a testimony to Bugatti's technical refinement, masterly workmanship and enormous attention to detail."
Aerodynamically optimised bodywork
The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ is visually distinct from the Chiron, not least due to its extended and aerodynamically optimised body, which is designed for extremely high-speed travel beyond 420 km/h. The Air Curtains installed at the car's front corners guide excess pressure developing at the front air inlets towards the sides of the hyper sports car. At the same time, air outlets on the wheel arch and directly behind the front wheels dissipate excess pressure from the wheel arch, creating a slight amount of negative lift at the front to reduce the drag. Modifications are also very prominent at the rear. The longer rear end, the so-called Longtail, allows the laminar flow to pass over the vehicle for longer to thus reduce the aerodynamic stall by over 40 percent. Thanks to a modified exhaust tailpipe configuration, the diffuser in the centre of the rear end can almost generate a sufficient amount of negative lift by itself, meaning that the wing can consequently remain retracted in Top Speed mode. As a result, the drag at the rear has been improved even more as negative lift generated by wings and spoilers would otherwise contribute to the drag.
The body is made of exposed, jet-black carbon fibre set through in the centre with racing stripes in Jet Orange. The black engine cover is made of carbon, as is the windscreen wiper. At the front you can recognise the special model by the Bugatti "Macaron" logo made of genuine silver and black enamel. The extremely light magnesium wheels are finished in "Nocturne", as are all trim parts. Passengers are welcomed with the lettering "Super Sport 300 +" in LED lighting at the door opening.
The interior is dominated by black carbon, leather and Alcantara in Beluga Black, complemented by colour highlights in Jet Orange. On the carbon door sills, the exclusive lettering likewise radiates in this colour, as do the headrests, the knee support in the centre console and the fine double-stitched seams. All interior trim parts on the other hand have a black anodised finish, while the rear-view mirror and centre line are painted in Beluga Black.
"With the Super Sport 300+ we pay homage not just to our glorious history with its numerous speed records but also to the performance of the entire record-breaking team. They were the ones who tackled the challenge of driving over 300 miles per hour," says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. "For this reason, the Super Sport 300+ is more than just an edition. It is by far the fastest luxury hyper sports car in the world and a genuine Bugatti in every fibre of its being - uncompromisingly beautiful, fast, comfortable and exquisite."
The Super Sport 300+ was showcased on as the grand finale of the Grand Tour, a rally that takes in the most important stages in the life of Ettore Bugatti - from Milan via Monaco and Paris to Molsheim in Alsace. The first vehicles of the limited edition model Super Sport 300+, restricted to 30 units, will be delivered to customers at a net unit price of 3.5 million euros in mid-2021.
As if breaking the 300 miles-per-hour barrier in a pre-production road car wasn't cool enough, Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace recently revealed that the Chiron he drove to 304.773 mph actually caught air on its way to the record-breaking figure.
Speaking to Australia's Wheels, he claimed that a small imperfection on the road surface at the Ehra-Lessien test facility basically created a "ramp" that he had to deal with during his record-setting run.
"There is a surface change [on the straight], and I was calling it a ramp and jump, and everyone was wondering why I was calling it that," Wallace told Wheels. "That was until they looked at the data, and they realized that it actually is a jump. This occurs at [277 mph] on that fast run. It goes from a nice smooth surface, to an older surface. It felt to me inside the cabin that it was all coming off the ground and then coming down."
Wallace goes on to say that while he knew the jump was coming, there really isn't anything he could do to prepare or account for it other than keeping his right foot firmly planted on the loud pedal and hope for the best.
"You know that surface change is there, and after you have fired yourself off the banking, and the numbers are coming up, you kind of brace yourself for going over this jump," the Le Mans winner explained. "You can’t lift though. In fact, lifting makes this much worse, because then you get a pitch change at the front and it gives you a whole heap of trouble. You are far better off staying flat, which means there is not much you can do about it, you just go with it and hope it is alright."
Blink and you'll miss it, but the Bugatti does indeed register a tiny hop the moment it passes 277, as seen in the onboard footage below. It might not look all that spectacular compared to a stunt Evel Knievel might have concocted, but having all four wheels leave the ground while approaching 300 mph for any amount of time surely requires nerves of steel.
Despite this, Wallace nonchalantly added that "the Chiron has always been really good when I have been on the road and gone over something where I have left the ground," in the same tone that a normal person might remark to a friend about how well-behaved their dog is around strangers.
Yeah, the Chiron's always been good at jumps. NBD.
"It always comes down really square down on four wheels, it never does this pitching back and forth. Just up then down, which is quite useful in this case." Notably, Wallace was the same driver who took the McLaren F1 to a then record-breaking 240 mph on the same circuit in back in 1998.
From the design to the limited production run, and from the engine and performance to the sticker price, there is nothing ordinary about the Bugatti Chiron.
The Veyron’s successor came out four years ago, and in the meantime, the range has been expanded to include other versions, such as the Chiron Sport, a more track-focused model that costs $3.2 million in the United States, or around $400,000 more than the “regular” Chiron.
Bugattis are, even by hypercar standards, quite expensive, so one needs to be loaded to afford even the lease. How loaded are we talking? Well, how does $358,000 as a downpayment and a whopping $52,196 a month on a 3-year contract, or $65,950 a month for 24 months, sound like? This means that you’ll end up paying a new Porsche Boxster each month and you’ll only be allowed to put 2,500 miles (4,023 km) on it each year, but hey, at least you get free servicing.
What you get in return for paying all that money is a slightly lighter version of the Chiron with stiffer suspension, modified steering and lots of carbon fiber. It is capable of hitting 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.4 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 261 mph (420 km/h). Paired to a seven-speed DCT transmission and four-wheel drive, the quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine pumps out 1,479 HP (1,500 PS / 1,103 kW) and 1,180 lb-ft (1,600 Nm) of torque.
It’s come to my attention that most Americans don’t live within easy walking distance of a Bugatti dealership. I was surprised to hear this, as I was just about certain that the Hyundai/Kia dealership near me also sold Bugattis, but it turns out I had them confused with Mitsubishi. The guy on the phone said this happened all the time, but usually he could put potential Chiron buyers into a new Outlander, so he really didn’t mind. Anyway, it seems like most people have not seen the window sticker on a new Chiron, a problem I’m about to solve for you.
It seems our own Editor-In-Chief Rory Something will be driving one of these soon in Connecticut, one of America’s Strategic Wealth Preserves, and before they let him into one they sent him all kinds of information on where he needs to go to get deloused and that sort of thing. They also included the Monroney sticker for the 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport Hatchback DX:
10-16-2017, 04:44 PM
2019 Bugatti Chiron Sport
