Oh, the Bugatti Chiron. Six titanium exhaust pipes getting rid of whatever that two-stage quad-turbo eight-liter engine is spewing out of its 16 cylinders, and a double exhaust tip that does absolutely nothing. Form just doesn’t seem to follow function at the rear anymore.
I think it finally hit me at the Lamborghini Huracan’s premier back in 2014. Everything made sense on the Gallardo’s successor apart from those shiny, oversized and rather vulgar fake exhaust tips. Why Lamborghini, why?
You used to know how to do this right. On a Countach LP 400 S, there was no need for additional chrome.
Fast forward to 2014, and they offer you this instead. Regular pipes ending in much larger, high polish tips. Of course I understand that they acts as a heat shields as well, but we’re talking about a Lambo here. It will burst into flames with or without.
Exhibit B is the Chiron, which brings this to a whole new level, as expected.
The functional part of its titanium exhaust system looks like this:
Proper welding porn. But when you walk behind a Chiron, the situation is this:
The two pipes on the side exit through the diffuser while the four in the middle go the traditional way, only to end long before those giant tips could come into play.
Bugatti used to know how to do this better as well.
It’s clear that while the cars got bigger, the diameter of the exhaust pipes could not follow due to the laws of physics. But that doesn’t mean the additional exhaust tips can’t have a valid function.
Of course if you’re making a track-only car, there’s no need for any of that crap. McLaren P1 GTR? Bigger pipes, all the way, Can-Am style.
The road-going P1 has an exposed tip, but in this case, it really is the only barrier between the flames and the carbon fiber.
It’s the same story with the 1,360 horsepower One:1. Christian von Koenigsegg uses a 3D-printed titanium tip with an additional shield plate protecting the bonnet from all those E85 fumes.
Nothing fake here.