It is claimed to be the world’s most powerful production car (for now), putting out 1,478 horsepower and boasting a price tag of more than 2.4 million Euros. Meet the next generation of insane Bugatti speed and opulence.
The Bugatti Chiron is the replacement for the venerable Veyron, which came out more than a decade ago and changed the way the world thought about horsepower, speed, and how money could be spent.
Like the Veyron, the Chiron is moved by an 8.0-liter W16 engine with four turbos. You think your twin-turbo car is sweet? You not ready. In addition to the aforementioned 1,478 HP, there’s also 1,180 lb-ft of torque. It’s all-wheel drive again too, with power going through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
And in this era of lighter is better, the Chiron gives a middle finger to all that: at 4,400 pounds it’s actually heavier than the Veyron was by several hundred pounds.
On the outside it’s very much a Veyron sequel, a bit smoother and more sculpted but with extremely similar lines. It ended up amazingly like the Bugatti Gran Turismo Vision Concept, just toned down a bit to be a street car instead of a virtual racer. It’s also named after a famous gigolo-Nazi hating-racing star, which is neat.
Now, for the important number: top speed. The Veyron was in a constant race with Hennessey Performance and other tuners and manufacturers to make the fastest car in the world.
How’s the Chiron stack up? According to Car’s briefing, it’ll do 261 mph in “Top Speed” mode, and that’s just what it’s limited to. Zero to 60 mph is said to happen in less than 2.5 seconds.
Holy shit, this thing is the real deal. More on it as we get it.
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.