Running a car on the Nürburgring poses some logistical challenges for carmakers. Crashes, more crashes and car-consuming fires come to mind. Presumably that was the driving force behind this rig. The Bugatti Chiron uses it to simulate the g-forces alone of a ‘Ring run and test for oil starvation issues without having to go to the track itself.
The potential cost of blowing one of these engines at the track probably plays into it as well. A quad-turbo, W16 engines good for 1,500 horsepower can’t be too easy to pull and replace. Engine-out servicing for the Veyron, at least, required the whole car to be split in half. I’d be surprised if the tightly-packaged Chiron is any easier.
James Mills of the Sunday Times recorded the above little clip, as well as this one of the Chiron undergoing some suspension tests as well:
Engineering cars is expensive, and these sorts of rigs are more common than you might think. Porsche, for instance, showed off a similar ‘Ring-run engine rig for the 911 back in 2008.
I wonder if Bugatti uses the same one.