A new Bugatti doesn’t come along very often. In fact, the Bugatti Chiron is just the third production car to carry the vaunted badge in the last 25 years and just the second car this millennium.
As the successor to the game-changing Veyron, the Chiron has the unenviable task of following in the foot steps of an automotive icon.
Fortunately for Bugatti, the Veyron is about as competent of a start point as one can ask for. And Bugatti’s director of design Achim Anscheidt is one of the best in the business.
Anscheidt, a veteran of VW Group and Porsche’s design departments, joined Bugatti as its design boss in 2004 just as the Veyron was readied for production.
With the Chiron, Anscheidt got his shot at the momentous task of creating the first new Bugatti in a decade. During its development, Bugatti built more than 30 prototypes that completed more than 300,000 miles of testing and went through more than 200 sets of tires.
With a $2.6 million asking price, it will have to live up to the high bar set by the ground-breaking Veyron.
Here's a closer look at the new Bugatti Chiron.
Photos by Hollis Johnson unless otherwise credited.
Here are the credentials for the car that wowed the automotive world upon its debut at the 2016 Geneva motor show in March.
It's powered by a 1,500 horsepower, 8.0 liter, quad-turbo W16 engine. In case you need a reminder, the power output and cylinder layout are imprinted on the exposed engine.
The exposed engine helps dissipate the incredible amount of heat generated while producing 1,500 horsepower. In total, the Chiron is equipped with a whopping 10 radiators.
To get to 1,500 hp, Bugatti developed high performance air and liquid cooled intercoolers to lower the temperature of the air being forced into the engine by the four twin scroll turbochargers. After all, the cooler the air, the more dense it is. And the more dense the air, the more oxygen molecules there are per cubic inch of air for the engine to combust.
The air cooling systems allows nearly 3.7 million cubic inches of air per minutes to pass through the engine while the coolant pump can circulate 211 gallons of fluid per minute.
The Chiron gets all that power to road through a Bugatti-developed 7-speed, twin-clutch transmission, and permanent-four-wheel-drive system.
According to Bugatti, the Chiron is good for a 0-60 mph sprint in less than 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 261 mph.
To bring the Chiron to a stop, Bugatti installed a set of massive disc brakes measuring 16.5 inches in the front and 15.7 inches in the back. In addition, the retractable rear spoiler doubles as a large air brake which can be deployed under hard braking.
To compensate for the high speed, the Chiron is built around a carbon fiber monocoque driver's compartment that offers the same level of strength and rigidity as those used for Le Mans Prototype race cars.
To illuminate the road, Bugatti installed eight LED headlights.
Currently, the "holy trinity" of million-dollar hypercars consists of the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, and LaFerrari.
According to Anscheidt, what makes his car unique is not its top speed, but the manner with which it achieves that speed.
Anscheidt sees the McLaren, Ferrari, and Porsche as purebred race cars for the road.
But that's not the case for the Bugatti. The designer believes his car is a hyper GT car that's geared toward covering large distances at high speed...
... While coddling its occupants in supreme luxury and comfort.
The Chiron is designed to be as easy to drive at top speed as a regular car is on the highway, Anscheidt told Business Insider earlier this year.
Speaking of luxury, the cabin is as spectacular as one would expect from a Bugatti. The materials used must meet the exacting stands of the car's future owners.
The cabin is designed with a focus on the driver.
The steering can be optioned in full leather or with carbon fiber inserts.
The Chiron's gauge cluster features a large center analog speedometer flanked by a pair of digital read outs. The speedometer tops out at 310 mph and is designed to mimic the look of a Swiss watch.
Bugatti also offers a choice between a standard and a sport seat.
Currently, Bugatti offers 31 colors for leather and eight colors for Alcantara. As with any car in this price point, they can whip up something special upon customers' request.
The Bugatti Chiron entered series production in September at the company's headquarters in Molsheim, France .
Only 500 will be built over the lifetime of the car. By its introduction at the Geneva Motor Show, more than 1/3 of the production run had already been sold.
