How do you replace the retired Bugatti Veyron, which since its 2005 release has been considered “the supercar king of the hill?” In the words of Wolfgang Dürheimer, president of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.: “We have made the best even better.”
Meet the Bugatti Chiron, named after Monaco-born racer Louis Chiron: the faster, and much more menacing, version of the Veyron. Reportedly able to reach 288 miles per hour (mph), it’s a great leap forward from the Veyron’s 16.4-liter Super Sport that topped out at 268 mph. It does this with an 8.0-liter, W16 engine with two-stage turbocharging that nets 1,500 horsepower (hp).
Specifically designed to reduce drag and create a suction effect drawing hot air off the engine, the rear fascia is actually a three-piece intake with a big diffuser, sporting a 1.6-meter (5.2 foot) taillights strip consisting of 82 light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The Veyron’s massive, center-mounted outlet has been replaced with a twin-pipe exhaust, while the diffuser would seem at home on a full-fledged racecar.