Bugatti Chiron Finance
Launched at the 2016 Geneva show as the successor to the Veyron, the Chiron is Bugatti’s contender for the unofficial title of ‘Ultimate Luxury Hypercar’.
Although a new car throughout, like the Veyron the Chiron is powered by a mid-mounted, 7,993cc W12-cyl, 64-valve, quad turbo, quad cam engine, but in Chiron guise with bigger turbos and a new titanium exhaust system it produces 1,479bhp with 1,600Nm (1,179lb/ft) of torque. This goes via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission to a permanent all-wheel drive system.
With 25% more horsepower than the Veyron Super Sport, performance testing was conducted in 2017, specifically with the aim of securing the 0-400-0 km/h record. This was achieved in 41.96 seconds, but it’s since been pipped by the Koenigsegg Agera RS’s 36.44 secs.
Bugatti also revealed that the 1,995kg (dry) Chiron did 0-62mph in 2.4 secs, 0-124mph in 6.1 secs, 0-186mph in 13.1 secs and 0-249mph in 32.6 secs. Top speed (for road use) is limited to 236mph, or 261mph by turning a special key provided. A max speed figure for an unlimited Chiron has yet to be announced, but it’s estimated to be about 280mph – a speed which the analogue 500km/h speedometer, if not the tyres, can easily handle.
In the spacious cabin pretty much everything is either leather, carpet or polished aluminium, apart from some carbon-fibre and the steering wheel’s Bugatti emblem which is sterling silver. As with the Veyron, the Chiron’s exterior design is not to everyone’s taste, but it’s impossible to point a critical finger at any aspect of the interior.
With a base price of £2.5 million, 200 of the 500 Chirons planned were sold before the first customer car was delivered. It was reported that a used, 1,000-mile example changed hands in the UK in the Summer of 2017 for £3.6m, while a 250-mile Chiron was sold at RM Sotheby’s December 2017 auction in New York for $3,772,500 (inc. buyer’s premium).