Bugatti Chiron

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).