The 1500 PS (1479 HP) Bugatti Chiron is an intricate piece of machinery, capable of achieving ridiculously high speeds.
But just like its predecessor, unlocking the Chiron’s additional potential requires a supplementary key, lots of courage, and a long stretch of road.
That’s because, due to safety reasons, both the Veyron and the Chiron’s top speed are electronically limited; but while the former’s acceleration topped out at 415 km/h (258 mph) (for the SS variant) – in order to protect the tires from disintegrating – the Chiron stops accelerating at 420 km/h (261 mph).
Bugatti’s profile of the average Chiron customer has roughly 42 cars, 1.7 jets and 1.4 yachts. Will they accept the new car being slower than the old?
Well, in a recent interview with Autoblog, Willi Netuschil, head of Bugatti’s engineering department, said the top speed can be increased to about 458 km/h (285 mph) if a customer so wishes.
“You have to remember how much greater the braking distance needed is as those levels. The Volkswagen’s Group’s track near Wolfsburg has a specially designed long straight that can be used for these type of high-speed stunts. There’s also a military base in Germany we can get access to that has a long enough runway”, said Netuschil.
Now, the real brain bender remains the Chiron’s actual top speed capability. In true Bugatti fashion, 458 km/h (285 mph) shouldn’t be the absolute limit, as the car maker always leaves room for errors and a safety margin.
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