Andy Wallace Says Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ Was Still Accelerating At 304 MPH

The man who drove the new Chiron Super Sport 300+ to 304.77 mph (490 km/h) says the car still had some speed left in reserve when he backed off the accelerator.

Bugatti may not have claimed the Guinness world record for the fastest production car on earth because it didn’t record a two-way average top speed run, but it did establish itself as the first automaker to have a series-production model that exceeds 300 mph (482 km/h).

“I don’t think that’s the v-max of the car, because it was still accelerating,” test pilot Andy Wallace told Autoblog. “At that speed, you cover a kilometer about every seven seconds. Then, of course, at the other end you need some distance — not necessarily time, but quite a lot of distance — to get the car down to the right speed for the banking.”

Also Read: Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ Got Airborne During 304.77 MPH Run

Wallace believes he may have been able to keep his right foot pinned to the throttle for about one more second before he had to brake for the banking at VW’s Ehra-Lessien test facility and, with a longer road at its disposal, the Chiron could go even faster.

For years, one of the limiting factors in building a production car that exceeds the 300 mph mark has been the tires, but with the Chiron Super Sport 300+ Michelin proved that its rubber can withstand the forces and heat generated at such speeds.

The French company says it has actually tested the tires the Bugatti was wearing at up to 317 mph (510 km/h), meaning the likes of Hennessey, Koenigsegg and SSC will be able to chase the 310 mph barrier with their own hypercars.