Bugatti Chiron Sport And Rafale Fighter Jet Meet In Asphalt-Vibrating Race

Back in 2007, Richard Hammond raced a Bugatti Veyron against a Eurofighter Typhoon for the old Top Gear show, and despite ITS impressive straight-line performance, the hypercar found it hard to keep up with the fighter jet.

Fourteen years later, its successor, the Chiron, has had its credentials tested against a Dassault Rafale Marine fighter jet. The pride of the French Navy aviation and the modern hypercar got together at the naval base in Landivisiau, in the country’s northwestern territory, for a high-octane demonstration.

Holding the wheel of the Chiron Sport, which was in ‘Les Legendes du Ciel’ (LDC) specification, a 20-unit limited-production model that honors the 20th century French daredevils, was Pierre-Henri Raphanel. The official Bugatti test driver took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 14 times between 1986 and 2000, won the French Formula 3 championship in 1985 and qualified for the F1 Monaco Grand Prix in 1989. He has been with the Molsheim automaker for over a decade, and he broke the speed record for road legal cars in 2010 with the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, achieving 268 mph (431,072 km/h).

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Frigate captain Etienne flew the Rafale Marine next to the hypercar and witnessed how the two stack up against each other in acceleration and braking. “Precision and preparation are everything. Everything happens very quickly in the Rafale Marine, and every move you make has to be right. And the same goes for the Chiron Sport at high speeds”, said the navy pilot.

Shortly after setting off, the Chiron Sport took the lead, aided by the 1,500 PS (1,479 HP / 1,103 kW) and 1,600 Nm (1,180 lb-ft) 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16, which is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. It can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.4 seconds, to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.1 seconds, to 300 km/h (186 mph) in 13.1 seconds and to 400 km/h (249 mph) in 32.6 seconds.

The Rafale, on the other hand, hits 165 km/h (103 mph) after 150 meters (492 feet), 210 km/h (130 mph) after 250 meters (820 feet) and takes off after 450 meters (1,476 feet) at around 260 km/h (162 mph). It has 5,727 PS (5,646 HP / 4,212 kW) and can achieve a top speed of more than 1.6 Mach (~1,975 km/h / 1,227 mph). Weighing 10.3 tons (22,700 lbs) dry and with a maximum weight of 24.5 tons (54,000 lbs), the single-seater fighter jet is 15.5 meters (610 in) long and has a wingspan of 10.86 meters (428 in).

“I pulled away from the Rafale over the first few hundred meters, but after a few hundred meters more, it was around 20 meters above and alongside me in the air”, said Raphanel. “An incredible and fantastic sight”.

The organizers declared the comparison a draw.