Bugatti Chiron Prototype 4-005 Is Being Retired After 8 Long Years

Every Bugatti Chiron has a story to tell. But perhaps none of them can match the long and hard life of prototype 4-005.

One of eight early testers developed by the Molsheim company, it was made in 2013, and since then, all of the Chiron’s software was developed and tested in it. This included 30 vehicle control units undergoing specific tests, with engineers monitoring the condition and quality of each modification.

In all, 13 engineers, computer scientists and physicists worked with the ‘Four Five’ (‘four’ stands for prototype and ‘five’ for the fifth prototype of the Chiron). Each developer dealt with a specific component, which also included the new navigation system, conference calling, HMI interface and others, but they were all familiar with the system as a whole.

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“In the case of the 4-005, we performed all the tests and were on the road for many weeks, and this brings you together. The prototype shaped our work and with the prototype we shaped the Chiron”, said Rudiger Warda, who has been developing Bugatti cars for nearly two decades. “Developing a combination of a purely driving machine and comfortable, intuitive operation was challenging. With Bugatti, driving is part of the experience – the menu navigation should only support it.”

Before the Chiron was launched in 2016, ‘Four Five’ was covered by a tarpaulin to hide it from prying eyes. The team traveled the world with it, as the testing phase included heat tests in South Africa, snow drifts in Scandinavia and fast laps of Nardo. This was also the first Chiron to be driven in the USA, and if that wasn’t enough, it was also subjected to the afterburner of a Eurofighter Typhoon.

“In spite of it being an immense feat, we drove for up to ten hours at a time – and got out of the car feeling fit in the evenings”, said Norbert Uffmann, the man behind the telemetry and connectivity at Bugatti.

Now, eight years and more than 74,000 km (~46,000 miles) after it first saw the light of day, prototype 4-005 is getting ready to enjoy its retirement.