Geneva Motor Show 2016: The Bugatti Veyron has been officially replaced by something far, far scarier known as the Chiron.
Let’s start with the juicy numbers because there are a fair few of them. Horsepower? 1,479 developed from a heavily revised version of the Veyron’s 8.0-litre, quad-turbo W16. 0-62mph? 2.5 seconds ─ faster than a McLaren P1 hybrid.
Power to weight ratio? 741bhp per tonne. Torque? 1,179lb/ft from 2,000 to 6,000rpm (twice that of a Ferrari GTC4Lusso). Weight? 1,995kg, making it around 700kg heavier than a Ford Focus.
Price? €2.4 million (£1.9 million), if you can somehow secure one of the 500-car production run.
We’re not done yet. The Bugatti Chiron is said to top out at 261mph, while 0-124mph takes less than 6.5 seconds. A Formula One car from the 2015 season needs about five seconds to do the same. 0-186mph? That takes 13.6 seconds, bettering the Veyron by 3.1 seconds.
Braking is equally ferocious. The Chiron needs 125 metres to go from 124mph to standing. 186-0mph takes 275 metres, once again eclipsing the efforts of its legendary predecessor.
The usual top speed is limited to 236mph, until you use a ‘Speed Key’ to unlock the Top Speed mode, which alters the engine management system to allow for 261mph – 7mph faster than the Veyron.
Bugatti has managed to increase power by 492bhp by using a number of serious engine upgrades, including a redesigned carbon fibre inlet manifold, an injection system comprised 32 individual injectors, bigger turbochargers and a new titanium exhaust system.
Speaking of the turbos, the Chiron uses two to build power up to 3,800rpm, at which point all hell breaks loose and the other two join in. Besides making mortals soil themselves, Bugatti says power delivery is more linear.
Like the Veyron, the Chiron has a four-wheel drive system that can vary how much power goes to each rear wheel. It also has a seven-speed dual clutch automatic, which has been reworked to cope with the new engine output.
In between making one of the most powerful cars ever, it’s clear Bugatti spent a long time designing the thing. It’s unmistakably the child of the Veyron, but somehow it has even more presence. The rear end, complete with a full-width LED rear light, would look at home in an art gallery.
So how does it compare with the Veyron in terms of size? Well, it’s 82mm longer, 40mm wider and 53mm higher, respectively, at 4,544 x 2,038 x 1,212mm. It is also 155kg heavier and has 12mm extra headroom, which will be good news for tall oil barons.
Bugatti is said to have received 150 orders for the Chiron so it is probably worth striking quickly as this will undoubtedly be a future classic. Of course, you could wait for the various variants also planned (Chiron SuperSport, anyone?).
In case you were wondering, the Bugatti Chiron is named after grand prix racer Louis Chiron, a man who took the Bugatti Type 51 to victory in the 1931 French Grand Prix. Now go raid the piggy bank.
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