Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, the fastest car in the world in test

In its recent history, Bugatti’s fame was built on successive speed records. Even today, it is a car from the Alsace brand, which is the fastest in the world, after reaching 490,484 km / h in the summer of 2019 on the Ehra-Lessien track, in Germany. Since then, SSC made an attempt with its Tuatara and announced that it exceeded 500 km / h, but it turned out that the operation was rigged. While waiting for the American manufacturer to try again, or for it to be overtaken by Hennessey or Koenigsegg, Bugatti therefore remains at the top.

It was not with any Chiron that Bugatti broke his record; a specific version has been developed for the needs of the case. Especially the aerodynamics have been reworked, with an extended buttocks of 23 cm to reduce resistance. Aesthetically, it balances the silhouette of this hypercar, while at the same time being a nod to the fastest cars that have driven at 24 Hours of Le Mans, which used the same device to achieve top speed in the Mulsanne Straight. The diffuser has also been enlarged, while the blades on the front fenders make it possible to evacuate the air that could collect in the wheel arches, with the risk of disturbing the track.

A Bugatti limited to 440 km / h

After a first Super Sport 300+ edition, limited to thirty examples and with the record car’s black and orange color, this groundbreaking version was available in the Super Sport “just short”. Officially, no production figures have been set, but the Chiron from which it is derived is limited to 500 copies, it should have been produced less than fifty. The only difference with the car that exceeded 490 km / h is one electronic limitation, which limits the speed to 440 km / h, in order to guarantee the safety of customers who have nothing to do with professional pilots;. This is not a luxury, according to Andy Wallace, the official Bugatti driver who achieved the feat. “The caster angle of the front axle is chosen to ensure stability at high speeds. But beyond 460 km / h, the gyroscopic effect of the wheels is so great that the track must be constantly corrected.”

During our visit to Molsheim in Alsace, where it is made, the British driver, winner of 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988, started driving the Chiron Super Sport and indulging in his favorite game. He resets the power meters and then smashes the throttle hard. Barely a few fractions of a second, just long enough to reach a speed of 3,000 rpm. The time to be projected forward immediately. “Look at the counter: the W16 developed 800 hp. What other engine can deliver so much power at such a low speed? That’s where you can see the difference with the 1,500 hp Chiron. This new 1,600 hp version is even lighter and more elastic. “. Then it accelerates further. This time, it’s as if Chewbacca (compared to the W16’s roar) had inadvertently activated the Millennium Falcon’s hyperdrive throttle. The driving force is herculic, formidable: this Bugatti can drive from 0 to 200 km / h in 5.5 seconds and reach 300 km / h in 12.1 seconds. Above all, it never stops. “Seventh gear is longer on this Chiron Super Sport compared to the Chiron Sport. The engine is still capable of delivering a lot of power.”

It’s my turn to take the wheel … 100 hp more than a Chiron is both a little and a lot. Andy Wallace might be saying you really need to get used to the W16 and have traveled the road with different Bugatti models to discover the difference. My more modest experience does not allow me to distinguish between the two versions of this engine, the most powerful in the world in a production car and whose strength exceeds the understanding of ordinary mortals. All things considered, the extra cavalry is roughly equivalent to that of a city car, which would increase from 90 hp to 96 hp. As this thought crosses me, the conversation with Andy Wallace, precisely, drives on cars with modest power. He told me at the time that I should be curious about everything that rolls, to love whipping small cars with small engines. Here we are, aboard a 1,600 hp car for more than three million euros, evoking moments of madness in underpowered city cars or even in cars without a driver’s license. He tells me how, during a selection of Sportswoman of the Year for the highly esteemed magazine EVOhad he been impressed with the Renault Clio 2 RS Trophy, which a Porsche 911 GT2 could not follow on the road.

A 1,600 hp car to drive quietly

Is this conversation degenerate? Is it the sophistication of the Chiron Super Sports cabin, upholstered in tasteful brown leather? Or is it the awareness that I absolutely would not be able to get the most out of this Bugatti on the roads around Molsheim? Still, after pressing the accelerator all the way down three times and the brakes as many times as one turn, I do not feel the ultimate need to roll at breakneck speed. This is not to offend the brand’s engineers, on the contrary! While a Lamborghini Huracan can not stand to drive anything but flat out, this Bugatti is a queen of subtlety. Remember that Ferdinand Piëch, in the specifications given by his engineers, had demanded that he be able to go to the opera in a Veyron. Twenty years later, Bugatti still need to be as effective as they are docile. I have the proof of the fast lane, when I arrived behind a truck on the right lane, I have to sneak between an SUV and a van to overtake it. A light press on the right pedal allows me to glide with precision between the two vehicles. Without sweating, without hitting the transmission with jerks. For a car of 1,600 hp, it is an even more impressive performance than driving over 400 km / h without throwing the driver in the background.

Because of chain tests with Bugatti customers, Andy Wallace probably knows the roads in Alsace better than those in Derbyshire, where he has taken up residence. He guides me towards a twisted stretch, poorly paved, which does not seem to be the ideal playground for such a missile. The few roundabouts and village crossings dotted with speed bumps allowed me to once again see how accommodating the suspension is. It is certainly firm (the rear springs are harder than on the Chiron, to ensure stability at high speeds), but attenuation does its job with astonishing rigor: the fastest car in the world turns out to be much more comfortable than a “beast” Porsche 911, which one could imagine more adapted to the daily rides.

Disturbingly easy to drive

That’s why the turns come. The steering, which is very locked around the center (more than on a Chiron Pur Sport), stands out as always with the Bugatti with an exceptional feel. The specific electronic components (so expensive that they are inaccessible to most brands, including Porsche) allow precision in mapping the assistance that is prohibited for most sports cars. When you turn the steering wheel, the effort naturally increases: you can feel exactly what is happening on the front axle, from steering angle to deck sidewall deformation. It gives you the confidence to increase the pace. The Chiron Super Sport shifts with agility. And there is always the perfect calibration of the accelerator, which makes it possible to dose the engine power with finesse. Unbelievable, but true: Once the car tilts into a turn, the precision is such that we are able to activate a very small drift of the rear axle at the accelerator without waking up the electronic safety devices. It reveals an extraordinary development. We drive this 1,954 kg and 1,600 hp car, which we would drive in a simple Volkswagen Golf R. At the end of our test, the consumption is around 25 l / 100 km. We expected worse …

One criticism often directed at Bugattis is that they are purified. We certainly do not have the vocalizations and brutality of the transmission of a Lamborghini, the changes in support with a McLaren’s lightning liveliness or the sometimes sinister reactions from an Aston Martin. The Chiron Super Sport gives the feeling of always being in control, and this control can be perceived by some as a tinge of sensations. But happiness is there. A small road reveals Chiron’s amazing agility and how smoothly it communicates with its rider. A large straight line sends the brain to the bottom of the skull box at the slightest pressure from the right foot, to the point that we lose the notion of what surrounds us. And short daily trips will be extraordinary because each model is specially configured by its owner and there will be only a few dozen in the world.

In short, the Chiron Super Sport is an all-around athlete, lightning fast and exciting to drive. She also has the good taste to prove that a sports car does not have to be uncomfortable to be effective. Unfortunately, it is impossible to afford a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, even if one is able to pay the 3.2 million euros required for a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport (excluding taxes and options): all copies have already been sold. The only thing left for future owners who have reserved one of the latest chassis of the Chiron is to choose between this Super Sport or Pur Sport, optimized for use on the track. At least in Europe, where the approval is no longer valid for Chiron and Chiron Sport, which are still available in the US or the Middle East.