March 01--At last August's Monterey Car Week, Bugatti president Wolfgang Durheimer said his company was preparing to unveil a car that would be faster, more powerful and more luxurious than any in the world -- better in every way than its Veyron, already considered to be the fastest and most powerful production vehicle on the planet.
Now Durheimer has made good on the promise with the unveiling at the Geneva International Motor Show of the Bugatti Chiron -- a $2.6 million super car that the Volkswagen Group-owned company says is already a hot seller.
The new two-seat sports car will boast a massive 16-cylinder, turbo-charged engine that makes 1500 horsepower and a staggering 1,180 pound feet of torque. (By comparison, the insanely fast Dodge Challenger Hellcat makes 750 horsepower and 601 pound feet of torque. The Ferrari La Ferrari makes 963 horsepower and 516 pound feet of torque.)
The Chiron will be capable of zero to 60 mph in 2.4 seconds and a top speed of 260 mph, or more: The engine is limited to that speed, Bugatti says, to make it safe for road use.
Don't be alarmed. The company says the Chiron "can be easily controlled at all speeds."
Positioned as "the ultimate super sports car," the Chiron aims for exclusivity. Only 500 units of the sleek beast will be built, at the company's factory in Molsheim, France. Bugatti says a third of those 500 have already been reserved by advance order.
The Chiron represents significant advancement over Bugatti's current super car, the Veyron. That previous world beater has a 1001 horsepower engine capable of getting the car from zero to 60 mph in 2.4 seconds, and reaching a limited top speed of 254 mph. But then it costs only $1.7 million.
Twitter: @misterfleming
