BUGATTI Chiron Super Sport test
Cedric Pinatel 30/08/2022
As counterintuitive as it may seem, taking a slow drive in the Chiron Super Sport, which can reach 440 km/h, makes you realize what sets Bugatti apart from other exceptional cars.
1600 horses are very well bred
Taking the wheel of a car powered by a 1,600 horsepower internal combustion engine feels special at a time when the European Parliament has voted to ban the technology by 2035. Especially when the car in question closes one of the most interesting chapters in automotive history, which began with the Bugatti Veyron at the turn of the century. Designed to meet the impossible specifications drawn up by Ferdinand Piech, the record-breaking car, seeking to confirm the technological dominance of the Volkswagen group by bringing to market a car with both 1,000 horsepower and a top speed of 400 km/h, made it easy to drive and felt very different. Ferrari Enzo and other supercars of the same era. While the latter were focused solely on absolute dynamic efficiency on the circuit, the heavy Bugatti wanted to be easier to use despite its formidable mechanical capabilities.
Arriving in 2016, the 1,500-horsepower Chiron retains the same basic mechanical ingredients and spirit, with just an improved design thanks to two decades of technological advancements. Like its predecessor, it spawned a slightly more nimble Chiron Sport, then the Chiron Super Sport 300+ with 100 extra horsepower and aerodynamics optimized to break speed records. The same one that managed to reach 490 km/h on the Ehra Lessien track in 2019, a number that has never been equaled since, even if Koenigsegg, Hennessey and SSC aim to do better. Following the launch of the Chiron Pur Sport in 2020, with settings that prioritize absolute efficiency on the circuit, the Chiron Super Sport we’re testing today represents the latest version of the Chiron (aside from special models like the Divo or Centodieci). the end of his career. In reality, this Chiron Super Sport is technically identical to the Chiron Super Sport 300+. Unlike the latter, it allows customers to simply choose colors and other interior trims.
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GT with supercar performance
The Super Sport, which we launched near the Château St Jean in Molsheim, combines a beautiful brown leather interior with bright white. Once on board, the Bugatti reveals a world of difference from several supercars that can compete in terms of performance (0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 seconds, 0 to 200 km/h in 5.8 seconds, top speed). speed is electronically limited to 440 km/h). Do you see the minimalist interior of the Aston Martin Valkyrie or the Mercedes-AMG One? Well, the Alsacienne is like a Rolls-Royce in its exceptional quality and the materials that make it up. As for peripheral vision, it resembles the Audi R8 with very few blind spots. When you wake up, the roar of the W16 is unlike any other engine on the market, and after starting you forget about the car’s price and power within seconds, because it is so easy to drive. Driving with just one finger on the steering wheel at 130km/h with cruise control on a €3.84 million 1600bhp car, without breaking a sweat over the classic GT and surprisingly comfortable (despite the 7% stiffening of the rear springs) compared to the regular Chiron ), makes your head spin. Suddenly press the right pedal as well: after a short delay, the sixteen-eight-liter cylinder block puts pressure on its four turbos, and the launch of the catapult begins. Oops, you’re already 250 km/h. You lift your foot and the eerie, cacophonous soundtrack gives way to the hissing sounds of waste. Let’s switch to Management mode to go even further in favor of a small country road.
Everything is possible
Bugatti factory driver Pierre-Henri Raphanel explains that this Super Sport 100 is more efficient on the circuit than the classic Chiron, thanks to more horsepower and better stability at high speeds. In the few Alsatian corners of our course, it reveals a power unit that in any case invites fast direction, good overall agility and apneic phases of acceleration, as well as very heavy braking, to multiply greedily. Despite the torque of 1600 Nm, motoring never breaks! Unfortunately, we need more running time and better conditions to really feel the dynamic differences compared to the regular Chiron. Three years ago at the great Paul Ricard circuit, the latter impressed me with its great acceleration (356 km/h in the big straight line of the Marks!) and the wonderful neutrality of behavior despite the two dry tones. Pierre-Henri Raphanel tells me he recently reached 370 km/h at the Var circuit before the Signes curve in a Super Sport. In any case, if there was one thing to remember from the driving experience in the Chiron Super Sport, it would be the same as the other versions tested before: more than the dizzying speeds that the new electric supercars now beat with 2,000 horsepower. Rimac Nevera (the brand that now owns Bugatti) is the extraordinary versatility of this sports car, able to do everything without the slightest difficulty. An unusual supercar that will go down in the history books, with already sold copies of the planned ones. The Chiron will be replaced by a new hybrid sports car stripped of the big W16 by 2025, but it’s hard to imagine how Rimac can match the Veyron and Chiron in terms of sheer mechanical prowess.
To remember
You’ll soon find electric supercars capable of more powerful acceleration than the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. But perhaps no car will ever bridge such a huge gap between luxury, performance, versatility or top speed. Like the Veyron before it, the Chiron made automotive history.
Amazing ease of control, comfort, endless performance
Untouchable price, gearbox and engine sensitivity You’ll soon find electric supercars that can accelerate faster than the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. But perhaps no car will ever bridge such a huge gap between luxury, performance, versatility or top speed. Like the Veyron before it, the Chiron made automotive history.
Price 2021:
3840000 €
Powerful:
1600 horsepower
0 – 100 km/h:
2.4s
Mixed consumption:
21.47 l/100km
CO2 emissions:
487 g/km
Heart note:
20/20
Driving pleasure:
18/20
Active and passive safety:
17/20
Comfort and life on board:
16/20
Budget:
8/20
