In the supercar world, a V-8 will cut it, a V-10 is better, and a V-12 is the most desired engine. Then there's Bugatti, the French brand that laughs are your measly V-12 and ups the ante to 16 cylinders.
Bugatti started its 16-cylinder, ungodly power onslaught in 2005 with the Veyron. The car's W-16 engine put out 987 horsepower initially and eventually spawned variants that reached 1,200 horsepower before it ended production in 2015.
Those four turbos work in sequence. The first two are smaller turbos with a quick spool-up time. They do their thing under 3,800 rpm. Above 3,800 rpm, the two other turbos come on line, though with a slight delay from one to the next. These are larger turbos and they are larger than those in the Veyron, which is one of the main reasons this car makes roughly 300 more horsepower. A new titanium exhaust system also adds power by reducing back pressure.
The W-16 sends its power to all four wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission with the largest clutch on the market. That all-wheel-drive system has a front-axle differential with an integrated inter-axle lock and a rear diff with an integrated inter-wheel lock.
With so much power on tap, the Chiron has performance numbers to match. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 2.5 seconds, reach 124 mph in less than 6.5 seconds, hit 186 mph in 13.6 seconds or less, and reach a top speed of at least 261 mph. That final figure is electronically limited. No doubt, we will see attempts at record top speed runs in the future.
All that motive force is nestled within a new carbon fiber monocoque. The body panels are also carbon fiber.
From a design standpoint, the Chiron is an evolution of the Veyron, but it has elements from the past. More than those factors, though, the design is a clear example of form following function with cooling of its massive engine and aerodynamics for its incredible speed envelope taking priority.
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