5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Bugatti Chiron

The long-awaited replacement for the Bugatti Veyron is finally here in the form of the Chiron, which was unveiled last week.

The new car was one of the most buzzworthy debuts at the Geneva Motor Show, and for good reason. Let’s take a deeper dive to see what the newest Bugatti is all about.

Or rather, who was Chiron? Chiron was a centaur in Greek mythology known as the most noble, pragmatic and wise among his kind. Unfortunately for him, he wilfully took an arrow poisoned with hydra blood to save the life of Prometheus, the Titan who later allowed mankind to use fire. Greek mythology is cool.

Just kidding.

While a Chiron may have been some mythical beast, the name actually comes from Louis Chiron, who was one of the most successful Bugatti Gran Prix racing drivers of the 1920 and ’30s.

With 1,478 horsepower, the Bugatti Chiron was the most powerful production car ever when it was announced the day before the 2016 Geneva Motor show, but later in the day, Koenigsegg pulled the wraps off the production version of its 1,500-hp Regera. No matter. With 25 percent more power than the Veyron and 1,180 lb-ft of torque between 2,000 and 6,000 rpm, the Chiron will do 0-60 in 2.5 seconds, 125 in 6.5 seconds and 186 mph in 13.6 seconds. Top speed is 261 mph.

ALSO SEE: The Koenigsegg Regera is a Crazy 1,500-Plus HP Hybrid Megacar

The 261-mph top speed is electronically limited, but Bugatti suggests the Chiron could be much faster. Speeds in excess 280 mph could be possible when it hits Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track later this year. So, why the capped top speed? Tires are the limiting factor. Each gram of the Chiron’s specially developed Michelins is exposed to an incredible 3,800 gs of force at top speed. Any faster for a sustained period of time, and they could turn to black mist. Also, the speedometer goes up to 500 km/h, or 310 mph. Interesting.