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2016 Bugatti Chiron revealed ahead of Geneva debut

Images and details of the all-new 2.4 million euro ($3.6mil) 2016 Bugatti Chiron hypercar have been released just hours before the car's official reveal at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.


The Bugatti Chiron is the successor to the 1001hp Bugatti Veyron, a car that changed the rules for what was thought possible of a 'mass production' super sports tourer.

Running an evolution of the Veyron's 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 engine, matched to four new and larger turbochargers, the Chiron promises a staggering 1500PS (1103kW) of power - as signified by the '1500' stamped on the engine.

That number is matched to a mighty 1600Nm of torque, sent to the ground through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and a permanent all-wheel drive system.

Those figures, Bugatti says, makes the Chiron "very well-positioned to become the next world speed record holder and reach a maximum speed significantly above the record currently held by Bugatti".

Officially, the Chiron's road speed is electronically limited to 420km/h - largely as a matter of protecting the tyres against a blowout - and Bugatti promises a 0-100km/h sprint time of "less than" 2.5 seconds.

"The Chiron is the quintessential ultimate super sports car. With the Chiron we will not only be providing a key emotional element for the image of the Volkswagen Group, but will also be making a positive contribution to group results," Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer said.

"This combination (of speed, agility and design) is not offered by any other market player and gives Bugatti its unique market position,” Duerheimer said.

Among the 1995kg (dry) Chiron's delights are a new carbon-fibre monocoque design, which takes four weeks to build.

Suspension is by a double-wishbone design at the front and rear, matched to electronically-controlled adaptive dampers.

Along with the new turbochargers, the W16 engine also gets new pistons, con-rods and crank, along with a new titanium exhaust system.

And, to stave off overheating, the Chiron's cooling system works more than 60,000 litres of air and 800 litres of water through the engine - every minute.

Rubber at the corners, supplied by Michelin especially for the Chiron, measure 285/30 R20 at the front and 355/25 R21 at the rear.

All of this demands huge braking capacity, of course. That means larger carbon-ceramic brake discs, matched to eight-piston front callipers and six-piston rears.

Depending on the driving mode, the Chiron's rear spoiler shifts automatically between four positions: retracted, slightly extended for Top Speed mode, completely extended for the Handling and Autobahn modes, and a fully-foward configuration for air-braking under heavy deceleration.

The Chiron's styling follows the form of the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept that was shown at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show.

With an elliptical line through the rear quarters and a clear central division both inside and outside the luxurious cabin, the Chiron looks every bit the multi-million dollar hypercar the world has been waiting for.

Production of the Chiron will be limited to 500 units, although that may not include the inevitable special-edition models that will likely appear later in its life.

Bugatti says it already has advance orders for more than a third of the official build number.

Click the Photos tab for more images of the 2016 Bugatti Chiron.

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James Ward

With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.

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