MOTOR

(Darren Dugan) #1
14 march 2015 motormag.com.au

extensive re-engineering and the
resultant evaluation work has put
the project back to 2016, rather
than its initial late-2015 debut.
While based on the existing
Veyron structure, 92 per cent of the
Chiron’s parts are new or modified.
Weight will decrease to improve
the car’s handling and agility while
also aiding performance. Having
to improve on the benchmark set
up by the Veyron Super Sport,
the Chiron will hit 100km/h in just
over two seconds on its way to a
ludicrous top speed of 460km/h.
A number of powerplants were
considered, including an Audi-
developed stillborn 14-cylinder
engine, but the Veyron’s 8.0-litre
quad-turbo W16 will be retained,
albeit heavily modified to produce
1120kW/1500Nm. The power will
also be spread over a wider range,
thanks to at least two of the four
turbos being electrically driven.
Once again, a seven-speed dual-
clutch gearbox will be standard.

Active aerodynamics play a key
role in allowing the car to achieve
such outrageous velocities and
Michelin has had to develop a
completely new tyre to handle the
forces involved.
Just under ¤2m (AU$2.8m) is the
expected price, and given it took
Bugatti almost 10 years to shift 450
Veyrons, expect fewer Chirons to
be made available. We’ll bring you
more details as they come to hand.M

A


S Bugatti workers bolt
together the final few
Veyrons at the historic
Molsheim factory, the
attention of Volkswagen top
brass has turned to its successor,
tentatively called the Chiron. And
they’re not happy.
According to our European
correspondent, Georg Kacher,
during the annual summer
prototype drive both Ferdinand
Piëch, chairman of the VW Group
supervisory board and father of
the Veyron, and Martin Winterkorn,
chairman and CEO of the VW
Group, both complained about the
difficulty in getting in and out of the
Chiron prototype due to its wide
sills and narrow opening.
Having reportedly just taken
delivery of a LaFerrari for his
wife, Ursula, Piëch has proposed
a similar door solution for the
Chiron, in which the door and outer
sill swing up together. However,
such a modification would require

Chiron is coming


HOT STUFF COMING SOON


THE
NEWS

bySCCCCOCOTTTTTNNEWNNEEWWMAMAANANNN

Nope, not a new Beetle, the 1120kW Veyron successor


Veyron Super
Sport of 2010
set an almighty
performance
benchmark for
the new Chiron
to try to top

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