Skip to main content

Watch This Bugatti Chiron Shatter a World Speed Record at More Than 300 MPH

Humankind is still struggling to unlock faster-than-light travel. Despite Einstein’s silly “scientific” assertions that it’s impossible, the world’s best car manufacturers seem determined to get us there. From the Veyron in 2005 to the Chiron in 2016, Bugatti has been leading the charge, breaking world record after world record. Last month, the company did the unthinkable.

On August 2, 2019, Bugatti became the first-ever car company to break the extraordinary 300-mile-per-hour mark in a pre-production vehicle. The certified speed topped out at 304.773 miles per hour on Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track in Lower Saxony, Germany. Bugatti test driver (side note: where do we sign up for that job?) and Le Mans winner Andy Wallace shattered the record in a modified Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ Coupe. From 300 kilometers per hour, the world-class driver reached the car’s max speed in 50-kph increments to ensure it was equipped to safely handle the mind-boggling velocity. In the final 5.4-mile straightaway leading up to the record, Wallace covered nearly 450 feet in just one second.

BUGATTI Chiron breaks through magic 300mph barrier

In addition to the Batman-worthy, jet-black paint scheme, the already legendary hypercar was specially tuned with an extra 100 horsepower from its stock, quad-turbo, eight-liter W16 engine. Power at the wheels was rated at a staggering 1,600 horsepower. Surprisingly, the all-wheel-drive system and Ricardo seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission were both unmodified. Bugatti worked closely with Michelin and Italian race specialists Dallara to maximize the car’s aerodynamics. The Chiron was fitted with special Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires capable of handling more than 4,000 rotations per minute. For added downforce and reduced drag, the company ditched the fixed rear wing and extended the body by ten inches. The laser-controlled suspension automatically adjusts the Chiron’s ride-height to reduce drag even more.

In an epic mic-drop press statement following the victory, Bugatti president Stephan Winkelmann proudly thumbed his nose at the entire supercar industry:

“Bugatti has once again shown what it’s capable of. With this new record of the Chiron we enter again uncharted territory … Our goal was to be the first manufacturer ever to reach the magic 300-mile-per-hour mark. We have now achieved this … We have shown several times that we build the fastest cars in the world. In [the] future we will focus on other areas.”

The statement confirmed Bugatti is withdrawing from the top-speed arms race that’s been raging in the hypercar industry to produce ever-faster and absurdly powerful vehicles.

If this legendary supercar arrives in 2021 as Bugatti has hinted, only 30 will be produced. Despite the four-million-dollar price tag, we expect them to sell out immediately. If you miss your shot, but still need something to blow your lottery winnings on, Lotus’ all-electric, 2,000-horsepower Evija will soon be available for half that price.

Editors' Recommendations

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
How many teams are there in Formula 1 in 2024?
!0 teams and 20 drivers compete for the World Championship,
Aston Martin Formula 1 race car driving directly toward the camera.

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix winner's stage Nate Swanner / DTMG

In the current FIA Formula 1 season, ten teams each field two drivers to vie for the highest Grand Prix World Championship points among all competitors. The 2024 F1 schedule has 24 Grand Prix racing events, including six that include a shorter F1 Sprint race.
Why F1 teams matter in the sport

Read more
What engines do Formula 1 cars use?
F1 engines will be carbon neutral starting in 2026
Lewis Hamilton (44) driving for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team during The Australian Formula One Grand Prix Race on April 02, 2023, at The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park, Australia.

F1 race cars routinely exceed 200 miles per hour during Grand Prix races, which begs the question, "What engines do Formula 1 cars use?" If you expect to hear that F1 race cars use exotic V16 or V12 engines, you may be surprised to learn that they don't even run with V8s. All F1 race cars have a power unit comprising a 1.6-liter V6 hybrid internal combustion engine (ICE) with two on-board electrical energy recovery units. Like almost everything in Formula 1, the engines teams can use in their race cars are strictly defined by the FIA F1 Rules and Regulations.
Why Formula 1 car engines matter

Formula 1 is considered the pinnacle of elite motorsports, which puts the organization in a powerful position to influence other competitive automotive groups. Also, in 2019, F1 committed to being carbon-net-zero by 2030. F1 race cars currently have hybrid gas and electric power units, but starting in 2026, all F1 cars will run on biofuel, a renewable energy source with significantly lower carbon emissions than petroleum-based fuels.
What engines do Formula 1 cars use today?

Read more
Why do they weigh Formula 1 drivers?
Weighing too little is the problem, not weighing too much.
Max Verstappen driving a Red Bull F1 race car.

Formula 1 race car drivers are weighed frequently in compliance with the FIA F1 Technical and Sporting regulations. The weigh-ins are not casual events where a driver hops on a scale, reads their own weight, and goes their merry way. FIA Technical Delegates weigh the drivers to ensure that their race cars are qualified to compete in an F1 Grand Prix or Sprint race. The driver's weight is added to the car's weight to ensure the total meets the minimum mass requirement.
Why it's important to weigh Formula 1 drivers

Monitoring F1 driver weight matters because it helps keep the sport competitive and safe. The FIA governing organization keeps a tight hold on the rules for Formula 1 racing. Because the financial stakes are so high with this elite motorsport, in which winnings are measured hundreds of millions of dollars, anything less than consistent vigilance would be a mistake. F1 teams have budget caps for each season to protect the sport from becoming totally controlled by the team that has the most money to spend.

Read more