The Bugatti Chiron is already a monster of a car. But the Super Sport version takes things to a whole other level. It’s nearly 1,600 horsepower of pure adrenaline. And while it’s a little more down to earth than its Chiron cousins, it still has no problem out-accelerating cars like the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolute and upcoming Hennessey Venom F5.
It may not have quite as much top speed as its bigger brothers but it’s still the fastest production car in the world. It’s also a great example of how important the design of a car can be.
This is a vehicle that was designed to be a style icon as well as an engineering masterpiece. It has a sleek, flowing silhouette and an elegant color scheme that pays tribute to the Bugatti’s rich history of aerodynamic design. But it’s the under the hood where things really get exciting. It’s powered by the same 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine that powers the standard Chiron, but it’s been tuned to produce a staggering 1,578 horsepower.
What’s more, the redline has been bumped up to 7,100 rpm, which allows the car to stay in its peak power band for longer than its brethren. And the exhaust system has been modified to be more efficient at high speeds, and the front and rear bumpers have been optimized to generate downforce without excessive drag.
All of these changes add up to a car that can easily hit 273 mph, although Bugatti has said it would assist any owners who wanted to go even faster. Of course, if you want to hit 304 mph, then you’ll need the Super Sport 300+ version. That’s a completely different story, however, as it’s only being made in 30 units.
Whether you’re looking for a way to celebrate your own record or just to take your speeding skills to the next level, there’s no better car on the market than the Bugatti Super Sport. It might have competitors that can shave whole tenths of a second off its acceleration times but none that can match the feeling of being propelled by streaming electrons and spinning armatures as you dance on the edge of destruction a thousand times a second, turning the explosive power of gasoline and air violently compressed and set on fire into a harmonious symphony of power and speed.
The Bugatti Super Sport is the perfect car to cap off an amazing decade for automotive technology. It’s the kind of neck-breakingly fast ride that every gear head wants to drive, but few ever will due to its exclusivity. And for those fortunate few, the Super Sport will be a thrilling reminder of what’s possible when the world’s best engineers are unfettered by the constraints of cost and complexity.