Bugatti; a Marque that needs little to no introduction – Creator of some of the most divine Motors ever to grace our streets. Each Bugatti will set you back a tidy sum and with only a few handfuls of each model built, finding one will be the more difficult task.
“Nothing is too expensive, Nothing is too Beautiful”
Ettore Bugatti, Founder
Being globally renowned for their work and having becoming a powerhouse of the Motor industry, Bugatti boasts an impressive portfolio.
Founded in 1909, Automobiles Ettore Bugatti set the mark for the manufacturing of high performance cars. The then German, now French, company began its journey creating vehicles such as the Type 35 GP cars and the Type 57 ‘Atlantic’, followed by the Type 55 Sports car. Ettore Bugatti, the original Founder, was renowned for his level of detail in both the engineering and styling of the vehicles under the Bugatti banner.
Bugatti produced many successful models for both racing and domestic settings. But following the passing of Ettore in 1947, the business went in to decline. After several years of declining trade, in 1952, Bugatti in its original form ceased trading. Many attempts were made to revive the company under several different names, alongside different associates, however, those failed too, predominantly due to both a lack of funding, economic uncertainty and interest in the models on offer at the time.
Fast forward to 1985. Roland Artiloi, an Italian Entrepreneur, acquired the Bugatti brand an formed ‘Bugatti Automobili S.p.A.’. Artioli commissioned the design of a new manufacturing facility, situated in Modena, Italy with construction beginning in 1988. The first vehicle off the production line at the Modena facility was the EB110 GT.
As the EB110 hit the market, the markets in North America and Europe had gone into decline/recession and with no market for the EB110, the company ceased operations in 1995. The company went in to liquidation at which point, German engineering firm, Dauer Racing purchased the EB110 licence in order to produce a further 5 examples.
It wasn’t until 1998 that the Volkswagen Group acquired the Bugatti brand. It was at this point that the EB118 was commissioned and debuted at the Paris motor show that year. The EB118 concept was powered by a W-18 engine, producing 547bhp. Two further examples were also designed and conceptualised by the company Italdesign. They were the EB218 and the 18/3 Chiron, both of which were introduced at shows that year; Geneva and Frankfurt respectively.
Bugatti is predominantly well-known for their newer models (2005-present). Production of the Veyron began late in 2005, at a time when engineering was making stout advances. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (16 Cylinders; 4 Turbochargers) was one of the first street legal cars to make it over the 1001ps mark (987bhp). It was truly groundbreaking for the era. Amongst other achievements, it also became the first production car to reach 250mph. Many variants of Veyron were produced, to include; Veyron 16.4, Veyron Gran Sport, Veyron Vitesse and Veyron SS. The Super Sport (SS) held the title for fastest road-legal car in the world for a healthy period of time, until it was surpassed in an ever increasing bid for the top spot.
The Super Sport variant was limited to 30 units and each housed a power plant, capable of 1200PS (1187bhp). 5 of the 30 units that were built, were dubbed ‘World Record Edition’ cars, with features in addition to those found on regular SS models. The WRE model displays the iconic Exposed carbon upper, with an orange lower tub. The electronic speed restriction has been removed from the 5 WRE examples. The limit was imposed on ordinary Super Sport models due to the tires only being rated to 258mph. Any faster and they run the risk of disintergration. The Veyron Super Sport WRE reached the #1 position at its time of production, reaching a staggering 267.8mph at VW’s own Ehra-Lessien. One of few places on the globe that a Bugatti can reach its VMax.
The 23rd February 2015 marked a milestone at Bugatti. The last Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse was sold; aptly named ‘La Finale’.
Bugatti previewed the successor to the Veyron at Geneva Motor Show on 1st March 2016. The Chiron has since gone on to break records of its own in several aspects. The Chiron carries the same engine as its older sibling; the 7993cc W16 quad turbocharged monster.
As was the case with the Veyron, 10 variants of the Chiron were produced between 2016 and 2023 to include; Chiron (2016), Chiron Sport 110 Ans Bugatti (2019), Chiron Super Sport 300+ (2019), Chiron Pur Sport (2020), Chiron Noire (2020), Chiron Sport Les Legendes du Ciel (2020), Chiron Pur Sport Grand Prix (2021), Chiron Profilee (2022). A total of 500 units were produced across all sub-variants, 30 of which were Chiron Super Sport 300+ types. The SS 300+ holds the fastest production car title at the time of writing with a VMax in excess of 304mph. Currently the only road worthy car to surpass the 300mph mark. Cost for an SS 300+ would have been circa €3.5M.
The Chiron SS 300+ is equipped with an electronic limiter to prevent speeds exceeding 261mph. Bugatti cite safety reasons for the limiter although SS 300+ owners have the option to have their vehicles prepped and taken by Bugatti to Ehra-Lessien, in order to make an attempt on the 300mph mark themselves.
With a brief look in to the cost of ownership, the cost of the Servicing packages are enough to make your eyes water. As the old adage goes, if you have a car that expensive, maintenance costs will be no issue. An oil change on a Chiron comes in at circa £9,500 which, considering it’s a Bugatti, is fairly reasonable. In this package, you could expect an oil and oil filter change, with new pollen filters, a brake fluid change and a replacement battery in the key fob. Tyres, which were a point of contention on the Veyron, come in surprisingly cheap at approx £7000 a set.
Much is to come from Bugatti, although since making the Super Sport 300+, they’ve announced that they have no intentions of pursuing any further speed milestones. The W16 power plant also ceases production alongside the Mistral.
As of 1st November 2021, Mate Rimac, CEO and owner of Rimac Automobili acquired a 55% stake in Bugatti with the remainder owned by Porsche. In an interview with Autocar, he stated his ambitions for the successor of the Chiron with will debut in 2024. We know that in its current stages, the car will be equipped with a hybrid powered engine, allowing and maintaining a clear differentiation between Rimac and Bugatti.
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