2021 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300

Bugatti have become the first manufacturer to brake the 300 mph barrier with a specially modified Chiron in collaboration with Michelin and Dallara. The top speed run was conducted on August 2nd 2019 at Ehra-Lessien, with the Prototype Chiron driven by Andy Wallace. The official vmax was recorded at 304.77 mph (490.43 kph), smashing the previous record holder, the Koenigseeg Agera RS by over 20 mph.

The race to 300 mph has been on for a while now, with Bugatti, Koenigsegg, SSC and Hennessey all producing monster hypercars ready to have a tilt. SSC surprised the world with their Ultimate Aero running at 256 mph in the US, which at the time made it the fastest in the world for a production road car. Bugatti, who had previously been the record holder with the Veyron, went to work on adding more power and reducing drag. The result was the Veyron Super Sport, a car which went on to make 268 mph. American Tuner Hennessey was next up to take the crown, running at 270 mph with their Venom GT. Finally, after fans had waited for years, Koenigsegg came to play, laying down a top speed of 284 mph (averaging 277 mph with the two-way average).

getting the Chiron to over 300 mph was a six month process, resulting in a car that is 25cm longer. With power remaining the same, all the attention was on reducing drag and optimising the suspension setup and tyres. The final look of the Chiron Prototype is a long, low, menacing stance which is accentuated by the two orange stripes down the length of the car.