{"id":878575,"date":"2024-12-10T23:47:27","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T23:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/?p=878575"},"modified":"2025-01-14T20:50:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T20:50:09","slug":"2024-bugatti-record-breakers-united","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/2024-bugatti-record-breakers-united\/","title":{"rendered":"Bugatti Record Breakers United"},"content":{"rendered":"

453.91 km\/h is the new top-speed world record for an open-top car. Achieved at the track facilities of ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg GmbH, Germany, on November 9th \u2013 a day now immortalized in Bugatti\u2019s<\/a> history, and the history of the automotive world. At the end of its incredible run, the one-of-one W16 Mistral World Record Car returned to the dedicated team that had made it possible, reveling in the history they had made together. But before the landmark day was done, the W16 Mistral returned to the track \u2013 joining its three world-record-setting forebears in an iconic moment in Bugatti\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

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Together, the four cars represent the purest essence of innovation \u2013 showcasing not only the evolution of Bugatti machinery but the expanding boundaries of engineering possibility and an ever-growing mastery of outright performance. The Veyron<\/a> 16.4 Super Sport World Record Edition; Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Edition; Chiron Super Sport 300+\u00b2; and now the W16 Mistral World Record Car \u2013 all have played a unique role in carving out their place, and Bugatti\u2019s incomparable legacy, in the story of the automobile.<\/p>\n

Building on a beautiful, intricate history of unparalleled elegance and grace stretching back to the early 20th century, Bugatti<\/a> was to enter a new world \u2013 one defined by a record-conquering pursuit of performance. It is a tale set in motion at the turn of the decade, in June 2010, with an achievement that redefined the world\u2019s perception of speed.<\/p>\n

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Rewriting the rulebook for road-going production cars<\/h2>\n

On a sunny day at the proving grounds of Ehra-Lessien in Germany, the stage was set for the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport World Record Edition to usher in a new decade of Bugatti creation with an unparalleled statement of intent.<\/p>\n

For Bugatti\u2019s first Pilote Officiel, Pierre-Henri Raphanel, it was a day to draw upon his rich expertise in motorsport and high-performance driving \u2013 assuming the controls of a unique vehicle imbued with the power of a modified, 1,200 PS version of the Veyron\u2019s W16 engine. Featuring four enhanced turbochargers and larger intercoolers, the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport saw the Veyron\u2019s chassis comprehensively redesigned \u2013 prepared to cement its impact on the automotive world.<\/p>\n

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The momentous achievement of Bugatti\u2019s world-leading engineers was made starkly clear with Pierre-Henri\u2019s searingly fast world-record-breaking run, in which he reached an unprecedented 431.07 km\/h. It was an accomplishment honored by bestowing the first five production Super Sports with their own special series \u2013 the World Record Editions \u2013 featuring the same configuration as the record-setting vehicle and allowing Bugatti customers to experience the spirit of endeavor that created them.<\/p>\n

Opening up a new world of possibility<\/h2>\n

Such top-speed records were not only the preserve of closed-cockpit vehicles. Staying true to its ethos of uncompromising invention, in 2013, Bugatti turned its exquisite engineering expertise to open-top vehicles. Based on the Veyron Super Sport platform, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse<\/a> World Record Edition was the result. Chinese entrepreneur and passionate racing driver Anthony Liu was to take the breathtaking machine to the hallowed grounds of Ehra-Lessien \u2013 with a steadfast resolve to showcase the heights to which masterful engineering could take an elemental driving experience.<\/p>\n

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The immense physical forces of open-air performance required a meticulously curated design to tame. With the cockpit open to the elements, a strengthened carbon monocoque was crafted to deliver supreme torsional rigidity, while a bespoke roof spoiler and intricately designed windbreak ensured optimal airflow management at high speed.<\/p>\n

The fruits of the Molsheim engineers\u2019 passion and dedication came to bear at Ehra-Lessien, with Anthony reaching 408.84 km\/h \u2013 and setting another world record for the marque. As the realm of open-cockpit automotive engineering was conquered, eight World Record Edition vehicles were created, resplendent in the signature two-tone black and orange paintwork that had become a revered symbol of Bugatti\u2019s world records.<\/p>\n

Taking top speed to the ultimate heights<\/h2>\n

As Bugatti had established an inimitable history of world-record-beating achievement in the summer of 2019, it was to take automotive performance to a level that had been widely deemed impossible.<\/p>\n

The Chiron Super Sport 300+ was the machine that had been thoroughly engineered from the wheels up to realize that immense feat. The 8.0-liter, quad-turbo, 1,600 PS engine with an enhanced thermal management system represented the epitome of Bugatti\u2019s iconic W16 masterpiece. The extended \u2018longtail\u2019 bodywork, bespoke for the model, ensured greater aerodynamic efficiency, reducing aerodynamic stall by 40%.<\/p>\n

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Engineered to perfection and prepared to redefine perceptions of human endeavor, in the hands of Bugatti Pilote Officiel Andy Wallace, the car stunned the automotive world. For the first time in history, a series-production car had broken the 300-mph barrier \u2013 officially achieving a monumental 490.484 km\/h.<\/p>\n

30 units of the Chiron Super Sport 300+ edition cement the legacy of a car that will remain in the annals of automotive history for eternity. Finished in Jet Black exposed carbon fiber with two Jet Orange racing stripes down the length of the machine, the spirit of the World Record Cars carried on through \u2013 on the cusp of a new decade of Bugatti innovation.<\/p>\n

Creating a record-beating master of air<\/h2>\n

Despite the magnitude of the three World Record Cars\u2019 achievements, the Bugatti team did not stop in their quest for unparalleled speed. As the winds of change gusted through the W16 engine\u2019s story, so it was brought to the final Bugatti W16 masterpiece: the open-top W16 Mistral.<\/p>\n

Named after a unique wind in southern France that heralds the changing of seasons, it is a vehicle that was brought into being to honor the legacy of Bugatti\u2019s W16 models. Like the natural phenomenon, its existence conjures up overwhelming sensations of adventure, awe, nostalgia, and anticipation for what is to come. In both honoring its forebears and looking to chart new record-breaking ground, the W16 Mistral World Record Car was created to complete the quartet of ultimate Bugatti innovation \u2013 etching another open-top world-record breaker into the history of Bugatti.<\/p>\n

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From the iconic Bugatti horseshoe grille at the front of the W16 Mistral, to the immense diffuser at the rear, air races through and over intricately crafted features designed to harness its power. Combined with the mighty 1,600 PS from the 8.0-liter 16-cylinder engine, the vehicle aims to slice seamlessly through the air while delivering a genuinely elemental open-top driving experience.<\/p>\n

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Such was the intricacy of the design and meticulous engineering of the production-series car, that the W16 Mistral World Record Car required very little modification for its run; with the body-panel gaps masked for optimized airflow, the suspension set up for less air resistance, and the speed limiter removed for unleashing the full power of the engine, the vehicle was set to make history.<\/p>\n

Armed with minimal fine-tuning optimizations, the spirit of the World Record Cars coursing through its veins, and the experience of Andy Wallace at the wheel, so the W16 Mistral World Record Car conducted its world-record run in Papenburg on November 9th. And with the customer of the unique car and Bugatti\u2019s senior leadership in attendance, Andy made Bugatti and automotive history once more \u2013 vastly superseding the previous open-top world record with an incredible 453.91 km\/h.<\/p>\n

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Christophe Piochon, President of Bugatti Automobiles<\/h2>\n

\u201cFrom 2010 to the present, Bugatti has celebrated the icons of its modern era with top-speed world record attempts. From the Veyron, through to the Chiron and now the W16 Mistral, the unmatched passion and dedication of Bugatti\u2019s design teams has seen the W16 era defined by monumental achievements. Seeing each of the World Record Cars gathered here is a truly emotional moment for me; contributing to these projects has been an incredibly special part of my career at Bugatti, and they are pioneers in their own right \u2013 expanding the horizons defined by the last.\u201d<\/p>\n

Above content \u00a9 2024 Bugatti Automobili, reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee<\/a><\/p>\n

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