Pops' Rants: Bugatti Is Trying Way Too Hard with the Chiron

TopSpeed

By Alex Oagana

Published Mar 16, 2018

Improved handing and greater agility. Funny!

The Bugatti Veyron was a really cool car. When it arrived back in 2005, it had never-before-seen power, a crazy engine, and the highest top speed of a production car. But it had one big issue compared to the other extreme supercars on the market and the ones that followed: it wasn't suited for track performance. At more than 4,000 pounds, it was way too heavy, and the way it was built prevented it from becoming a part-time track car. Bugatti did launch a Super Sport model with more power and better handling, but the purpose of that vehicle was to set a new world speed record. The Veyron was replaced with the Chiron after ten years on the market, but sadly Bugatti did not change its strategy. If we ignore all the new tech and the revised drivetrain components, the Chiron is just a beefed-up Veyron that still sucks on the race track.

Bugatti may want you to think different with the new Chiron Sport model, which gained a few chassis updates for "significantly improved handling and even greater agility," but things haven't changed that much. Sure, the French claim that the Chiron Sport is five seconds quicker than the regular model around the Nardo track, but I haven't seen any videos yet. And I'd like to see this car take on the Nurburgring. Or the Spa Fancorchamps or Laguna Seca tracks.

Bugatti also brags about the Chiron Sport being almost 40 pounds lighter, but what it doesn't say is that it's slightly heavier than the Veyron. Isn't the aim to make cars lighter for the new generation? Not for Bugatti apparently. You can't really expect a 4,400-pound car to handle well at the track. At least not in the same way the Koenigsegg Agera and the McLaren Senna do. These supercars were designed to handle a weekend at the races. The Chiron, on the other hand, is focused on luxury and top speed.

And there's nothing wrong with that, but Bugatti should stop talking about handling and agility on the racing circuit. It already has its very own niche and a well-established customer base. Why would it drag the Chiron into the track-prepped supercar war? It's really rough out there, and very few vehicles manage to stand out. And none of them weigh as much as a full-size sedan with all the electronics and safety features in the world. Not to mention that Bugatti doesn't really have a talent for race-ready vehicles. It failed with the Veyron, and it failed with the EB110 before it. And before that... well, nothing happened since the 1930s. You can't rely on motorsport success you had almost 100 years ago.

And you know what? The Super Sport model that will probably be here next year won't be a better track car either. It will just be another attempt at a world record. Especially now that Bugatti can't sleep at night due to Koenigsegg having set a new benchmark. With top speed a priority, track performance will always fall behind. And the Chiron won't become significantly lighter, as it already has all the carbon-fiber in the world. Unless Bugatti finds a way to build a carbon-fiber engine, it will still tip the scales at more than 4,000 pounds. Stop trying dudes; you're really good at building fast potatoes on wheels anyway.

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