We all know that the Bugatti Chiron is fast when compared to its predecessor, the Veyron. But by how much? Well, to find out, James who runs TheStardman Youtube Channel pits his Veyron against Bugatti’s latest hypercar, in a one-mile, multi-million dollar showdown.

Overview

The day begins with James hopping in his Veyron and heading out to the Airport where the showdown was to take place, and just by chance, he runs into the Chiron that he was about to race later that day. However, James had to pull off the freeway for a quick pitstop to get some 93 Octane gas, before showing up at the Spanish Fork Airport to take on the Chiron.

The Bugatti Veyron

Back in the 2000s the Volkswagen Group wanted to revive the once famed and iconic Bugatti brand with a flagship model. That car would eventually become the Veyron. It would also a showcase of the brand's engineering might and prowess and hence, VW threw the kitchen sink at it. The target performance numbers were unheard of at the time and Volkswagen had to look to industries like aviation and space technology to find the suitable materials to conceive this hypercar.

Launched in 2005, with its famous two-tone paint job, the Bugatti Veyron features a Quad-turbo 8.0-liter W-16 engine that produces 1001 horsepower and 922 pound-feet of torque. It demolishes 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds and had a top speed of 253 mph, breaking the previous record of the fastest car in the world held by the McLaren F1. The Veyron had a long production run with many limited/special edition models like the SuperSport, The Vitesse and the Grand Sport. James’ Veyron is a 2008 Veyron with more than 23,000 miles on the clock which he has now put up for sale.

The Bugatti Chiron

When you have a car as successful as the Veyron, how exactly do you build on it? In 2016, Bugatti gave us the Chiron. The Bugatti Chiron was an answer to put to bed a number of threats posed at Bugatti’s top speed record. The making of the Chiron was no easy feat and the engineers and designers had to go back to the drawing board to improvise on the already impressive Veyron. The Chiron uses even more exotic materials like carbon and titanium to further cut down on weight. It had a total of 14 iterations.

The team worked on a new flagship hypercar, that featured an all-new body and cockpit, designed from the ground up. Just by looking at the exhaust unit, the Black Chiron seen here is no standard car and looks like the Sport model. Although it acquired the same engine from the Veyron, the W-16 engine now produces 1479 horsepower and 1180 pound-feet of torque. The Chiron is even faster to 60 mph, with a time of just 2.3 seconds, and has a higher top speed at 261 mph. With the specs out of the way, Let’s Race.

Veyron vs Chiron

The two hypercars finally meet up on the Runway at the Spanish Fork Airport in the State of Utah. They are given permission to race with the blessing of the FAA, according to James. They line up for launch at the end of the runway to begin their one-mile run. The hammer drops and the two cars set off, without much drama. There’s even a plane that passes over had simultaneously, which makes for a spectacular view.

Back to the race, while the Veyron gets off to a great start, the Chiron was in another dimension and before you know it, the black car is nothing but a spec of dust when viewed from the Veyron’s cockpit. To give you some perspective, while the Veyron hit 80 mph, the Chiron was already more than a couple of car lengths ahead. Remember that both cars have all-wheel drive.

Before you know it. The race was over and the Chiron came out on top. In the speed traps, James hit 190 mph, but he slammed onto the brakes much earlier. He also discovered a little later that the rear passenger side tire was dangerously underinflated at 18 PSi. While 190 is a big number, the Chiron was doing over 219 mph in the traps.

Conclusion

Throughout history, Bugatti has been a brand that has stood for ultimate performance and fastidious quality. With the drag race, we really got a chance to witness the evolution of their W-16 engine. This power plant really is a masterpiece and represents the apex of automotive engineering. With Bugatti’s merger with Rimac Automobili, we’ll have to wait and watch as to where the French marque is headed next.

Catch the entire race in the video below