Bugatti Chiron breaks 300mph barrier

HYPERCAR maker Bugatti said it has become the first manufacturer ever to break the 300mph (482.8km/h) barrier with a pre-production Chiron derivative achieving a top speed of 304.773mph (490.484 km/h). Driving the car was Andy Wallace, who had secured a place for himself in the record books.

“With this record, Bugatti has once again shown what we are capable of — despite the enormous hurdles,” said Bugatti president Stephan Winkelmann. “After all, we’re not just the first manufacturer to produce a car that goes faster than 300 miles per hour — at 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h). We also did this on a test track that has a major drawback when it comes to speed tests.”

The Chiron clinched the record at the Ehra-Lessien high-speed track in Germany, the only place in the world where such high safety standards are applied to record attempts. The 21-kilometer, three-lane, high-speed track is lined with crash barriers, and rescue services are available at the north and south ends. Special mats are used to clean the carriageway before each test.

But Bugatti had to accept one major drawback: the test track in Ehra-Lessien is 50 meters above sea level. Unlike higher-altitude locations used for high-speed runs in the past, such as in Nevada, the higher air density of 1013.25 hPa is almost the same as at sea level.