Next Bugatti to be called Chiron (Update)

UPDATE Some spy photos thought to be the Chiron:

11/30/15

Louis Chiron
Louis Chiron

The next Bugatti is to be called Chiron. It will be named after Louis Chiron, a legendary racing driver who won virtually all the major grands prix for the brand in the 1920s and 1930s. His name is more closely connected with the history of Bugatti than any other racing driver. The world premiere of the new super sports car from Molsheim in France is planned for the 86th Geneva Motor Show in 2016. With the Chiron, Bugatti will continue to produce the world's most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car. The Bugatti Chiron is currently being shown to selected customers and the feedback is outstanding; more than 100 orders have already been received.

"The development brief for the Chiron can be summarized in one sentence and is probably the shortest in the history of the automobile: we want to make the best significantly better," says Wolfgang Durheimer, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. "The Chiron will set new standards in every respect. We will continue to produce the world's most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car. This is the claim of Bugatti and our customers."

"In Louis Chiron, we found a worthy patron for a new model in the history of our brand," Durheimer continues. "The name of the best racing driver and the most successful Bugatti driver of his time for the best super sports car of the present day – that is the ideal combination."

Currently, the Chiron is undergoing final testing. A number of prototypes are on the road in several continents for the fine tuning of the vehicle – right down to the last detail under a variety of road and climate conditions. No other production super sports car of this caliber will be subjected to such a stringent, comprehensive test program.

Bugatti Chiron logo
Bugatti Chiron logo

At the same time, pre-marketing of the Chiron is now underway. Bugatti has invited selected customers in the brand's key markets to private previews. "The feedback from our customers concerning the Chiron is outstanding," says the Bugatti President. "Our order book is steadily filling up. More than 100 customers have already ordered the Chiron despite the fact that they have had no opportunity so far to experience the fantastic driving properties of the Chiron."

Lydie Barre-Chiron, descendant and biographer of Louis Chiron, recently visited the Bugatti's headquarters in Molsheim to inspect the vehicle that will bear the name of her famous forebear. "The Chiron is a modern super sports car that is instantly recognizable as a Bugatti," says Lydie Barre-Chiron. "It looks fantastic, just magnificent. The design already indicates that this car will be very powerful and very fast. If Louis Chiron were alive today, I'm sure he would be proud that such an extraordinary sports car is to bear his name and is to represent the brand with which he achieved his greatest successes."