As special editions of the Bugatti Veyron begin to fizzle out, the automotive world anxiously inches toward the record-breaking speedster’s follow up.
We reported in July that the new Bugatti could generate an earth-shaking 1500 horsepower, and would do so by adding an electric power source to the Veyron’s 16.0-liter, quad-turbo W16. Now, World Car Fans is reporting that Bugatti may have settled on the car’s name: Chiron.
If that name sounds familiar to you, you’re either a student of Greek mythology (Chiron was a famed centaur in Greek lore) or you’ve been around the automotive scene for a bit.
Related: Bugatti’s Veyron successor could be a 286-mph hybrid
Back in 1999, Bugatti introduced the 18/3 Chiron concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and it was clearly a car ahead of its time. Designed by Fabrizio Giugiaro, Vice President of Italdesign and creative mind behind the infamous BMW M1, the 18/3 had a ridiculous 6.3-liter W18 as a powerplant. The 555-hp engine had three banks of eight cylinders, hence the 18/3 moniker.
The name ‘Chiron’ also refers to Bugatti Grand Prix driver Louis Chiron, who had more French, German, Italian, and Spanish Grand Prix trophies than he knew what to do with.
Any car using his namesake will surely garner a huge price tag, but with power to match.
The Chiron will use its monumental grunt to reach a top speed of 286 mph, taking back the title of world’s fastest production car back from the Hennessey Venom GT. The Lotus Exige-based GT currently tops 270 mph, but the American tuning firm is reportedly planning a 290 mph that might solidify Hennessey’s reign atop the land speed record books for the foreseeable future.
Like the Veyron, only 450 examples of the Chiron are planned for production.
(Chiron concept photos via World Car Fans)
