It’s a roar, an evil symphony of air and fuel being ingested and combusted, producing power and forward momentum that generates g-force rarely experienced outside of an amusement park ride or a rocket launch. Its purpose is to transport you, but little will prepare you for its true capability.
It’s the 16-cylinder 2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, the ultimate expression of internal combustion powered cars — one last howl of unearthly, audacious delight as gasoline-powered cars begin their denouement into history. A victim of governmental dictatorial oversight, not consumer demand, cars of this ilk are being supplanted by electric vehicles, which are seen to be better for the environment.
But no one ever waxed rhapsodic over a golf cart, and it seems so many of the EVs being brought to market have about as much charm. Their ethereal nature, their inherent smoothness, lend them the personality of a space heater. You may welcome what it does, but it in no way feeds your soul.
The 2022 Bugatti Chiron does, with 1,578 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque fed to all four wheels in a body that’s built for sin. The front half of the car is painted, and the rear half is carbon fiber, offered in different colors. The front end is encapsulated with a radical art deco arch that recalls the most fetching Bugatti GTs of the 1930s. Every part of this car is built for speed and to maximize airflow. Even the windshield wiper arms are made of carbon fiber. And there are six — that’s right six — exhaust outlets.
The Chiron Super Sport’s bespoke Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are good for 310 mph, although Bugatti electronically limits top speed to 273 mph. So it’s not as fast as its sibling, the Chiron Super Sport 300+, which is capable of 304 mph. And it’s a little less handling-focused than its other sibling, the Chiron Pur Sport. It’s a bit of a mashup of the two, a Chiron that uses a slightly different rubber compound and suspension setup, particularly in the rear. That’s because the Super Sport uses a body that’s 10 inches longer for better aerodynamics at high speed and features a spoiler that deploys at different levels and angles depending on your speed. Finally, its engine isn’t as peaky, delivering its 1,180 pound-feet of torque lower in the rev range, at 2,000 rpm.
The power is funneled through a seven-speed, twin-clutch gearbox. Of course, you’ll never have to shift manually; around town there’s so much torque it’s not necessary.
Bugatti also fits the car with several driving modes. Standard driving mode is EB mode, but there are Autobahn and Handling driving modes as well, the last one best suited for track use, as it lowers the car’s ride height. There’s also a Lift mode, that raises the car’s ride height for traversing speed bumps and radically sloping driveways.
Once you are ensconced in its cabin, the Chiron Super Sport is all about driving. The center console houses simple, elegant electronic knobs for controlling the climate, but you won’t find an infotainment touchscreen. Given this car’s proclivities, why would you want one? The car is the entertainment.
The evil cacophony common to modern Bugattis is well in evidence here, enhancing the driving experience, which is unlike any you’ve encountered.
Superlatives are useless to describe the Chiron's acceleration; it's positively brutal, like a turbocharged Panzer division. Go to pass someone who’s driving 30 mph in a 45-mph zone, and you’re likely to hit 80 mph in a nanosecond. There’s a good reason for this: 0-60 mph takes 2.3 seconds. It's so powerful, it's hard to find a spot where you could unleash its full power for any length of time before you're either hauled before a magistrate and thrown in the slammer. Yet despite its power, it's surprisingly undemanding to drive.
But let’s face it, who would ever experience one? Owning a car this powerful is like living in Northern New Jersey but never visiting Manhattan, just across the river. You’ll never go, but it’s nice to know it’s there. Most owners will never use one-third of what this car produces, if at all. My guess is that many are bound for garages and rarely used, a collectible investment or garage art rather than a living vehicle.
And what a shame.
Bugatti is making 500 Chiron Super Sports, and they no doubt are among the last of the breed. The company was recently acquired by Rimac, a Croatian electric supercar start-up. Future Bugattis will no doubt be fast, but they will not feel the same.
The price for this slice of history starts at $3.8 million, with our test car coming in at $4.3 million. The $476,450 you can spend on options is enough to buy a 2022 Lamborghini Huracán STO.
Even for those who can afford such pricey rides, these numbers warp the mind. They're incomprehensibly large, like the size of the national debt.
But it’s a rare treat for those lucky enough to afford one. And make no mistake: For this kind of money, you could get an original Bugatti — and not the remake.
2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport
Base price: $3,825,000
As tested; $4,301,450
Engine: 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W-16
Horsepower/Torque: 1,578/1,180 pound-feet of torque
EPA fuel economy (city/highway): 8/11 mpg
Observed fuel economy: 8.2 mpg
Fuel required: Premium
Length/Width/Height: 188.7/80.2/47.7 inches
