Is Bugatti Hiding Chiron’s Top Speed? Hennessey Thinks So

In an article published last month, we were lamenting on Bugatti’s big claims about the Chiron’s top-speed but their refusal to prove it, with the CEO Stepehen Winkelmann saying that he simply wasn’t interested in the Chiron’s top speed. Since its launch in 2016, Bugatti has’t attempted any record with the Chiron, except for the 0-400-0 run. Hell, it hasn’t even tried to beat the Veyron’s top speed.

Is Bugatti really not eager to showcase the Chiron’s performance or is the French marque up to something? John Hennessey thinks it’s the latter. The man thinks Bugatti is “sandbagging” the Chiron’s top speed. Sandbagging is a term used in motorsports when a car is intentionally driven slower than its full potential. In doing so, the competition could be lured into a false sense of confidence and drop their guard, only to be shell-shocked when the actual race goes down. Hennessey says the Chiron can probably reach 280-285 mph (450-458 km/h) and expects Bugatti to make a record attempt, most likely with a dedicated top-speed model akin to the Veyron Supersport.

Hennessey has been a competitor to Bugatti for the top speed record in the past, along with Koenigsegg which currently holds the record. Another competitor has now joined the trio in the form of the SSC Tuatara, which was revealed earlier this year. While both Hennessey and SSC plan to take their cars over 300 mph next year, we have still no idea what Koenigsegg is planning. We would surely love to see the alleged Ragnarok going over 300 mph on a closed down public highway. And of course it remains to be seen if Hennessey’s argument about Bugatti turns out to be true. We certainly want it to.

Source: Motor Authority