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Bugatti confirms new Chiron to debut in Geneva

Few followup acts have ever been as highly anticipated as the successor to the Bugatti Veyron, but the wait will be over in a few months. Bugatti confirmed Monday that the new supercar will be called the Chiron, and it will debut next year at the Geneva Motor Show. Bugatti did not announce specifications, though the Chiron is sure to be a technical tour-de-force and a world-beating supercar. It is widely expected to further evolve the package developed for the Veyron. That will center around the 8.0-liter W16 engine, this time expected to use electric turbochargers for a mild hybrid setup, little to no turbo lag, and an output anticipated to approach 1,500 horsepower. Combined with lower weight (thanks in part to the more widespread use of carbon fiber), all that muscle is tipped to rocket the Chiron to 62 in less than 2.5 seconds and on to a top speed of around 288 miles per hour. All the automaker will confirm at the moment, however, is that the "Bugatti Chiron will be the world's most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car." Expect the design to closely mirror that of the company's Vision Gran Turismo concept, albeit in a more elegant and less racy form. The lines are anticipated to be dominated by the semi-circular curve encompassing the main rear vent and the trailing edge of the greenhouse. The front end will be more angular with sharper headlights, but still dominated by the signature horseshoe-shaped front grille. As for the name, Bugatti has – as expected – drawn once again from its illustrious pre-war racing history to name the supercar after one of its most legendary gentleman drivers. Louis Chiron remains the only Monegasque driver ever to win the Monaco Grand Prix, counting it among his numerous career victories. Those included more grands prix before and after World War II, as well as the Spa 24 Hours and the Monte Carlo Rally. Bugatti previously applied his name to the 18/3 Chiron concept that previewed the Veyron with an even larger 18-cylinder engine at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1999. It only strikes us as fitting, then, that the name now be resurrected for the Veyron's successor. Read more about Louis Chiron's life and career – including an interview with his descendant and biographer Lydie Barre-Chiron – in the press release below, accompanied by the images in the gallery above.

Bugatti Gangloff Concept updates the rare Type 57 SC Atalante

Designer Pawel Czyzewski has taken a stab at what a new Bugatti coupe could look like. The Gangloff Concept lifts inspiration from the famous 1938 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atalante Coupe. That beautiful machine wore a body crafted by none other than French coach builder Gangloff, hence the concept's moniker. Wearing a few cues from the current batch of Veyron hypercars, including a familiar grille and cabin feel, the Gagloff is what the luxury coupes of our childhood dreams looked like. We dig the particularly brawny rear hips and split rear window.
While the LED headlights aren't really our bag of tricks, this concept has a heart-stopping profile. With those proud, arching fenders and eye-slit side glass, we certainly wouldn't mind seeing this machine in the Bugatti stable. Unfortunately, this design isn't officially affiliated with the French automaker, which means the Gagloff concept will remain pixels in the ether. Head over to CarBodyDesign.com for more information.

Inattentive driver leaves a Bugatti Chiron nose down in a ditch

Even the most capable and experienced drivers sometimes have a lapse in concentration, like the Bugatti test driver who put this $2.5 million Chiron into a ditch at a Volkswagen test facility in Wolfsburg, Germany. Bugatti confirmed to German publication Bild that the unfortunate accident was caused by an "inattentive" test driver. There were no injuries in the crash, though the Chiron has certainly looked better. The photo from the GTBoard.com Facebook page shows the partially covered supermegahypercar being carried away by a tractor. The nose is busted, but the rest of the car seems to be intact. It's not clear what exactly caused the crash or how fast the test driver was going, but it's likely very easy to lose control when you have 16 cylinders and four turbochargers churning out 1,500 horsepower. As a test vehicle, this particular Chiron may have been testing some new parts or settings, so the driver may not be entirely to blame. Maybe the tester was just trying to avoid a low-flying pelican commit insurance fraud by intentionally sinking the car. At least the ditch wasn't a lake. Related Video: News Source: BildImage Credit: GTBoard Bugatti Coupe Supercars Bugatti Chiron