What more can we say about Bugatti's waltz through the 300mph barrier? "At that kind of speed, normally aeroplanes are flying in the air," said Stefan Ellrott, head of development at Bugatti. That's it in a nutshell. And when you remember that the same Chiron could be given number plates and happily driven to the shops, you remember just how ticklishly difficult that nutshell is to crack.
Also worth noting - as a PHer did impressively early on - that 84 years ago tomorrow marks the day Sir Malcolm Campbell broke the 300mph barrier in the Campbell-Railton Blue Bird at Bonneville. That car, of course, was built solely for one purpose, and invested with a 36.7-litre 2,300hp Rolls-Royce R V12 engine to achieve it.
The Bugatti Chiron in question has 700hp less from its quad-turbo W16 - plus nice seats and wing mirrors and doors to put them on. Naturally it's a testament to Bugatti that it has achieved the feat with such limitations - whether it's an 'official' record or not. It has arguably gone about it the right way, too: the barrier is broken, whichever firm follows them must now accept second place in the history books.
Or, as Andy Wallace says: "Wow, guys, what a fantastic car. Thank you."
