Bugatti Sets Bonkers 0-400-0kmh Record With The Chiron

You can’t achieve all that much in 42 seconds. It’s not even long enough to make a decent cup of tea, and yet that’s all the Bugatti Chiron needs to go all the way from 0-400kmh (249mph), and back to a standstill. Impressed? You should be.

In a test performed last month, the Chiron achieved the feat in just 41.96 seconds, bagging an SGS-TÜV Saar-approved record in the process. Of course, no one else times their cars like that so there weren’t any other cars to beat, but that’s the whole point Bugatti is making here: its cars are so fast, they need 0-400-0 times. After all, it goes one better than Koenigsegg, famous for its constant 0-300-0 record smashing.

The car needed 32 seconds and just over 1.6 miles to hit 249mph, at which point the brakes were firmly applied, putting 2g of force through the car. The Chrion came to a standstill under 10 seconds later, having covered 1.9 miles in total during the run.

Behind the wheel for the attempt was IndyCar driver and former Formula 1 pilot Juan Pablo Montoya, who decided not to bother with a helmet or racing overalls for the attempt. Hero.

While at the test facility, the 41-year-old Colombian also decided to go a little quicker, hitting 261mph on one attempt - just shy of the Veyron Super Sport’s record, and a smidge more than his own personal best, clocked in IndyCar machinery.

On the subject of the Super Sport’s record, don’t worry - breaking it is still firmly on the agenda for Bugatti. Watch this space…