Surprisingly Realistic Bugatti Chiron Replica Was Built From Scratch

One of the biggest problems with replica supercars is the proportions. When you’re trying to make one car, perhaps a Toyota MR2, evocate something with a completely different shape, the results are likely to look a little…off. No such issue for this Bugatti Chiron replica, as it was built from scratch.

Posting the process over many videos on his YouTube channel NHẾT TV, Vietnam-based Vũ Văn Nam spent a year building the Chiron copy using basic tools with some assistance from friends. Oh, and a somewhat relaxed take on safety, often welding in flip-flops and with no eye protection. Don’t try this at home, kids!

The bodywork was largely shaped from clay (later used as a mold for fibreglass), using similar construction methods to major manufacturers when they make scale and full-size models of design studies. It’s not a static showpiece though - this thing runs and drives.

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Underneath is a home-brewed steel space frame structure. Although it’s inevitably quite primitive looking down there, the chassis does have double wishbones and inboard dampers front and rear. Power is provided by an old Toyota inline-four, which was cleaned up and even given a lick of Bugatti-esque cyan paint on the rocker cover.

The outside was finished in cyan too, blended nicely with black just like Chiron featured in Bugatti’s original press shots for the car. Close up, the jig is definitely up, but at a glance from a distance, this thing might just pass for the real deal. Considering it was built with only photos and a small model for reference, the results are amazing.

It’s easily Vũ Văn Nam’s best project yet, although he’s been behind plenty of other memorable replicas including a Ferrari 488 GTB from which he sold melons, and several vehicles - one of which was a Chiron - made from cardboard. Be sure to check out his channel’s many videos, but be warned, it’s a rabbit hole which you’ll be stuck down for quite a while.