The Nardò proving ground Italy is considered the fastest vehicle circuit in the world – making it the logical test site for the Bugatti’s Chiron Pur Sport and Chiron Super Sport 300+ sports cars.
The circular track is 12.6km long and 4km in diameter, with a banking angle of just over 12°. The circuit theoretically enables speeds over 400km/h. “Our hyper sports cars must not only operate flawlessly at moderate speeds and temperatures, but also at speeds beyond 300km/h, as well as in cold and hot conditions,” pointed out Stefan Ellrott, head of development at Bugatti.
The high-speed running is just one element of Bugatti’s test program and according to the company, four Chiron Super Sport 300+ and four Chiron Pur Sport pre-series vehicles are covering a total of over 20,000km of running as part of the pre-production development process. “The time frame is tight, which is why we are using every minute to be able to carry out our driving tests around the track,” explained Christian Mohr, Bugatti engine test engineer.
Part of the Nardo test program was to develop a new thermal management system for the Chiron’s engine and gearbox, noted Mohr.
“In addition, there are new thermal components and new gearbox parts, as well as software developments and adjustments to the engine, gearbox, powertrain and turbocharger,” Mohr added.
For safety reasons, engineers only drive the vehicle to 300 km/h.