But we do hear rumors, and these, as reported by Georg Kacher at Automobile Magazine, a journalist we hold in relatively high regard, are too juicy not to pass on. In his report, Kacher avers that after considering many options, Bugatti decided that the Chiron should carry over the Veyron’s 8.0-liter W-16 engine, adding direct injection and electric assistance for at least two of its four turbos to bring output to an estimated 1500 horsepower and 1100 lb-ft of torque.
The transmission will be a seven-speed dual-clutch and, like the Veyron, it will distribute its power through an all-wheel-drive system, this time with torque vectoring. Zero to 62 mph should take less than 2.5 seconds, allegedly. We reported earlier this year that the Veyron’s successor might be a hybrid in the vein of the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918, but this report mentions nothing of the sort.
The Chiron’s “unconfirmed” top speed, according to the report, would be 288 mph thanks in part to active air deflectors, while the rear spoiler will help the carbon-ceramic brakes bring the car to a halt, just like its predecessor. Kacher alleges to know certain other details, such as that the interior will have three gauges, with a 311-mph (500-kph) speedometer taking the center position. The report also suggests that VW emperor Ferdinand Piëch himself proposed swing-up doors to alleviate the problem of prohibitively wide side sills.