On display earlier this month at Villa d’Este on the shores of beautiful Lake Como, the Bugatti Centodieci has taken a huge step forward in its development. Centodieci or 110 in Italian represents the huge milestone celebrated by the brand in 2019. Inspired by the EB110, the Centodieci pushes the boundaries of performance with an 8 litre W16 engine and 1,600bhp.
All 10 models will be handmade by Bugatti’s Atelier in Molsheim with all being sold prior to its unveiling in 2019. Delivery will begin next year with testing of the cars currently underway.
What’s the point of putting the Centodieci through grueling conditions you might ask? Well, Bugatti want to ensure that every one of their cars can function properly no matter what the temperature. That is the mark of quality that has given the brand the ability to keep pushing the limits when it comes to their cars.
The testing route starts in California and uses the Central Pacific Highway to finally reach Arizona. The total distance is 800 kilometres but the cars travel through temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius and altitudes of up to 2,800 metres. Eight of Bugatti’s hyper sports cars form the convoy which includes one Centodieci, three Chiron Pur Sports and four Chiron Super Sports. All cars except the white Centodieci are covered in a matte black protective film to guard the paintwork of the ultra exclusive fleet.
Testing comprises of rapid ascents up Mount Lemon, rough roads, stop-start traffic, AC on full-blast in high heat and high speed testing up to 320km/hr. Each Bugatti is fitted with 200 sensors that measure and report on several parameters. The diagnostics are checked repeatedly by the engineering team on site as well as the team back in Wolfsburg.
The Centodieci is subject to further scrutiny by the engineering team because of its unique bodywork and airflow movements surrounding it. Even though the car’s buyers are unlikely to ever put their vehicles through these sort of conditions, this is a way for Bugatti to prove that their cars can offer a flawless, reliable and safe drive no matter the conditions. Now that the hot weather testing is done, Bugatti engineers will take the Centodieci back to Europe for 30,000 kilometres worth of endurance and high speed testing after which it will finally be signed off for production!
