Simply Abu Dhabi XXVII

2 1 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I “During qualifying for Le Mans, we’d wind up the V12 so we could go about six seconds a lap quicker, but after the second lap, the engine would explode because the cylinder pressure was so high it would stretch the head bolts and pop the head gasket,” Wallace said. “By comparison, the Chiron has 400bhp more than that firecracker but it’s as tractable as a Volkswagen Polo and good for 200,000km.” We were having this discussion in the car’s luxurious environment on the motorway, listening to music through an outstanding Accuton sound system that uses a one-carat diamond membrane in each of its four tweeters. Chiron’s powered seats are supportive in a firm way – not good for an all-day stint but okay for a few hours – while the feeling of width inside is accentuated by a slim centre console milled from a solid billet of aluminium. This houses all the comfort and convenience gauges while a swoopy LED divider down the centre gives the feeling of the driver sitting in his own cockpit. And the Chiron is far from a stripped-out fighter. It has a sumptuous leather interior comprising 18 cowhides which gives it a deliberate Bentley-like ambience. Supremely faster and more luxurious than its supercar competitors, the Bugatti Chiron is not what you’d call a practical car, though it does have room for a 66- litre suitcase in the nose which makes it more useable than most supercars that boast substantially less power. Bugatti Chiron Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo, W16-cylinder Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch auto AWD Power: 1500bhp @ 6700rpm Torque: 1600Nm@ 2000rpm 0-100kmh: 2.5 seconds 0-200kmh: 6.5 seconds Top Speed: 420 km/h (governed) Weight: 1995 kg Price: AED 9.4 million