Bugatti Chiron

When Bugatti pulled the covers off the Chiron at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the automotive world knew it was looking at something special. This mid-engine two-seater wasn't just a successor to the Veyron; it was a statement. Designed under Achim Anscheidt, the Chiron carries a name with history: Louis Chiron, the Monégasque racing driver who won multiple Grands Prix for Bugatti in the 1920s and 1930s. The car also nods to the 1999 Bugatti 18/3 Chiron concept, though that one never made it past the show circuit.

Under the sculpted carbon-fiber body lies an 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine, a masterpiece of excess. It produces 1,479 horsepower in the standard car, enough to push it past 260 mph. But the real trick is how usable that power is. The Chiron can be a daily driver if you're brave enough to park a $3 million machine at the grocery store. The interior wraps you in leather and digital displays, with a Speed Key that unlocks the top-speed mode, a ritual involving a special key slot below the armrest.

Production was limited to 500 units, and every single one was spoken for years before the last car rolled off the line in Molsheim, France, in June 2024. The Chiron's engineering influenced everything from the Mistral roadster to the track-only Bolide. It also set records: the Super Sport 300+ prototype hit 304 mph in 2019, making it the fastest production-based car ever. For a generation, the Chiron became shorthand for ultimate automotive achievement, appearing in movies, music videos, and garage collections of the ultra-wealthy.[edit]