Digital Trends
Introduced at the Geneva show, the Chiron receives an 8.0-liter W16 engine that uses four turbochargers to generate a jaw-dropping 1,500 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque from 2,000 all the way up to 6,000 rpm. That’s enough power to fling the carbon fiber-bodied coupe from zero to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds, from zero to 124 mph in less than 6.5 seconds, and from zero to 186 mph in 13.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 261 mph, though insiders suggest the Chiron maxes out at over 290 mph when the limiter is turned off.
How much of the engine is new?
Keep in mind the base engine was developed to generate 1,000 horsepower. We increased that figure to 1,200, and now we’ve just bumped it up again by 25 percent, so we re-worked it entirely for the sake of durability and efficiency.
We didn’t stop at the engine, either. Notably, the air intake system is very innovative and completely new. It’s a one-piece component made out of carbon fiber in order to reduce back pressure and to shed as much weight as possible. We did the same with the exhaust system, which is made out of titanium.
The transmission is a seven-speed, dual-clutch unit that has also been redesigned. The W16 generates a lot of torque over a very wide band so the durability requirements are much higher.
Why did you choose 1,500 horsepower?
We spent a lot of time discussing how much power we should give the Chiron. We knew we had to set a new high speed record, and it was clear from the beginning that we needed 1,500 horsepower. With eight liters of displacement we achieved more or less 200 horsepower per liter, which is amazing.
How do you cool 16 cylinders?
You can’t compare the Chiron with anything else on the road.
There’s really only one way, and that’s to channel a lot of cold air to the radiators. The Chiron has 11 radiators, though they don’t all cool the engine. There’s one for the transmission, the braking system, the differential, and so forth.
Speaking of brakes, tell us a little bit about what brings the Chiron to a stop.
We had to really improve the braking system because the Chiron is so much faster. We’ve patented a completely new system. It has new calipers with titanium pistons, and a special cooling design with three channels that bring cold air through the discs. We also developed a shield that covers the discs to ensure that the heat generated while braking doesn’t go directly into the rims, because that would cause problems with the tires. Air curtains bring hot air away from the brake system while simultaneously keeping it out of the rim.
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Amazing all of the tech that went in to this car. I want to see what that intake looks like
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Damn is it pretty too..