Bugatti and Koenigsegg have long fought to get ahead first and fastest. Now Mate Rimac, who took over Bugatti in 2021, will reach 500 km/h.
In an interview with Top Gear, Mate Rimac, director of Bugatti, suggests that the brand may be chasing the next speed record. The target is 500 km/h.
– Can we put the number five in front of the top speed record?" he asks rhetorically, and thus the battle to be the first to reach 500 km/h in a street car begins between Bugatti and Koenigsegg. At least unofficially.
Bugatti has previously shown that they have what it takes. With the Chiron they reached 490 km/h, and recently they set a record for open sports cars with the Mistral W16, which clocked 454 km/h on a German race track.
However, they subsequently announced that they were withdrawing from the race to set new records.
Now, however, it seems that Bugatti will try to surpass Koenigsegg after all. It recently surfaced on Top Gear's Youtube channel.
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Mate Rimac says that Bugatti is in dialogue with tire manufacturers to develop tires that can withstand the extreme loads at speeds over 500 km/h.
– I found out that the guys that are here are actually responsible for this type of high performance tires and racing tires.
And I have already asked them; 'Can you do this? Can you do it? Where is the limit?", Rimac says to Top Gear.
The obvious candidate for the record attempt is the Bugatti Tourbillon with a V16 engine and electric motors producing 1800 horsepower.
However, the car's top speed is electronically limited to 445 km/h, so this limitation must first be removed. The big question is whether this time Bugatti will follow the official rules and choruses in both directions to have the record recognized.
Koenigsegg also has ambitions to set a new world record with their Jesko Absolut.
After setting the record for 0-400-0 km/ten summer, Christian von Koenigsegg said that they are also working on finding tires that can handle the extreme speeds.
The stage is thus set for an exciting race between two of the world's most exclusive car manufacturers. Who will be the first to hit 500 km/h is yet to be seen.
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