3 NEW SUPERCARS WOW THE AUTO WORLD
Blistering speed, bold designs — for a big-ticket price
Just when it seemed like supercars couldn’t get any faster — or more expensive — along comes the introduction of a new breed at the Geneva Motor Show that raises the bar yet again.
Automotive enthusiasts have been waiting to see how Bugatti, a unit of Volkswagen, could top its Veyron, the supercar that wowed the world with its 1,001 horsepower and $1.2-million price tag a decade ago. Now comes the Chiron, which will offer 1,500 horsepower, and promises to go even faster.
Chiron is powered by a 12-cylinder, 8-liter engine good for zero to 62 mile-per-hour times of 2.5 seconds. The improved performance over the Veyron is due to new, more capable turbochargers. There are also new high-performance tires and brakes designed to handle the power.
Maximum speed will be almost 261 mph. But actually, the brand says that is its limited speed. It can potentially go faster, which could lead to the car setting new speed records.
“It is part of human nature to cross boundaries and set new records,” says Bugatti President Wolfgang Durheimer in a statement. “The Chiron is the result of our efforts to make the best even better.”
The car, being made largely of lightweight carbon fiber, departs in looks from the Veyron as well. It has bolder, sweeping curves along the side and an updated front end.
Coming in the fall, only millionaires need apply. Chiron will be priced starting at about $2.6 million, and only 500 will be made. Even at that, Bugatti says it already has orders for about a third of the production run.
LAMBORGHINI While not as extreme as the Bugatti, Lamborghini presented its own take on high performance with the Centenario.
It’s yet another supercar, with low, sleek, racy looks that Lamborghini says will be the most powerful car it has ever produced. Its V-12 engine will crank out 770 horsepower. Its lightweight chassis and body are designed to give it an absurdly low ratio between weight and horsepower.
It is expected to bolt from zero to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds and to 186 mph in 23.5 seconds. Top speed will be about 217 mph.
“The Centenario is a car that perfectly combines tradition and innovation,” Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann says. “The Centenario is an opportunity for our designers and engineers to transcend some of the constraints of series car production to achieve an incomparable result.”
Each of the cars in the limitedproduction run of Centenario coupes and roadsters, with a starting price of $1.9 million, has already been sold.
KOENIGSEGG While those who fancy exotic supercars know them, the Koenigsegg name still doesn’t fly off the tongue of the motoring public like Ferrari or Maserati.
Yet the company continues to make its own unique supercars, including the production version of the new Regera that it unveiled for Geneva. This car has both a 5liter V-8 engine and electric power. The automaker says Regera is the first production car to be able to pull 800 volts from its battery pack. With the engine and motors combined, Koenigsegg says Regera will produce the same level of power as in the Bugatti: 1,500 horsepower.
The zero to 62 mph time will be 2.8 seconds, and it only gets more incredible from there. Zero to 124 mph comes in at 6.6 seconds, and zero to 186 mph in 10.9 seconds. Unveiled as a concept last year, Koenigsegg says it has made 3,000 changes in the car.