How to build a Bugatti Chiron

Workers spend about three days installing and adjusting the carbonfibre body panels, which Bugatti receives pre-painted. The Chiron is then battered with monsoon-like rain to check for leaks before getting a full interior. It’s done after this step but not yet ready for its new owner.

Every Chiron needs to complete two test drives on public roads. During the first test, the car leaves the Atelier and drives down to the picturesque town of Colmar. The airport there lets Bugatti test its cars on its runway between take-offs and landings. Test pilots communicate with the control tower to know when it’s safe to sprint down the runway at nearly 200mph. Following the high-speed jaunt, the car cruises back to Molsheim at a more sensible pace. After receiving new fluids, it embarks on a second, shorter test drive the following day.

With the drivetrain signed off, each Chiron spends about three days in the cleaning and polishing station. It then goes through a light tunnel, where a quality specialist inspects every square inch of the car for six hours to identify any and all imperfections that need to be fixed.

It goes back to the cleaning station before taking a final trip to the inspection station. The car receives the green light for delivery at the end of this meticulous process. By that point, it will have spent about two months in the Atelier, occasionally breaking the silence of Alsace’s wine-making countryside with its bellowing 1479bhp engine.

Made in Molsheim: hand-built (not by robots)

The hand-built 16-cylinder engine is tested on a dyno for eight hours before making its way from Germany to the Atelier. Production starts by attaching the engine to the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission to make a single unit.

Installing the carbonfibre body panels over the monocoque takes about three days. This photo shows the three radiators tucked behind the front end and the air duct next to each headlight. The ducts direct cooling air to the front brakes.

The Chiron stands out from the majority of cars on the market today because it lacks a screen on the centre console. Instead, two high-resolution screens on either side of the speedometer display vital information about the car and its surroundings.

Bugatti tests every Chiron on public roads for nearly 220 miles. The front end is wrapped in film to avoid being damaged. For the same reason, finished cars don’t get their own wheels or underbody cover until they return from the first test drive.

Fourteen ultra-light titanium screws attach the monocoque to the rear portion of the car. All told, about 1800 bolted joints hold the Chiron together. Workers rely on a set of digital torque wrenches to ensure each one is as tight as it needs to be.

In some parts of the Chiron’s body, Bugatti fills the space between carbonfibre walls with foam and an aluminium honeycomb structure. Inserts made with aluminium secure bolts when needed. These materials help keep the Chiron’s weight in check.

As soon as it’s drivable, the rolling Chiron chassis is aligned and workers calibrate electronic functions such as the traction and stability control systems. It’s then placed on a dynamometer and driven for nearly 40 miles at speeds of up to 124mph.

Quality specialists spend hours detailing each car after it returns from its two test drives on public roads. They look for even the tiniest imperfections in the paint or in the leather. The Chiron is only eligible for delivery once it’s absolutely perfect.

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