Bugatti is renowned for manufacturing the fastest car in the world. Ever since it released the Veyron back in 2005, the German manufacturer won and successfully held onto the title for the better part of this last decade and a half. Lately, however, more and more car manufacturers have been getting extremely close to putting an end to Bugatti’s domination. One of them is the Swedish boutique car manufacturer Koenigsegg which lately has given Bugatti a run for its money.
Bugatti’s Domination
Bugatti took the world by storm in 2005 when it released the Veyron, a supercar that completely changed the car market. The Veyron was the first production car to hit the 1,000 hp mark, with a Guinness certified record-breaking top speed of 267.856 mph, achieved by the Super Sport version. The Veyron quickly became the most sought-after supercar, even though only 450 were made and the price started at $1,700,000.
In 2014, Bugatti discontinued the Veyron and 2 years later introduced the Chiron, an even faster supercar, capable of achieving 304.77 mph (speed test done with the Chiron Super Sport 300+ prototype), thanks to its 1,577 hp 8.0L quad-turbocharged W16 engine.
The Chiron’s speed is actually limited to 261 mph because no tire can handle the stress of the car going at full speed.
Bugatti engineers designed this car with pure performance in mind, so don’t expect many driver-assistance features or any infotainment system inside the car. But you really don’t need one. When you buy a Chiron you don’t get it just to impress people with what’s inside, but with the car’s raw power and jaw-dropping swooping lines.
Bugatti plans on manufacturing just 500 units, including variants and special editions, with a base price of 3 million dollars. Out of these, 30 will be the Super Sport 300+ variant, which costs 3.9 million.
Since then, Bugatti manufactured several other models, with even bigger price tags. In 2019, it released the La Voiture Noire, a one-of-a-kind car designed to recall the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic of the 1930s, which was sold for almost $19,000,000. With the sale, Bugatti added another title to its belt, becoming the manufacturer of the most expensive car in the world.
The Contender – Koenigsegg Agera
Koenigsegg was the first car manufacturer to strip Bugatti of its title, although only for a short period. In 2017, the Koenigsegg Agera RS was able to beat the top speed record set by the Veyron, which it held until the arrival of the Chiron Super Sport 300+ (1).
The Agera RS is a product of the Swedish boutique car manufacturer Koenigsegg. It is actually a variant of the Agera, which was first released in 2011 and discontinued in 2018. The Swedish supercar is powered by a 5.0 L twin-turbocharged V8 capable of producing 947 hp, slightly less than the original Veyron, and has a specially developed 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox with paddle shifters. The Agera is very lightweight compared to other cars in its class. With a chassis made out of carbon fiber, with an aluminum honeycomb structure for extra strength, and carbon fiber and Kevlar body, this vehicle weighs only 3,164 lb or 1,435 kg. The price tag of the Agera, at the time of its release, was a bit lower than the Veyron’s, 1.5 million dollars, nut still one of the most expensive cars at that time.
Between 2011 and 2018, Koenigsegg released several variants and special editions of the Agera. The most notable variant is the Agera RS, which was able to beat the Veyron’s speed record. The RS is both lighter and more powerful than the regular version. The total weight was decreased by 89 lb, to a total of 3,075 lb, and the power of the engine was increased from 947 hp all the way to 1,341 hp. This allowed the Agera RS, in 2017, to hit a top speed of 285 mph during a test on the Nevada highway. Koenigsegg only built 25 units of this Agera variant, with a price tag of 2.5 million dollars.
The Agera RS held the title of “fastest production car in the world” for almost 2 years, until the arrival of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+.
Koenigsegg also has some amazing plans for the future. The Swedish manufacturer is currently working on 2 models, Jesko and Gemera. The Jesko was introduced in 2019 with the manufacturer claiming that it will release, în 2021, a version capable of achieving 310.7 mph. The Gemera is scheduled to hit the market in 2022 and it will be a hybrid capable of going from 0 to 60 in just 1.9 seconds, beating the Chiron’s acceleration by 0.5 seconds.
Interested in owning a Koenigsegg? Click here!
Comparison
When it comes to pure power and top speed, the winner is obvious. The Chiron Super Sport 300+ has 236 hp more and can achieve a top speed which is roughly 20 mph faster than the Agera RS. Still, the Chiron is $1,400,000 more expensive than the Swedish supercar, which begs the question: is $70,000 for 1 mph more worth it? Probably not.
Besides being cheaper, the RS has one other advantage over the Chiron variant. The Swedish manufacturer allowed all the Agera RS clients to fully customize their vehicles. Still, this doesn’t compare to the fact the Bugatti team is going to take you to their Ehra-Lessien test track and show you how to unleash the Super Sport’s full potential.
Conclusion
So, what car can beat a Bugatti? Bugatti has made a name for itself for manufacturing the fastest car in the world. It still holds the record, but with more and more boutique manufacturers surfacing around the world it is going to be very hard to keep this title in the coming years. It is probably going to be taken again by Koenigsegg, but the question is for how long? Given Bugatti’s experience and track record, it won’t be for long, even though they haven’t announced yet any new models faster than the Chiron. Think a Ferrari can take on the Bugatti? Click here.
