Bugatti has done what many thought might be impossible - it has taken a road-going car past the 300mph barrier. The top speed was achieved in testing at Ehra-Lessein test track in Germany, owned by Volkswagen (as, of course, is Bugatti).
Special Michelin tyres
Ehra-Lessein was originally built by VW close to the old East German border, so as to discourage spy photographers trying to take photos from aeroplanes, but it's now one of the few tracks on the planet that could cope with a car trying to run at more than 490km/h.
Up until now, Bugatti had actually sold the Chiron with a speed limiter, holding it to a theoretical maximum of 260mph (419km/h), mostly because the standard-fit tyres couldn't cope with anything higher.
Now, though, Michelin has developed a special Pilot Sport tyre to be able to withstand the insane speeds and pressures of a record run such as this, so Bugatti has decided to let the Chiron off the leash.
The record run took place one month ago, on the 2nd of August, with former Le Mans winner, Andy Wallace, behind the wheel. The Chiron being used had seen a few modifications - a special long-tail body, built by Italian race-car manufacturer Dallara, plus some modification to extract an extra few horsepower from the massive 8.0-litre W16 quad-turbo engine.
490.484km/h
Wallace actually managed to hit a peak speed of 304mph (490.484km/h), a maximum verified by the German TUV (Technischer Überwachungsverein, or Technical Inspection Association), which puts it beyond recent efforts by such as Koenigsegg and Hennessey.
"What a record! We're overjoyed to be the first manufacturer ever to have achieved a speed of more than 300 miles per hour. It's a milestone for eternity. I would like to thank the whole team and driver Andy Wallace for this outstanding performance," says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti.
Winkelmann did drop some hints after the run was announced that, having hit 300mph, Bugatti might now withdraw from creating the fastest cars on the road, and instead will turn to the slightly simpler task of making hugely luxurious vehicles. Electrification is already on the cards for the brand, as is an inevitable SUV, so possibly now that the record-breaking is done, we might get to see those projects come to fruition.
Given that it's unlikely that many cars more powerful than the Chiron will be produced, or if they are that they will be electric-powered and unable to sustain the sorts of acceleration needed for speeds such as this, this is a record that may stand for some time.