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Bugatti Chiron piloted by Juan Pablo Montoya sets 0-249-0 speed record

Bugatti has a penchant for recalibrating our notion of speed. Quickest, fastest, most powerful, world record — just words. Mere descriptors. To really get a sense of how quick a car like the Chiron is, you need to witness its ferocity in person. Since that's not possible for most of us, seeing it on video is the next best thing. So here's a quick video of a Bugatti Chiron, driven by Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, accelerating from 0 to 249 miles per hour (400 kilometers per hour) in just 32.6 seconds. But Bugatti wasn't done. Equally as impressive, Montoya stomped the brakes at 249 mph hard enough to bring the Chiron back down to a halt in just 9.3 additional seconds, aided by the rear spoiler's airbrake functionality. Yep, that's 0-249-0 in 41.96 seconds. From start to finish, Montoya covered 1.93 miles in the Chiron, and it apparently didn't take much effort from the driver. "You didn't need the complex preparations we have to make in racing for the 0-400-0 drive," said Montoya. "With the Chiron, it was all quite easy. Just get in and drive off. Incredible." Incredible is a good word for it. But Bugatti isn't finished setting records with the Chiron. The company has stated its goal of proving the Chiron is the fastest production vehicle ever by beating the Veyron's top-speed record of 267.855 mph. That's planned for 2018, so there's plenty more time for records to fall and would-be challengers to arise. Stay tuned. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bugatti Chiron 0-400-0 km/h Record Run Related Gallery Bugatti Chiron 0-400-0 km/h Record Car: Frankfurt 2017 News Source: Bugatti Bugatti Luxury Performance Supercars world record Bugatti Chiron juan pablo montoya

Watch a Bugatti Chiron speedometer hit 218 mph

Driving reviews of the $2.5 million Bugatti Chiron supercar are starting to pop up - in fact, here's ours - and Richard Meaden, a former race driver, recently drove the Chiron for Evo in the UK, praising its combination of "civility and savagery." But what fascinated us was the video, large portions of which are simply a view of the speedometer as the Chiron rockets to 351 kph (or 218 mph) in less than 30 seconds. We can only hope that run wasn't on the idyllic English country road glimpsed in the opening and closing shots. The video is mesmerizing to watch. Enjoy. Related video:

EU Parliament allows low-volume automakers to sell ICE cars after 2035

Bloomberg recently ran a piece about how new cars are "just for the rich" thanks to constraints — real and artificial — that have boosted prices and profits. It's possible internal combustion engines will end up behind the same paywall. The European Parliament has been laying out the regulations that will guide the transport industry to and beyond 2035, when the EU will forbid sales of new ICE-powered passenger cars and vans. The latest step in the process was to approve a carveout for automakers that register fewer than 1,000 cars per year. Basically, every independent hypercar maker on The Continent plus Bugatti would be allowed to sell 1,000 units annually. The vote was probably closer than some expected, with 340 votes in favor, 279 against, and 21 abstentions, meaning just 40 parliamentarians made the provision possible. We're sure we haven't heard the end of it, either. Italy and its super sports car makers have publicly stated their desires for an exception to the ban. Never mind that outfits like Pagani, Bugatti, and Koenigsegg have barely made 1,000 cars apiece throughout their lifespans, if the rules would allow 1,000 new Jeskos on the road every year, why not allow 1,000 ICE Lamborghinis out of Sant'Agata's total annual production?   As Autocar noted, the carveout doesn't apply to the UK, the island nation also banning new ICE sales in 2035. Autocar reports that government officials there are considering such a measure. It would be vastly more important in the UK where cottage industry carmaking — Ariel, BAC, Ginetta, Morgan, and so on — is a national point of pride.  For the rest of the enthusiast public, carbon-neutral synthetic fuels or Toyota's hydrogen-fueled ICE efforts might be the best currently known bets to save the ICE soundtrack. 2035 is around the corner from a development standpoint but ages away from a tech standpoint, so who knows what kind of world we'll be looking at on the other side. It's still going to sound like hypercars, though. Government/Legal Bugatti Koenigsegg Pagani