Bugatti Centodieti completes wind tunnel testing

Bugatti's special edition Centodieci supercar has completed wind tunnel testing, the company announced in a press release Tuesday.

The Bugatti-EB 110-inspired Chiron-based Centodieci was unveiled in 2019 and sold out almost immediately despite its $8.9 million price tag. Since then, Bugatti has been working to make the Centodieci production-ready, including several rounds of circuit testing at the Nürburgring and in a wind tunnel.

The tests subjected the Centodieci to winds of up to 186 mph in five bands, including winds directed at each wheel and winds passing under the car. This was to check the airflow under the car and into the wheel wells, which could cause lift and potentially destabilize the car at speed.

Although based on the Chiron platform and with only 10 cars planned for production, the Centodieti has been given ample aerodynamic modifications. For example, a flatter front end and smaller grille cause a different airflow than the Shillon.

Engineers also needed to ensure that the familiar 8.0-liter quad-turbo W-16 engine received adequate cooling. This engine is the same one found in the Chiron, but the Centodieti adds an additional 97 hp for a total of 1,577 hp. Bugatti previously announced 0-62 mph in 2.4 seconds, 0-124 mph in 6.1 seconds, and 0-186 mph in 13.1 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 236 mph.

The inspiration for the Centodieti was one of the greatest supercars of the 1990s. The brainchild of Italian industrialist Romano Artioli, the EB 110 revived the Bugatti name after decades of hibernation and boasted a top speed of 218 mph. laid the foundation for the Veyron and Chiron.