SPY PICS: Bugatti Chiron outed

An Instagram user by the name of Erico Hessel has snapped what appears to be the first photo of the next-generation Bugatti hyper car, revealing wilder, more dramatic visuals.

Just one photo of the stunning $3 million-plus exotic vehicle was snapped on public roads in Italy, showing the side and rear with just a hint of the brake lights.

While the Bugatti's flanks are somewhat recognisable – and far more prominent thanks to the deeply scalloped effect – it's the rear end that transforms the car's visual presentation, showing off an incredibly sculpted, quasi-aquatic design.

Considering the new Bugatti's aerodynamic properties are key to its 400km/h-plus speeds, it's no wonder there are diffusers within diffusers at the rear. The cut-outs of a huge deployable rear wing are also in evidence, a pre-requisite for keeping the rear end planted at high speeds.

When Bugatti president Wolfgang Durheimer told motoring.com.au two months ago the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept car provided clues to the production vehicle's design he wasn't fibbing.

He noted that the "very significant centre line" would be present, a tip of the hat to Le Mans race cars, and indeed it's there, just visible in the spy photo.

What we can't see, the front end, is also inspired by the Bugatti Vision concept says Durheimer, noting "the eight-eye face" will attract attention.

Rumoured to be called Chiron, which has not been officially confirmed, the grand tourer is expected to retain the mantle of the world's fastest production car when its quad-turbo W16 engine – expected to carry some form of electrification, likely electric turbos – pumps out around 1100kW.

The new Bugatti will not only be the most expensive and fastest production car available when it makes its debut, likely in 2016, festooned with active aerodynamics and boasting a luxury interior, but it will also be very rare.

Bugatti has previously stated that it expects to build just 500 vehicles across its lifetime, about 50 more than the current version, ensuring exclusivity.

As well as the coupe version pictured, the ballistic Bugatti will spawn a convertible and possibly even a hybrid version.