Bugatti delivers its first Chiron

Customer interest for the Bugatti Chiron, which is claimed to be "the absolute pinnacle of super sports cars" by the French company's boss, is intensifying.

Estimated to be priced at around $4 million and expected to be capable of reaching speeds close to 450km/h, just 65 Bugatti Chiron cars will be built in 2017 as part of an eventual production run of 500.

That means around five of the ultra-exclusive, face-melting supercars will be built per month. But that's not going to please everyone, as 220 orders have already been placed for the car, according to Bugatti head-honcho Wolfgang Durheimer.

Those 220 orders already equate to almost a billion dollars for the VW Group-owned supercar company.

It’s understood the first Chiron has been delivered to a lucky Saudi Arabian customer, but with interest in the car already strong well before the majority of potential customer test drives have been undertaken, the car's 500-unit production run could be increased.

Bugatti’s initial plan was to produce and sell a total of 500 examples of the model, but this might change if all cars sell out quickly. Starting from March next year, the company will hold customer test drives to see how many orders it would get.

Durheimer told GTSpirit he was "…confident the customers who have not yet decided to order a Chiron will do so when they have had a chance to drive it."

Featuring an special new carbon-fibre chassis with a honeycomb sandwich floor, the Chiron weighs 1995kg, which is more than the Veyron and that's because the new engine is a beast.

Powered by an 8.0-litre 16-cylinder engine with a W-configuration – like a pair of V8s sharing a crankshaft – the Chiron generates 1103kW of power and 1600Nm of torque. That's enough muscle to accelerate the car to 100km/h in less than 2.5 seconds.

The successor to the Veyron takes less than 6.5 seconds to accelerate to 200km/h and the Chiron will rip to 300km/h in around 13.5 seconds, say Bugatti. That makes it significantly quicker than the Veyron.

Making use of four turbochargers, the Chiron's peak power of 1103kW hits at 6750rpm, while peak torque is spread across a 2000-6000rpm plateau. The car's power is transferred to the wheels via seven-speed dual-clutch automated gearbox.

Durheimer dodged questions about different versions of the car, simply stating: "The full focus is on building and delivering the Chirons for customers who have placed an order so far."