New Bugatti hypercar teased

Bugatti has posted a teaser image of a mystery vehicle under drapes that could preview a new one-off coach-built hypercar based on its W16-powered Bugatti Chiron.

Captioning the darkened image as “an automotive solitaire that never hit production”, Bugatti also named the same pic #chironprofilée, or ‘Chiron Profiled’.

Despite leaving no other clues, it’s clear the draped Bugatti will feature a C-pillar and rear styling that looks similar to the Chiron but sports a rear duck spoiler, hinting at a revised aero.

Confusingly, the mystery Bugatti will be auctioned, or at least revealed, on December 21 by RM Sotheby’s.

One suggestion is the car might be a design study or a near-production version of the Chiron that was culled at the last moment, hence never reaching production.

Adding credibility to the rumour that this isn’t just another million-dollar Chiron special is the French marque’s own declaration that the €5 million ($A8m) Bugatti W16 Mistral roadster revealed back in August would be the swansong to its 1177kW quad-turbo 8.0-litre W16.

As well as potentially being the last W16-powered Bugatti, the Mistral is also tipped to be the last Chiron-based vehicle.

Just 99 Bugatti W16 Mistral roadsters have been confirmed for production, with the entire run already sold out ahead of deliveries commencing in 2024.

With the writing on the wall for the Chiron coupe, Bugatti Rimac’s new boss, Mate Rimac, has already revealed that its replacement would continue to feature a combustion engine, despite its new sister brand’s extensive EV expertise.

It’s not been confirmed what will replace the W16, but one theory is Bugatti might partner with Lamborghini for the first time and use a development of the Italian supercar-maker’s next-gen electrified V12.

The first zero-emissions Bugatti is expected to be the company’s rumoured second coupe or all-new large SUV.

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