Bugatti may never get around to exploring the top speed of the Chiron, but it continues to promote the vehicle’s performance credentials and recently handed over the hypercar’s keys to a former NASA astronaut.
Jon McBride had a long history in the military as a pilot before becoming an astronaut and knows a thing or two about going fast. He was also the pilot of the STS-41-G which launched from Kennedy Space Center in 1984 and floated around in space for eight days deploying the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite.
For his experience with the Chiron, Bugatti took the car to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and let it loose on the shuttle landing strip. No top speed testing was done, but McBride was able to experience what the 1500 hp French hypercar is made of.
“I’ve been on as many craft as you can think of at sea. I’ve flown in space. But the ride in this Bugatti today was one of the highlights of my entire life. It was a real pleasure.
“I think compared to what I’ve flown the Chiron is probably as good or out-performs them. I mean I’ve felt some good acceleration in my life, but I don’t think anything better than what I experienced today.”
For a man with 4700 flying hours in various jet aircraft, that’s saying something.
According to Bugatti, Chiron owners will be able to partake in a number of activities to celebrate the firm’s 110th anniversary, potentially including similar performance runs to what McBride experienced. Spending millions on a Bugatti does have its perks.
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