Running a car on the Nürburgring poses some logistical challenges for carmakers. Crashes, more crashes and car-consuming fires come to mind. Presumably that was the driving force behind this rig. The Bugatti Chiron uses it to simulate the g-forces alone of a ‘Ring run and test for oil starvation issues without having to go to the track itself.
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The potential cost of blowing one of these engines at the track probably plays into it as well. A quad-turbo, W16 engines good for 1,500 horsepower can’t be too easy to pull and replace. Engine-out servicing for the Veyron, at least, required the whole car to be split in half. I’d be surprised if the tightly-packaged Chiron is any easier.
James Mills of the Sunday Times recorded the above little clip, as well as this one of the Chiron undergoing some suspension tests as well:
Engineering cars is expensive, and these sorts of rigs are more common than you might think. Porsche, for instance, showed off a similar ‘Ring-run engine rig for the 911 back in 2008.
I wonder if Bugatti uses the same one.
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