How Fast Is the Fastest Bugatti? | A Look at the Records

The fastest Bugatti ever measured reached 304.773 mph, though that record came from a near-production prototype rather than a standard customer car.

Ask anyone what the fastest Bugatti can do, and you’ll get answers ranging from “somewhere around 260” to “over 300.” Both numbers are correct — they just apply to different models, different configurations, and different rules about what counts as a production car. The confusion is understandable because Bugatti has built several generations of speed machines, each with its own claim to the top.

This article walks through the actual numbers for each major Bugatti model, explains why the 300-mph figure comes with an asterisk, and breaks down which car holds which record. By the end you’ll know exactly how fast the fastest Bugatti really is — and why the answer depends on how you define “the fastest.”

The 300-Mph Barrier and the Chiron Super Sport 300+

The single highest speed ever recorded in a Bugatti happened on August 2, 2019, at Volkswagen Group’s Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany. Le Mans winner and factory test driver Andy Wallace piloted a Chiron Super Sport 300+ to a verified one-way top speed of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h). That run made Bugatti the first automaker to break the 300-mph barrier with a car based on a production platform.

Here’s the catch — the car that made the run was what Bugatti calls a “near production ready prototype.” It had a longer tail, recalibrated aerodynamics, and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires specially rated for the speed. Standard Chirons sold to customers are electronically limited to 261 mph (420 km/h).

What “Near Production Ready” Actually Means

Bugatti later offered a limited run of 30 Chiron Super Sport 300+ cars to the public. Those customer cars share the same 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine and the same elongated rear end, but they are locked to a lower top speed. The 304.773-mph number is a validated engineering benchmark, not the speed any buyer can replicate on the road.

Why The Speed Record Gets Confusing

The hardest part of comparing Bugatti speeds is that different models competed for different records at different times. Some records used one-mile runs, some used two-way averages, and others used a single direction. The Guinness World Records rules also changed over the years, which matters when talking about the Veyron’s legacy.

Keep these distinctions in mind when you see speed claims online:

• Prototype versus production car: The 304.773 mph run was a near-production prototype. The fastest street-legal production Bugatti is the Veyron Super Sport at 267 mph.
• Electronically limited versus unlocked: Most customer Bugattis have an electronic limiter. Standard Chirons are capped at 261 mph; the Centodieci is capped at 240 mph.
• Open-top versus coupe: The W16 Mistral set its own category record at 282.05 mph in 2024, making it the fastest open-top production car in the world.
• Guinness certification: The Veyron Super Sport’s 267 mph run was certified as a two-way average. The Chiron Super Sport 300+ record was a single-direction measurement.

The bottom line: there is no single “fastest Bugatti” title. Different models lead different categories, and each record carries its own set of rules and conditions.

Breaking Down the 304-Mph Record

Reaching 304.773 mph required far more than a powerful engine. The Chiron Super Sport 300+ prototype had a lengthened body that reduced aerodynamic drag, a raised top-speed gear ratio, and a dedicated tire from Michelin capable of surviving the centrifugal forces at that velocity. The 8.0-liter W16 produced roughly 1,600 horsepower for the run — higher than the standard production output of 1,479 hp.

The record run documented on CarBuzz’s 304.773 mph record page was driven by Andy Wallace, who also helped develop the car’s stability systems. Wallace made the run in one direction only; Guinness typically requires a two-way average for official production records, which is part of why this number is often cited as a “verified top speed” rather than a Guinness production record.

Notice the spread between the prototype figure and every other model. The 304-mph number is real, but it belongs to a specific car built for a specific purpose — not something you can drive off a showroom floor.

The Veyron Super Sport and Production Records

Before the Chiron era, the Bugatti Veyron was the name that defined “fastest car in the world.” The Veyron Super Sport (SS) set a Guinness World Record in 2010 with a confirmed two-way average of 267 mph (429.7 km/h). That record stood for several years and cemented the Veyron as the first truly mass-produced 260-mph car.

Guinness required the Veyron SS to run the same stretch of track in both directions and average the two speeds to account for wind and grade. The final average of 267.856 mph became the official number. Per the Veyron SS 267 mph summary at Bugatti Broward, the Veyron Super Sport was the first production car to crack the 260-mph barrier under those strict certification rules.

1. Veyron EB 16.4 (2005): 253.81 mph (408.47 km/h) — the original production record that started the Bugatti speed legacy.
2. Veyron Super Sport (2010): 267.856 mph (431.072 km/h) — Guinness-certified two-way average, held the production record for years.
3. Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse: 254.04 mph (408.84 km/h) — the open-top variant’s top speed record at the time.

The Veyron SS remains the fastest street-legal production Bugatti ever certified by Guinness, even though the Chiron prototype went faster in a single direction without the same certification.

Other Record Holders in the Bugatti Family

Bugatti hasn’t stopped chasing records. In November 2024, the W16 Mistral set a new benchmark for open-top production cars at 453.91 km/h (282.05 mph). That run happened at the same Ehra-Lessien track and was officially timed and verified by Bugatti’s engineering team. The Mistral uses a version of the same 8.0-liter W16, but its open-cockpit design creates unique aerodynamic challenges that the coupe versions don’t face.

The Chiron also holds a different kind of record — the 0-400-0 km/h challenge. In 2017, a standard Chiron accelerated from a standstill to 400 km/h (248.5 mph) and then braked back to a complete stop in just 41.96 seconds. That test required both massive acceleration and deceleration capability, proving the car’s brakes and aerodynamics are as impressive as its engine. Bugatti’s official press release documented the run and confirmed the time.

These records show that Bugatti’s speed story is broader than just a single top-speed number. Acceleration, braking, and open-top performance all contribute to the brand’s engineering reputation.

The Bottom Line

The fastest Bugatti ever measured is the Chiron Super Sport 300+ prototype at 304.773 mph. The fastest production Bugatti you could actually buy is the Veyron Super Sport at 267 mph. The fastest open-top Bugatti is the W16 Mistral at 282.05 mph. Each number is true within its own category, and none of them cancel out the others.

For the most accurate and current data on any specific model — especially if you’re comparing against competitors like Koenigsegg or Hennessey — check with the manufacturer’s official records or Guinness World Records directly, since track conditions and certification rules can change between years and testing sessions.