Bugatti Centodieci prototype caught running the 'Ring in new spy photos


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Bugatti's Centodieci prototype is evidently ready for the Nürburgring. Spies caught the development vehicle for the upcoming EB110 tribute being put through its paces on the Nordschleife and surrounding public roads.

The 1,600-horsepower Centodieci supercar has been in development for a couple of years. It was originally announced at Pebble Beach in 2019, and Bugatti announced earlier this year that it had completed work on the first full-body prototype. Here it is. Bugatti hasn't bothered to disguise the Centodieci, so we can plainly see how faithful it is to the concept.

That said, there are signs that this prototype is still a long way from being showroom-ready. The body may be complete, but up close, it's a bit rough around the edges. The side blade inserts lack the more dramatic depth of the parts that were fitted to the concept, and may well be placeholders for testing purposes. Tape and wire is visible on elements of the front and rear bumpers and exhaust finishers, suggesting the presence of sensors sending telemetry to the prototype's data recorder.

The Centodieci's 16-cylinder sends its power to all four wheels through a seven-speed DCT. The EB110 it honors made do with a quad-turbo, 3.5-liter V12 making "just" 560 horsepower and putting that to the ground with a simple six-speed manual and permanent all-wheel drive. Bugatti claims a 0-60 time of approximately 2.4 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 236 mph. That may seem low, especially since this is ostensibly a Chiron successor, but Bugatti is no longer in the top-speed-record game.

All 10 examples of Bugatti's new Chiron-topping exotic are reportedly spoken for.