The first prototype of the Bugatti Centodieci has endured hot weather testing in the deserts of Arizona, United States, where the temperatures exceed 50°C. Thankfully, the prototype didn’t have to go through the torture tests alone, it was with a good company, followed by three Chiron Pur Sports and four Chiron Super Sports. But yes, except for the Centodieci, the rest of the cars had a matte black film to protect the bodywork.
The 8-car convoy drove about 800 km (~497 miles) from California to Arizona, traveling along the highway by the Pacific Ocean and passing through San Diego. Rapid ascents up Mount Lemon to the north of Tucson, Arizona, took the Bugatti fleet to an altitude of almost 2,800 meters. The engineers subjected the Centodieci to various tests, including low-speed stop-start traffic, standing idle in the blazing sun with the air conditioning on full blast, and driving at 320 km/h (199 mph) on a closed road environment.
At every stage, Bugatti engineers repeatedly checked key systems such as electricals, telemetrics, radio frequencies, air conditioning, and fueling processes. The Centodieci, like all other Chirons, is fitted with 200 sensors, which feed data back to the team at Wolfsburg.
The exclusive convoy attracted attention at every fuel station and every parking lot. People flocked around the vehicles, taking photos and asking questions. One elderly lady was so smitten with the cars that she invited the crew on a drive with the local automobile club, Bugatti said.
Having successfully completed hot weather testing, the Centodieci will now be subjected to its final high-speed drives and endurance tests in Europe. Only post signing-off by the development team, production of the 10 customer cars will commence in Molsheim.
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