Is The Bugatti Chiron Street Legal?

The Bugatti Chiron is a monster of a machine, and the Chiron Supersport 300+ can reach speeds of over 300 mph/483 kph. With all this power waiting to be unleashed, you might be wondering if the Bugatti Chiron is street legal.

The Bugatti Chiron is street legal in the US, but it requires some alterations to be compatible with US laws. This means that there are changes between American and European Chirons. Many of these changes are around the rear bumper, as default Bugattis don’t comply with US federal bumper standards. 

The Bugatti Chiron is without a doubt an awesome piece of engineering. If you want to understand the modifications made to American Chirons, then you’ve come to the right place as we’re going to dive into all the details below. 

Is The Bugatti Chiron A Production Car?

The Bugatti Chiron is a production car. A production car is a car that is manufactured in large quantities and can be driven by the public, although in the Chiron’s case there have only been 500 models manufactured. It still counts as a production car though.

While the Chiron is a production car, it’s not a car manufactured for the masses. The goal for the Chiron and Bugatti in general is to make the very best road-worthy cars. This accounts for the very low total number of models produced. Bugatti has been around since 1906 and has a reputation for making some of the finest cars mankind’s ever built. 

Bugatti Prices

A Bugatti Chiron starts at a whopping $3.3 million. The Chiron Pur Sport will set you back $3,600,000 and the Chiron Super Sport iteration will cost a whopping $3,900,000. While this may seem astronomically priced, Bugatti does not struggle to sell its cars. The whopping $600,000 difference between the base Chiron and Super Sport could buy a Lamborghini Aventador!

However, all 500 of the models produced for the Chiron series have been accounted for, and Bugatti has said that 60 percent of the owners are all new customers. If there’s one thing that’s for certain, Bugatti knows how to make some of the best (and some of the most expensive) supercars.

Is The Bugatti Chiron Road Legal?

The Bugatti Chiron is road legal in the US. There has been a misconception in the past concerning the road legality of the Bugatti Chiron, and this is due to the sheer rarity of the car and some initial design choices for the Chiron. The bumpers do need to be modified to make it street legal.

Bugatti is a French company, and therefore they usually design their cars around European specifications. However, there was a mix-up in which the rear bumper didn’t comply with US government regulations

Bumper Issues

The US federal bumper laws are slightly different than in Europe, as in the US it is required for bumpers to be made of some kind of material that can absorb low impact (5 mph/8kph) crashes or bumps. This protects some of the car components from damage that could later lead to more serious crashes. 

Bugatti overcame these issues by fixing two rear bumper rubber guards onto the back of the car. While some circles bemoan the fact this makes the car uglier, it hasn’t impacted the Chiron’s sales negatively at all. These rubber guards also don’t hugely affect the overall aesthetics of the car. 

A Need For Speed

The Bugatti Chiron maxes out around 300 mph/483 kph, but it’s electrically limited to “only” go as fast as 261 mph/420 kph. This also produced some myths that the Chiron is too fast to be legal in the states, but this isn’t the case. 

There are a few reasons for limiting the speed of a Chiron (with the obvious one being safety), but the most important one is to do with the tires. There isn’t a street tire available that can handle the forces present at the Chiron’s top speeds

Is The Bugatti Chiron The Fastest Street Legal Car?

The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ is currently considered to be the fastest street legal car, as during its track speed test it hit a max speed of approximately 304 mph/489 kph. The Chiron broke top speed records that had otherwise firmly eluded manufacturers. 

Its closest competitor, the SSC Tuatara, topped out its speed at 282 mph/454 kph. There was a little controversy around this, as SSC North America claimed that the supercar hit a mighty 316 mph/508 kph. However, when independently verified this was found not to be the case.  

The Bugatti Chiron retains the crown as the fastest legal street car, although this could very well change in the future, as the competition is rife between the titan supercar companies. 

What Supercars Require Modification For The US Market?

1. 1993 Jaguar XJ220-S

The Jaguar XJ220-S was an attempt by Jaguar to convert their GT racing model into a road production supercar. It was deemed unsafe and banned in US markets

2. Lamborghini Strosek Diablo

The Lamborghini Strosek is a Lamborghini Diablo variant that was produced from 1990 to 2001. This car was banned from US markets due to being considered too fast and the headlights too small, as reducing visibility while retaining high speeds is considered a bit too risky. 

3. TVR Tuscan

The TVR cars manufactured from 1996 to 2006 are all banned in the US. They were all declared not safe enough for American Drivers.

4. Noble M600

Manufactured in the UK by a company from Leicestershire, this supercar comes with no ABS (anti-locking brake system). A general lack of stability features on this vehicle caused it to be banned by the NHTSA. 

5. Pagani Huayra R

Only 100 units of this wonderful car from Pagani were ever produced. You won’t be seeing them on any roads in the US anytime soon as the vehicle does not adhere to American safety standards

6. Koenigsegg Agera R

A gorgeous car built for speed, acceleration, and thrill. However, due to fuel and emission concerns, it is not available for the public to legally drive in the US. This is not the end of the story, fortunately, as the Agera RS debuted in 2015 and complied with US regulations, a happy ending for Koenigsegg fans!

Final Thoughts

The Bugatti Chiron is a street-legal production car that is available worldwide. To be available in the United States, it has to comply with American rear bumper regulations. It’s the fastest street-legal car on the market, especially for a production car. Many other cars also require modifications.

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