Bugatti Chiron Super Sport vs Space Shuttle - Which Is Faster Down A Runway? | Top Gear
When NASA decided it wanted space rockets to be reusable, it had to build somewhere to land them. That place was the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, and what it built was a 15,000ft-long strip where Space Shuttles would hurtle back to Earth at over 200mph.
These days, the Shuttle is retired and its runway is a proving ground for testing some of the world’s fastest cars. The 1,578bhp Bugatti Chiron Super Sport is certainly that, but it’s also often derided as a folly - an impractical machine which, like the Space Shuttle, cost too much money to develop. But is that fair? We didn’t think so.
So, join Top Gear magazine’s Ollie Kew for a geeky dive into what makes this runway so special, and then a high-speed adventure to see if a hypercar can hit a higher top speed than the Shuttle, at the very place it touched down from space.
Bugatti was performing Straight Line Aerodynamic Testing with JBPG at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility, located in Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
00:00 Intro
01:28 What is the Space Shuttle?
03:10 How did the Shuttle work?
04:43 Life of the Shuttle
06:52 Building the world’s fastest road car
08:12 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport top speed run
12:21 Outro
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The front end of those Chiron SuperSports are absolutely glorious.
Backend is awful
Yup they have kept the same front grill since the 40's when they were racing with the Nazis
Chiron went faster than a conventional space shuttle landing, but I bet not faster than the Reliant Robin space shuttle
next bugatti should make 2040 ps + 1 yasa axial flux motor with 500 ps that only weighs 25 kg it should be sandwiched between 10 speed multiclutch gear box and the engine plus 10 kwh catl condensed matter semi solid state battery with 430 wh/kg in pack it means battery will weigh less than 25 kg,that also means next bugatti's electric system weighs only 65kg with high volts cables and the inverter,bugatti should unveil the beast in 2026 geneva motor show,2540 ps hybrid bugatti with carbon fiber front and rear subframes it will weigh exactly the same as chiron ss but with 2540 ps hybrid powertrain,it will be the winner combo
@@davidfujkk8018 what 😅😂😂
@@davidfujkk8018Autodiarrhea
It is not an accident that the Reliant Robin and the Space Shuttle share the basic gear arrangement. :)
comment of the year
I think everyone prefers a full spec Dacia Sandero instead
XD
i do xD if they gave me a chiron id sell it and buy a sandero
But if you take the Bugatti you can sell it and buy more full spec Dacia Sanderos.
Me too 😂😂😂
Men this car is a dream. I mean the new Sandero. Anyone can buy a Bugatti this days.
Next: Bugatti Chiron against a supersonic missile
,next bugatti should make 2040 ps + 1 yasa axial flux motor with 500 ps that only weighs 25 kg it should be sandwiched between 10 speed multiclutch gear box and the engine plus 10 kwh catl condensed matter semi solid state battery with 430 wh/kg it means battery will weigh less than 25 kg,that also means next bugatti's electric system weighs only 60 kg with high volts cables,bugatti should unveil the beast in 2026 geneva motor show,2540 ps hybrid bugatti with carbon fiber front and rear structure it will weigh exactly the same as chiron ss but with 2540 ps hybrid powertrain,it will be the winner combo
Hypersonic
@@davidfujkk8018 You should just build that yourself!
@@RealGodfromheaven Lightspeed
@@holyd2770 ludicrous speed
What a brilliant piece of film! The fact it does those speeds, and makes it look so effortless, is the most amazing part.
@@davidfujkk8018 that’s not possible because it has a engine and a motorcycle weighs more than that btw so
@@Zqeluq9123 next bugatti should make 2040 ps + 1 yasa axial flux motor with 500 ps that only weighs 25 kg it should be sandwiched between 10 speed multiclutch gear box and the engine plus 10 kwh catl condensed matter semi solid state battery with 430 wh/kg it means battery will weigh less than 25 kg,that also means next bugatti's electric system weighs only 60 kg with high volts cables,bugatti should unveil the beast in 2026 geneva motor show,2540 ps hybrid bugatti with carbon fiber front and rear structure it will weigh exactly the same as chiron ss but with 2540 ps hybrid powertrain,it will be the winner combo
Would you have expected the car to sweat and pant?
I want to see the 300+ version of the Chiron going over 300mph. Please do it.
You already have it, Chiron 300mph
Won't happen, the runway is not long enough
@@Sanel_Sabanovic I know but that one from Bugatti ain’t thrilling enough it was more like a trailer to advertise the machine.
@@inerfyr maybe not this one, but there’s gotta be one long enough to do it, Koenigsegg rented an entire driveway in USA to do speed runs with the Agera, as well as Tuatara. There are plenty of ways to do it but it’s gotta be allowed by Bugatti, maybe under Rimac’s management it will happen.
Volkswagen has a big testing facility called Ehra-Lessin (basically just the township it’s located in) in Germany. The oval has a main straight that is 8km (5mi) long and it is where Bugatti does all their record runs. Would be easy to feature top gear there, although it’s not very scenic as the whole place is surrounded by woods
This design aged very well. It looks incredibly good too me
@@NiccoloSeilo long time nowadays
I hope you talk about the space shuttle
@@CaptHotah cash and carry
too good for you
@@brcrdsbremember to not comment when drunk next time 💀
The fantastic thing about the Veyron/Chiron is its distinctive styling... right up there with the Countach. So many modern super/hyper-cars look very similar (driven by the quest for a super-low Cd I suspect) but the Bugatti broke the mold and came up with a design that could never be mistaken for anything else. As someone who grew up in an era where cars all looked so very different but now lives in an era of "sameness" it's refreshing to see distinctive styling re-appearing.
💯
That was the most casual 250mph I've ever seen
No other car does it so refined...McLaren Speedtail is second but quite behinde
@alexluke84 ever heard of the Rimac Nevera?
@@JappaKneads Nevera is not refind...it sqeeks like a racing car...
@@alexluke84 That's fake news made up on the spot... Nice try...
I suppose you didn't see the Koenigsegg regera
Came for the Space Shuttle. I adored those spacecraft growing up! ❤❤
Is it a rock
@@edwardshaw7774 Yeah. And it was the most perfectly engineered "rock" that Ever took to the air. A bloody miracle "rock".
@@paulward4268 Actually, the outside WAS made of a sand. Very pure sand baked into a block then glued on
@@thatonecommie8351 Yes, I know - sorry, I was being flippant🤣. The high temperature porous silicon method was a magnificent innovation.
The Chiron attained automotive perfection with the Supersport. Not only is it the fastest Bug in a straight line, it is the best looking Chiron too.
They can run Chiron SS and Jesko on these kind of runways but they didn't They raced Rimac against Aventador SVJ and Chiron vs BMW M5 😂😂 But they never raced Chiron against Rimac Nevera How they can race Chiron SS to the Jesko
A big reason for it's underappreciation, for a car that can go 250+ numerous times & is also street legal? A lot of people don't realize but there are few cars out there with 1600 hp & can go 270+ mph and stay street legal.
This is what I've pointed out to people a few times to give some context to how incredible the Chiron really is. It's street legal in something like 50 countries and has a four year unlimited mileage warranty.
And do it all while riding like a Bentley
Those brakes are amazing! ✌️
For the half of video I literally forgot it was about Bugatti vs shuttle 😂😂😂
Love this, great context, means of explaining and the excitement at the end + nerves while doing it were wholesome!
this looks like a youtube video rather than a Top Gear episode.
it's the gen-z version of top gear
@@XX-121 oh no
It's effectively a filmed version of one of their magazine articles
I can't believe that double decker bus actually made it into space.
The Chiron SS is like a beast chasing his food.
Bugatti should keep w16 engine for successor of bugatti chiron because of bugatti's limited production which is around 500 units every decade and low useage of bugatti's owners it has almost zero impact on carbon emissions and global warming, reality is limited production vehicles has no impact on global warming,,next bugatti should make 2040 ps + 1 yasa axial flux motor with 500 ps that only weighs 35 kg which should be sandwiched between 10 speed multiclutch gear box and the engine plus 10 kwh catl condensed matter semi solid state battery with 430 wh/kg which means battery will weigh less than 25 kg,which means next bugatti's electric system weighs only 70 kg with high volts cables,bugatti should unveil the beast in 2026 geneva motor show,2540 ps hybrid bugatti with carbon fiber front and rear structure it will weigh exactly the same as chiron ss but with 2540 ps hybrid powertrain,it will be the winner combo
Outstanding piece, Chaps. Well done. I properly dig the unabashed excitement. You Top Gear lads remain a step ahead.
The most sensational car I've ever seen and i bet the tv host has the experience of a life time what a machine !
To quote Jeremy Clarkson: "WHAT A MACHIIIINE!!!!"
Yeah...the Shuttle was awesome!
@@JappaKneads I meant the Bugatti 😂 but yea the shuttle was
It may not be the fastest car on the planet anymore, but My God this thing is amazing. Just imagine taken it to the opera first (it is a luxury car after all) and then to the runway and do 250 m/h......
It still is, in a production standpoint
@@ninamaedelacruz6006nevera is faster and so is the new koenigsegg jesko absolut
@@jimjamthebananaman1nevera is quicker in acceleration,not top speed. Jesko haven't tested for top speed run.
@@jimjamthebananaman1Chiron ss is faster than Rimac Nevera. Electric cars are just much quicker in low down because of ibstant torque.
@@jimjamthebananaman1clown Chiron SS300+ will own any Jesko on this runway in any kind of race
Loved this in the magazine and the video is as wild as I'd imagined! Brilliant 😃
Bugatti is the greatest car made by humans, the true meaning of perfection
That is a really beautiful spec on this particular Chiron
I have the honor of flying near and almost over that runway!
Who needs breaks when you have wheels
@@edwardshaw7774 Lunchbreaks?
@@GerbenBol ai rights
@@GerbenBol fir every hour not paid to robots should be out into the pot for universal basic income
Awesome film. Shuttle STS wasn’t the most powerful machine ever built though. Until Space X’s SuperHeavy/Starship full stack flew the other month, the Shuttle was some way behind the immense thrust of the Saturn V. A machine built in the 60s that still blows my mind today. Which makes it pertinent that I share my all time fave description of a Saturn V launch: 🚀 🤯 “The six main propellant valves in each engine opened in a mechanical ballet, and a Niagara of liquid oxygen and kerosene began cascading downward in pipes the size of sewer mains. The turbopumps were now turning at 5,000 rpm, and like a whirlpool draining the sea, they sucked down the propellants with stupendous ferocity and pushed them through the thousands of pinholes in the injector plates. Between them, the five engines were now vaporizing fifteen tons of liquid a second. "...two, one, zero, all engines running..." If every river and stream in the country were harnessed by hydroelectric dams, they would have generated less than half the power now pouring from the main engines and blasting through the flame trench like a geyser from hell. As the roiling smoke surged out on either side for a third of a mile, hydraulic rams collapsed the linkages of the four hammerhead clamps at the base of the rocket, and they sprang away in split-second unison. "...Lift-off. We have a lift-off, thirty-two minutes past the hour..." From four miles away, the scene was mystifying, surreal. The rocket moved, it seemed to levitate, inching upward on a tower of incandescent fire--but there was no sound, only the unsuspecting gulls wheeling in the silent sky. And then the surface of the lagoon in front of the press grandstand suddenly rippled as the shock wave flashed across and thudded into the chests of the spectators and shook the ground beneath their feet and filled their skulls with a crackling thunder that overwhelmed the atmosphere itself. To the million souls who watched dumbstruck as the great machine ascended, there could not have been the slightest doubt that this thing was leaving the planet.” -"Angle of Attack" by Mike Gray, Chapter 14, p. 275. Like I said, mega film. Loved it.
Borrowing this. It's poetry alright!
@@srinitaaigaura Isn't it just. One of my all time favourite pieces of descriptive writing.
Fantastic video! Nicely done TG & Ollie. Not sure why so many gave it a thumbs down. I guess they thought you'd race an actual Shuttle, in which case they should go back to school.
Still one of the sharpest looking cars out there to me and those colors and chrome wheels are working quite nicely together.
If the "Old Guys" did this, they should have hit 400k views in just (12 hours maximum)
Like Neil Armstrong Bugatti will always be remembered for all the firsts and no one can take that away.
Now this is the content I like, keep it up, great work!
There'd be Ageras, Neveras, Jeskos etc that might beat the Bugatti in numbers- but still the Bugatti has a different vibe, sort of a legendary standing at the very top of all the others. What a beautiful machine.
ss 300+ - bolide is still in production
@@ronakjadhav8015 Bolide is already done
Ageras and naveras don't beat the chiron in top speed. The jesko is working in it but not quite ready yet.
Chiron SS 300+ owns Agera RS Regera
@@Smzxe exactly. The agera rs and regera can't do 300+ mph.
400km/h from a stock street car is still very impressive
Bugatti makes these high speeds look so effortless. Other manufacturers’ cars always look like they’ll be falling apart.
For the record, the 3rd man on the Moon was Pete Conrand and the 4th was Alan Bean. With Apollo 13 not landing, 5th place fell to the first American in space and the first person to land in a spacecraft, Allan Shepherd. The Soviet Vostok capsule had its pilot eject, while American craft have always had the crew ride the whole way down. Though the ejection thing did lead to the interesting story of Yuri Gagarin scaring the shit out of the locals where he landed. Them backing away in fear when he approached looking for a phone to call to be picked up.
More importantly, can you do a drag race between the Bugatti Chiron and the RImac Nevera?
The rimac will destroy anything,only dragsters are faster than that thing
@@andreiionescu205 because Bugatti doesn’t have a hybrid , add a hybrid engine to it then we will talk later
I want to see the Chiron SS vs SF90.
@@Julia25120 normal Chiron and Chiron Pur Sport already destroyed SF90 Chiron SS will do much better 😂
@@Smzxe True the Chiron SS is a beast. Can u send the link for the video with the Pur Sport vs SF90?
The space shuttle design in terms of space travel is unbeaten.
The Soviet/Russian "Blizzard" (Buran) shuttle counterpart worked better in almost every way, until the project ran out of money with the collapse of the USSR in 1991, after just one unmanned flight. Still done it better than the Shuttle though.
A masterpiece to behold. What a majestic piece of machinery and art and science come together. THIS IS FLAWLESS.
I love the Chiron, but compared to the Rimacs acceleration and with some new world records just set the other day , this seems quite a bit slower in comparison! Rimac did from 0 to 400 kilometers per hour (249 miles per hour) and back to 0 in 29.94 seconds. However, this is still an amazing piece of engineering, and for a combustion engine to make 304mph is totally unbelievable!
U know that Rimac now controls Bugatti too?
They're built for different goals. The Bugatti would have less aero and shorter gearing if it were build for acceleration (as the Rimac is). The Chiron is built for top speed.
@Carlos Pacheco I know! Can you imagine what's coming next!
@flyingphoenix113 Yeah, 250+ mph is pretty slow, Lol
@Simon Morty , there is a massive difference between 250mph and 300mph. One was impressive two decades ago. The other is the standard today.
What's crazy is that we've also had a Hennessey Venom F5 and an SSC Tuatara go over 270 mph down that runway as well. What a time for car enthusiasts.
Came for the Bugatti, stayed for the science lesson
Came for the space shuttle , not jnterested in the car at all
Great mini film production! Thanks TG
I MISS OLD VIDEOS ,THEY WERE SO GREAT
This car is literally a luxury boat with beast horsepower on wheels. That interior is just so good!!!
We need an unedited version of this
If old top gear was alive we would have seen a real race
The line that "it is like automotive God" perfectly sums up the Bugatti chiron
if this race was done by carwow, it will save up to 5 mins yall
I love the nerdy material. Keep it up!
That was surprisingly well put together, props to you guys
This is exactly the episode I hoped it would be. Such an entertaining way to show how far we have came with car speed. I’m glad I got to see the peak of gasoline cars.
Nice to see that a Chiron can operate faster than an un-powered vehicle. A glider if you will. A glider that weighs many times the weight of the Chiron.
How does the glider get up into the sky?
@@leechampion6538 They’re towed by another airplane.
Can you guys do a drag race Bugatti vs Rimac? That would be interesting.
Interesting
Rimac would destroy Chiron SS. If there is a very long straight. Bugatti will win because it`s top end is to high and it has better acceleration when both hit +380 to 400 kph
@@nfs2seturkish988 Well that is why we should see it.
I also would like to see Chiron SS vs SF90.
Best Topgear KZhead video I've seem in a long time!
kinda disappointed that you did didn't beat the Veyron's top speed while driving A CHIRON SS. but hey, great video, at least you went faster than what most of us will in our lives🤣🤣
I wish if it was driven by Captain Slow 🏁
Deserves to be a tv episode honestly
In the fact, space shuttle down the runway to decelerate the speed ASAP. While this 'B' down to the runway trying to accelerate as fast as can be. 😆
Truly a spectacle for the ages!
Good job mate!! You really took us along for the journey and kept us excited. One of my fav car videos👌
6:03 "We do the impossible... and then we get bored of it." That is a phrase I will remember.
Just amazing! Can’t imagine going that fast on the ground. Such an impressive car
thank you for this film. Mankind is both amazing and incompetent at the same time
got goosebumps at the end when he said be nice to people who love science
A real enthusiast would have tackled that runway in an Alpha😂
Hes right we really so need to appreciation for this kind of stuff
What a brilliant video - like classic TG!
The alligators are there just as extra motivation for the pilots to bring the space shuttle to a halt in time.
*What an amazing film! 10/10 on EVERYTHING!✨*
Jeremy clarksons top gear wouldn’t click bait, if they said Bugatti vs space shuttle they’d have a race against an actual space shuttle
What an episode. Epic!
Bugatti Work of art
Simply mind-blowing
I think the 250-0 mph is just as impressive
Excellent film! A piece of very well done storytelling, what Top Gear is truly best at.
"You come to Florida and even the speedbumps got teeth!" Pfffffffhahahahaha, that was brilliant! 😂😂😂😂
Sounded like a plane taking off aswell while doing 250 mph
“even the speed bumps have got teeth” 😂
Thought this was bout to race the spaceship tbh 🤦🏾♀️
yeah if you’re non american you might have thought that but those familiar know that space shuttles have all been retired for years now
Literally awesome stuff!
Reminds me of the bugatti veron vs the jet in the old top gear
Haven't even watched it yet but I'm hyped we ever. I love Bugatti and rockets
thankyou top gear for this one!
wait, where is the shuttle vs the car shot?
Doh! The space shuttle is out of commission and just a museum piece now it would take an army of engineering (and several thousands of dollars I guess) to get it in a position to make go again.
should have used the 300+ but still amazing video
The super sports is the 300+
@@BoostedReddy yeh but the 300+ exposed carbon special edition that they used for thr run
@@Score4L both are same no difference this one is only gearing limiter can't go any higher than 273 mph I think it hit limiter at 250 mph it looked so slow
That shuttle landing That music Nah I'm not crying Just got something in my eyes
next they're gonna race a dragster vs a turbo powered tortoise
Fantastic content.
Love how you focused on the science. Feedback for the editors, when doing a high speed run all we want is drivers view and a speedo. The constant cutting of cameras gives you no feeling of speed, so it seems like meh, nothing
Need to see the nevera and the Chiron super sport drag race and roll race. Both cars are amazing since I’ll never see the Agera rs race either ever
Rimac Nevera would absolutely destroy Chiron SS in dig or rolling race even to 2 miles Agera RS doesn't stands a chance even Regera doesn't stands a chance Maybe close between Regera and Chiron roll race
Love the video love the car loved the presenter. Legendary!
Stuff like this without Jeremy clarksons voice over hits different
What was 0-250mph timing?
speed comparison between space shuttle lowest speed and sports car fastest speed make so much sense that it makes me wanna slap someone.
Brilliant film and a very special place 👍🏻👍🏻
I love the production and the mini doc about amazing feats of humanity space exploration. But comparing a car engineered to race as fast as possible with a shuttle landing on a runway which engineers try the best they can to make the shuttle gliding as slow as possible considering it's shape and aerodynamics... It's just a dumb comparison. Keep in mind, space shuttle does not use rockets or any kind of propulsion once reentry starts. It's just a glider.
I would not even compare a car to the space shuttle, every freaking launch was worth the whole Bugatti Company, however It was a good viedeo
That car is so beautiful it's been my dream car since I was like 12
You know what determines how is faster? VBOX