Barely driven Bugatti Chiron Super Sport leads Bonhams|Cars Audrain sale

Bugatti was reborn by the Veyron, a hypercar that made cracking 200mph feel like 60. But the Chiron took things a step further; it wasn't just faster than the Veyron, it also had a more sophisticated character. Less about sheer brute force and more about handling finesse and character. 

The 'Chiron' name heavily hinted at this. Named after Louis Alexandre Chiron – the first Monégasque racing driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix in 1931 – Bugatti's new hypercar featured clever torque vectoring, aggressive suspension geometry and a steering wheel milled from solid aluminium, all designed to give it cornering precision missing from the Veyron. 

Under the skin, its eight-litre, quad-turbo W16 engine was very similar on paper to the Veyron's, but it was actually completely reworked with exquisitely crafted parts, including a carbon fibre intake manifold and conrods that are 50 per cent stronger, yet no heavier, than the Veyron's.

Larger turbos pumped power up to 1,578PS (1,160kW) and two of the four turbos were permanently engaged to reduce turbo lag; the other pair chimed in once you were firmly in boost. The body, meanwhile, was 250mm longer, and the car's exhausts were relocated from the middle to the outer edges allowing the rear diffuser to be as wide as possible to make the car as slippery as it can be.

The result? How about 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds, 0-124mph in 6.5 seconds, 0-186mph in 13.6 seconds and 261mph flat out.

Three years after that 2016 launch, Bugatti revealed the Chiron Super Sport as a 110^th anniversary present to itself, adding 100PS (74kW), extending the body by 250mm and relocating the exhaust system to reduce aerodynamic stall by 40 per cent.

The payoff was historic. A team led by Andy Wallace – the driver who'd also maxed cars like the McLaren F1 (240.1mph) and the Veyron Super Sport (267.8mph) – set the Chiron's Super Sport's 304.7mph top speed at VW's Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany.

Acceleration was equally as vivid, with 0-62mph coming up in 2.4 seconds, 0-124mph in 5.8 seconds, 0-186mph in 12.1 seconds and 0-249mph in 28.6 seconds. That's quicker than a Citroen 2CV gets to 40. 

Bugatti announced the production of the road-going model a few months after the top speed run – each of the 30 built cost around £3million. 

The example offered at the Bonhams|Cars Audrain Auctionis number six in a production run of just eight Super Sports brought to the USA. The car has just 840 miles on the clock, has been serviced annually by Beverly Hills Bugatti and presents as new. Outside, it gets the Super Sport's distinctive black-and-orange colour scheme, while inside it is finished in Beluga Black leather trim with Jet Orange contrasting trim pieces.

It's only the second time a Chiron Super Sport has been sold in the USA by auction. As such, the car represents an exceptionally rare opportunity to get your hands on one of the last great petrol-powered Bugattis.