Bugatti’s next top speed target may be over 310 mph

• Bugatti isn’t done with attempting land speed records
• Bugatti boss Mate Rimac hints at hitting 500 kph, or 310.686 mph
• Attempt will likely have to wait until after 2026 start of Tourbillon production

Bugatti has just scored the land speed record for a production open-top car with its Mistral roadster, which was clocked going 282 mph earlier this month at Germany’s ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg high-speed test track.

It marks a return for the French hypercar marque in the hunt for land speed records, a practice that was abandoned under former chief Stephan Winkelmann, after a Chiron Super Sport 300+ reached 304.773 mph in 2019, making it the first production car to go past the 300-mph mark.

Bugatti today is run by Mate Rimac, the founder of technology company Rimac and also the electric hypercar marque of the same name. He in September said Bugatti isn’t done with setting new top speed records, and has now hinted that the next stop might be 500 kph, or 310.686 mph.

In an interview with Top Gear following the Mistral’s record run, Rimac said he discussed with tire supplier Michelin whether a tire could handle speeds of 500 kph.

“Can we put the five in front of the top speed record?” Maybe next. Let’s see,” he also told Top Gear.

Although some modified cars have gone beyond 300 mph, with Johnny Bohmer, the brains behind the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds at Florida Space Port, having taken his modified 2006 Ford GT to such speeds on previous occasions, doing so with road car tires that must meet Bugatti’s safety and durability standards is the last real challenge, though aerodynamic safety is also an issue. We’re talking speeds twice as high as what a passenger jet takes off at.

Michelin has been working on road car tires designed for 300 mph and beyond since at least 2018. Bugatti also worked with Michelin to develop a set of Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires for use on the Chiron Super Sport 300+. Bugatti said Michelin tested the tires up to 317 mph in the U.S., but didn’t mention how.

Under Rimac’s guidance, Bugatti has delivered a successor to the Chiron in the form of the Tourbillon. The car, due to enter production in 2026, was revealed in June with a plug-in hybrid powertrain combining a naturally aspirated 8.3-liter V-16 engine with a trio of electric motors for a combined output of 1,775 hp.

The car’s top speed is capped at 276 mph but a true Vmax above 300 mph wouldn’t be surprising, considering the 1,577-hp Chiron Super Sport 300+ already achieved the feat. How fast will the Tourbillon go? We’ll probably have to wait a couple of years to find out.