This Bugatti supercar can withstand most powerful hurricanes

Bugatti has showcased the Centodieci supercar which underwent the critical wind tunnel test recently. The supercar managed to pass the test, remaining firmly on the ground and withstanding wind force of up to 300 kmph.

There are several supercars which run at more than 350 kmph. But to be able to withstand strong wind and remain stable at such high speeds are crucial factors to determine how good is the car. To determine that, supercars are made to go through wind tunnel test to check if it can absorb the wind pressure and yet perform at its fullest potential.

The wind tunnel to test the Bugatti supercar used a propeller as big as 8 metres in diameter. It was powered by a 9172 horsepower motor to create constant wind speeds of 300 kmph, powerful enough wind force to make an airplane take off.

“The driveshafts are dismantled ahead of testing in order to prevent the external drive of the wheels from transferring any forces into the vehicle. The vehicle is then fixed with nothing but four small pins in the underbody and its height is varied according to the testing plan," Bugatti explained.

Developers at the Bugatti made some changes, like making the front diffuser flaps adjustable by minute angles, and the rear wing be modified by just a few degrees. The engineers checked the airflow on and around the Centodieci at a variety of speeds. Starting at 140 kmph, they use a standard setup to determine a benchmark figure for comparison with other Bugatti hyper sports cars. They then run various tests up to the test bench’s maximum speed, including the wind hitting the supercar at various angles to simulate its handling when taking corners quickly with shifting loads.

Controlling the temperature of the Bugatti's 8.0-liter W16 engine with 1,600 PS at such high speeds is also a critical test that the supercar passed. Using special fog images, the engineers also checked the high-performance system’s brake cooling in the wind tunnel.

“What’s important are the data for downthrust at the front and rear axles. These have to be perfect because they are crucial to the vehicle’s handling at high speeds," explains Andre Kullig, Technical Project Manager for one and few-off projects at Bugatti.

Bugatti introduced the Centodieci supercar back in 2019. It is a tribute to the EB 110, with which Romano Artioli revived the Bugatti brand 30 years ago. The Centodieci is limited to ten vehicles, all of which were sold out within a matter of hours at a net unit price of eight million euros. Delivery of the highly exclusive and handcrafted few-off model will begin next year.