Bugatti Chiron 4-005. At 74,000 km and eight years old, this prototype helped create the Chiron

Built in 2013, the Bugatti Chiron 4-005 is one of eight early Chiron prototypes produced by the Molsheim brand, having had a very busy “life” as a result.

The first Chiron to be flown in the US, this prototype even made spins in the snow of Scandinavia, completed numerous laps on the high-speed ring at Nardo, braved the heat of South Africa and even the “escape” of a Eurofighter Typhoon fighter plane.

All of this has contributed to the fact that, after eight years of “loyal service” to Bugatti, the Chiron 4-005 faces the refurbishment with the extraordinary mark of 74 000 km on the odometer, an impressive figure for a super sports car.

What was it used for?

Before we explain to you the functions of the Bugatti Chiron 4-005, let us explain its name. The number “4” represents the fact that this is a prototype while the “005” does justice to the fact that it was the fifth prototype of the Chiron to be produced.

His functions within the development program of the Gallic hypersports were linked with the development and testing of all the software used by the production Bugatti Chiron.

In total, 13 engineers, computer scientists and physicists worked with this Chiron 4-005, which served, for example, to test 30 vehicle control units (ECUs).

Throughout its "life" this Chiron 4-005 was a true "lab on wheels".

But there's more, it was on this prototype that the Chiron's navigation system, the HMI system or the speakerphone system were tested and developed.

Part of the life of this prototype is beautifully summed up by Rudiger Warda, responsible for Bugatti model development for nearly 20 years and the man behind the Chiron's infotainment and audio system.

As he tells us: “In the case of the 4-005, we carried out all the tests and went on the road for several weeks, and that brings us closer to the car. This prototype shaped our work and with it we molded the Chiron”.

Mark Schröder, responsible for the development of the Chiron's HMI system since 2011, recalled that tests behind the wheel of this Bugatti Chiron 4-005 were often crucial to find the solutions then applied to production models.

We discover many of the solutions while driving, discuss them with the team and then put them into practice, always starting with 4-005,"

Mark Schröder, responsible for the development of the Bugatti Chiron HMI system

One of the examples was the system that changes the color of the navigation menu depending on the intensity of the sun. According to Schröder, this solution was found after having difficulty reading the menu while driving the Chiron 4-005 on the roads of Arizona, USA.