Video: Bugatti Veyron successor spied in testing on the road

IS THIS the first glimpse of one of the most keenly awaited cars yet? Captured by a motorist in Germany, the video shows a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, a BMW i8 and two disguised prototypes — believed to be the Veyron’s successor, currently known as the Chiron.

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Although a mule test car has been spotted before, it had the Veyron Super Sport’s body shell, so this is the first time the new car’s basic shape has been seen.

Reports suggest the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car is part of the convoy because research on its powertrain is helping to refine the Chiron’s own hybrid setup.

And what a hybrid it will have to be: following in the Veyron’s tracks is no easy task. It boasted nearly 1,000bhp and 1,000 lb ft of torque (depending on the version), propelling it from 0 to 62mph in just 2.5 seconds.

The Chiron is expected to shave half a second off that thanks to a lighter and stronger adaptation of the Veyron’s carbon fibre monocoque chassis with an electrified version of its quadruple-turbocharged 8-litre W16 engine. Bugatti will be aiming to beat not just the old Veyron but also more recent hypercars such as the Koenigsegg Regera, which has 1,500bhp and 1,475 lb ft of torque.

Bugatti is expected to launch the new car to the world at the 2016 Paris motor show in October.

Read our recent final drive of the astonishing Bugatti Veyron here.