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Bugatti Fine-Tunes the $9.5 Million Centodieci Through Extreme Wind Tunnel Testing

As they’re getting ready to be delivered starting next year, the Bugatti Centodieci hyper sports cars are being submitted to aerodynamic testing in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel. All ten of them – that’s the entire number of units that were produced, with all of them already sold out in a matter of hours.
The $9.5 million Bugatti Centodieci is fine-tuned for maneuverability and safety at very high speeds 8 photos
Photo: Bugatti
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If you thought wind tunnel aircraft testing is complex, you’ll be surprised to learn more about how this ultra-exclusive Bugatti model is being fine-tuned. For a sports car that can exceed 350 kph (217 mph), aerodynamics and downthrust at the front and rear axles are particularly important for optimizing handling at such high speeds, and this is where the testing comes in.

André Kullig, Technical Project Manager for one and few-off projects at Bugatti, says that developers establish a pre-calculated target value, then wind tunnel tests are performed in order to fine-tune the car so that it gets as close as possible to that ideal value.

Now, picture this: inside the tunnel, a 9,300 PS (9,169 HP) engine is driving an eight-meter (26 feet) propeller that generates an airflow “powerful enough for an airplane to take off.” Five bands, one under each wheel and one under the vehicle floor, simulate speeds of up to 300 kph (186 mph) at the same time. But this is just the maximum – the airflow around the Centodieci is actually tested at a variety of speeds.

Based on this, fine changes such as adjusting the angle of the front diffuser flaps or adjusting the rear wing by only a few degrees, will take the sport car closer to those ideal values. The system’s brake cooling and the car’s handling when taking corners quickly, are also tested in the wind tunnel. Before the intensive testing, the driveshafts are dismantled (so that there are no external drive forces transferred into the vehicle), and the sports car is fixed with only four pins in the underbody.

Over the next weeks, engineers will continue testing the Centodieci, this time on test tracks and proving grounds. You might think that it’s only this exclusive model that goes through this fine-tuning, but Kullig stated that every new Bugatti is submitted to this, in order to even exceed quality standards.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
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Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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