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The Man Who Drives Bugattis for a Living Takes On the €8-Million Centodieci

As Bugatti has started shipping the Centodieci to all four corners of the world, this means that the man who drives the exotic machines made at Molsheim on a constant basis has more on his plate.
Bugatti Centodieci - Steve Jenny 10 photos
Photo: Bugatti
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His name is Steve Jenny, and you may remember him from our previous coverage, when we told you that he joined the company in 2004, after finding out about its revival. So far, “the most experienced of Bugatti test drivers,” as the company refers to him, has driven around 800 different Bugattis, clocking over 350,000 km (217,480 miles) in the Veyron, Chiron, Divo, and the one-off La Voiture Noire.

The Centodieci is also on his list, as he is responsible for putting it through its paces in all sorts of environments, checking every box to make sure that it drives and feels like an €8-million (equal to a little over $8 million at today’s exchange rates) car should. Mind you, that was the starting price back in 2019, when Bugatti uncovered it, as the build slots that have hit the used car market ever since are much more expensive.

Finished in EB110 Argent, one of the latest Centodieci to have been tested out by Steve Jenny, which is the one pictured in the gallery above, was taken out for a drive covering at least 300 km (186 miles) around the home of Bugatti in Molsheim. This leg normally takes around five hours and comprises different roads and surfaces, including the famous Route des Vins d’Alsace. The drive replicates all conditions that owners may face and allows the test driver to assess its character.

Bugatti Centodieci
Photo: Bugatti
During the drive, Steve pays attention to the almost-imperceptible discrepancies, such as the subtle sounds of flexing leather and carbon fiber that behave differently depending on the temperature and humidity, and the amount of noise coming from the road and suspension. The high-speed slaloms, emergency lane changes, and brutal braking are being assessed on the closed runway of a local airport, where the Centodieci can truly show its true colors, and its ability to hit 100 kph (62 mph) in just 2.4 seconds, and a 380 kph (236 mph) top speed.

Just like every other modern-day Bugatti, this hypercar model, whose production is capped at 10 copies, uses the fabulous quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine, which kicks out 1,600 ps (1,577 hp / 1,177 kW). The power unit sits underneath a glass sheet, unlike in the Chiron, where it is mostly uncovered, and this change gives birth to a different aural signature that has to be consistent across all units.

Steve has to make sure that each car that rolls off the line at Molsheim is perfect, and this includes the Centodieci too. Besides paying attention to the aforementioned things, he also checks the material finishes, bespoke touches, custom shapes, parts, and so on. Bugatti states that “his sense of the exacting standards is so acute that even if any material feels rougher than it should, he will return to Atelier to identify, explain, and correct the issues with his colleagues," as there is “zero room for interpretation.

Subsequently to making sure that everything looks and functions accordingly, the team changes the gearbox filter, gives it the final set of wheels, and then takes it out for the final test drive of around 50 km (31 miles). By the time they are done with it, each one will have had at least 350 km (217 miles) on the clock, because “there is no compromise in the creation of a Bugatti, especially one as rare and unique as the Centodieci,” Jenny says.

All units of the Centodieci were sold out before the grand unveiling three years ago, and those that hit the used car market carry eye-watering markups.
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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