ABSOLUTE POWER

Bugatti gives the solely petrol-fuelled engine a royal send-off with its 1,578hp Chiron Super Sport.

- Ben Oliver

So here it is: peak internal-combustion engine. Since Karl Benz built his Patent Motorwagen 135 years ago, carmakers have been refining and emboldening the petrol-guzzling power plant that still propels most of our cars, but we’ve finally reached a tipping point. Automakers are announcing they’re ceasing the development of conventional engines in favour of hybrid and electric power trains, even setting dates by which they’ll no longer offer the former at all. Bugatti is no exception.

Now with a majority of it controlled by supercar and electric vehicle-technology start-up Rimac, the French marque will go hybrid for its next allnew model, eventually to be followed by a fully electric vehicle. But the recent launch of Bugatti’s 1,578hp Chiron Super Sport marks this bittersweet moment perfectly. Not only is it the fastest, most powerful pure-combustion production car from a heritage manufacturer, there’s also a good chance it will remain so forever.