Bugatti Chiron Super Sport vs Space Shuttle – Which Is Faster Down A Runway? | Top Gear

When NASA decided it wanted space rockets to be reusable, it had to build somewhere to land them. That place was the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, and what it built was a 15,000ft-long strip where Space Shuttles would hurtle back to Earth at over 200mph.

These days, the Shuttle is retired and its runway is a proving ground for testing some of the world’s fastest cars. The 1,578bhp Bugatti Chiron Super Sport is certainly that, but it’s also often derided as a folly – an impractical machine which, like the Space Shuttle, cost too much money to develop. But is that fair? We didn’t think so.

So, join Top Gear magazine’s Ollie Kew for a geeky dive into what makes this runway so special, and then a high-speed adventure to see if a hypercar can hit a higher top speed than the Shuttle, at the very place it touched down from space.

Bugatti was performing Straight Line Aerodynamic Testing with JBPG at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility, located in Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

00:00 Intro
01:28 What is the Space Shuttle?
03:10 How did the Shuttle work?
04:43 Life of the Shuttle
06:52 Building the world’s fastest road car
08:12 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport top speed run
12:21 Outro

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[canyondust]

Chiron went faster than a conventional space shuttle landing, but I bet not faster than the Reliant Robin space shuttle

[ElyciusM]

The front end of those Chiron SuperSports are absolutely glorious.

[xjet]

The fantastic thing about the Veyron/Chiron is its distinctive styling... right up there with the Countach. So many modern super/hyper-cars look very similar (driven by the quest for a super-low Cd I suspect) but the Bugatti broke the mold and came up with a design that could never be mistaken for anything else. As someone who grew up in an era where cars all looked so very different but now lives in an era of "sameness" it's refreshing to see distinctive styling re-appearing.

[discoverlight]

I want to see the 300+ version of the Chiron going over 300mph. Please do it.

[TSM]

What a brilliant piece of film!

The fact it does those speeds, and makes it look so effortless, is the most amazing part.

[castielvargastv]

This design aged very well. It looks incredibly good too me

[DavidWVisuals]

Next: Bugatti Chiron against a supersonic missile

[carltonleboss]

That was the most casual 250mph I've ever seen

[dillonmarshall]

A big reason for it's underappreciation, for a car that can go 250+ numerous times & is also street legal?

A lot of people don't realize but there are few cars out there with 1600 hp & can go 270+ mph and stay street legal.

[srinitaaigaura]

The Chiron attained automotive perfection with the Supersport. Not only is it the fastest Bug in a straight line, it is the best looking Chiron too.

[luxaeterna]

Came for the Space Shuttle. I adored those spacecraft growing up! ❤❤

[hani]

To quote Jeremy Clarkson: "WHAT A MACHIIIINE!!!!"

[perhentzepetersen]

It may not be the fastest car on the planet anymore, but My God this thing is amazing. Just imagine taken it to the opera first (it is a luxury car after all) and then to the runway and do 250

[LucienMarc]

Outstanding piece, Chaps. Well done. I properly dig the unabashed excitement. You Top Gear lads remain a step ahead.

[Julian-pq-bt]

The Chiron SS is like a beast chasing his food.

[BLWard-htqw]

Still one of the sharpest looking cars out there to me and those colors and chrome wheels are working quite nicely together.

[lamineaim]

The most sensational car I've ever seen and i bet the tv host has the experience of a life time what a machine !

[dhaferalqarni]

I have the honor of flying near and almost over that runway!

[amorosogombe]

I can't believe that double decker bus actually made it into space.

[SDFGH]

That is a really beautiful spec on this particular Chiron