Headlights of the Bugatti Chiron: the flattest full-LED projector headlamps in the automobile sector

4 years ago
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How can you develop a new super sports car if you have already built the best? This was the
steep challenge faced by Bugatti engineers in the development of the Chiron. The
development brief for the new Bugatti was short and sweet – make the best significantly
better in every respect.

Willi Netuschil, Board of Management Member and Head of Development at Bugatti,
describes the technical approach: “Where other manufacturers stop, Bugatti goes a step
further. We probe the limits. In our development work, we use all the technologies that are
available, without any restrictions. Our aim is to be the best in the final resort.”

“It is part of human nature to cross boundaries and set new records – to run 100 m faster than ever before, to fly even further into space and to enter new realms. This striving is also our driving force at Bugatti,” said Wolfgang Dürheimer, former President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., at the presentation of the Chiron. “The Chiron is the result of our efforts to make the best even better.”

The flattest full-LED projector headlamps in the automobile sector

To accentuate the unique “eight-eye” design of the front end, Bugatti has equipped the Chiron with the flattest full-LED projector headlamps ever fitted to a car, with a height of only 90 mm. Each headlamp has its own controller to operate the LEDs installed behind the main lenses which are mounted on delicate aluminium arms. The eight outer lighting squares consist of light conductors providing sidelight and daytime running light functions. Even in the case of the headlamps, Bugatti has not attempted to save high-quality materials, using carbon fibre for the light trims.

Newly developed rear end with innovative rear light creates the distinctive signature of the Chiron

The rear with its all-round trailing edge is the clearest example of form following performance in the design of the Chiron. The rear is shaped to ensure lower drag and to meet the BUGATTI requirements posed by the high power output, the new top speed and heat dissipation from the rear end. The suction effect behind the rear end allows the extraction of hot air collecting in the engine compartment.

Although this rear design is not entirely new in the sports car sector, the combined rear, brake, reversing and indicator light certainly is. The designers developed this homogeneous light strip with a length of 1.60 metres extending over the entire rear without any interruptions with a view to making a purist statement emphasising the width of the Chiron. The rear light strip is the unmistakable signature and unique feature of this Bugatti. The Chiron is the first and only production car to feature a rear light of this type. The light strip is only a few millimetres high and is surrounded by a bar machined from solid aluminium. 82 Super RED LED lamps ensure that all road-users can immediately see that a Bugatti Chiron is driving
ahead of them.

Illuminated C-bar in the interior is the longest light conductor in the automobile industry

The interior reflects the stylistic themes of the exterior including the central fin inspired by the Bugatti Atlantic. This approach ensures a symmetrical layout in the interior. At the same time, the design theme of the Bugatti line is expressed most strongly in the interior of the vehicle. The open oval based on a stylised “C”, the initial of Louis Chiron’s signature, is already a dominant element in the side view of the super sports car and is also taken up in the passenger compartment as a separating line between the symmetrical units for the driver and passenger. The C-shaped light strip emerges from the front bonnet into the passenger compartment as a raised graphic element and merges seamlessly into the dashboard. From here, it flows over the armrest between the seats to the back wall where it rises to the roof liner; at the front, it ends at the rear-view mirror. The homogeneously lit, dimmable light bar is the longest light conductor used in automobiles. This is not the only superlative as it has a surround that is machined from a single piece of aluminium in a complex process and is an eyecatcher in itself.

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