Bugatti says Chiron test model speeds past 'magic 300-mile-per-hour-mark'

Bugatti says one of its pre-production cars reached 482.80 km/h during a test run in Germany. (Bugatti)

A specially modified Bugatti Chiron has set a new world speed record, according to the company.

Bugatti said one of its cars reached the breakneck speed of 490.45 km/h (304.77 mph) during a test run on Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien track in Germany on Monday.

“Our goal was to be the first manufacturer ever to reach the magic 300-mile-per-hour mark. We have now achieved this – making ourselves, the entire team and myself, incredibly proud,” Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann said in a press release.

The vehicle was a pre-production Bugatti Chiron derivative, which the company specifically designed to reach the “magic 300-mile-per-hour-mark.”

The record for the fastest road-legal production car was previously held by the automaker Koenigsegg when its Koenigsegg Agera RS reached 458 km/h in 2017.