Most Bugattis live especially pampered lives or feature as part of a larger car collection. Cars like the Chiron and Divo are automotive artworks, often on display rather than regularly driven at the astonishing speeds they were engineered to reach.

One Bugatti that falls into a different category is the Chiron 4-005 prototype. Rather than be disposed of as prototypes often are, this Chiron - internally known as 4-005 - has covered more than 45,000 miles in eight years in a variety of conditions all over the globe. It's been described as "a test lab on wheels" and its matte body with a few scratches is evidence of this. This car as well as Bugatti's very slow rate of production are proof that the automaker will not be rushed to achieve a perfect final product.

According to Bugatti, 4-005 was the very first Chiron to be driven in North America. But the US is hardly the only home of this Bugatti globetrotter. The prototype has done heat testing in South Africa and drifted in the snow in icy Scandinavia. It has been subjected to high-speed laps in Nardò, too. From 2013, the Chiron's software has been developed and tested in this specific car.

"In the case of the 4-005, we performed all the tests and were on the road for many weeks," said Rüdiger Warda from Bugatti. His job is to ensure that the audio and infotainment system for the Chiron works as well as it can.

"The prototype shaped our work and with the prototype, we shaped the Chiron," continued Warda.

From Death Valley to the Grand Canyon, the prototype served as a test bed for vehicle systems like the climate control, navigation, and sound system. Mark Schröder, who developed the human-machine interface of the Chiron, said: "We discover many of the detail solutions during test drives, discuss them within the team, and then realize them, starting with the 4-005."

So, while this particular Bugatti may not be pulling up at A-list events, it has arguably played an even more important role. The company says that 4-005 is now being retired after years of service.