It's not every day that a Bugatti Chiron turns up at the Nurburgring to do some hot laps. Clearly no one's complaining, but this particular Chiron doesn't appear to be a customer car. According to spotter Automotive Mike, it's a Bugatti factory tester. It sure looks like one, notably with its front grille blacked out and a total lack of a body color combo, as is the case with most production-spec Chirons. So, what could this Chiron actually be? Our ideal answer is that Bugatti is already testing a hardcore Chiron Super Sport version.

We emphasize "ideal" because Bugatti has yet to even confirm, much less acknowledge, that the project actually exists. Heck, Bugatti even previously said it won't build a Chiron roadster, which is kind of odd. Getting back to the Chiron in question here, it sounds like thunder smacking down on asphalt. A quad-turbocharged W-16 engine does that.

With 1,500 hp and 1,180 lb-ft of torque on tap, one has to wonder whether or not additional power is even necessary. Look, we're talking a claimed 0-60 mph time of 2.3 seconds and a top speed of 261 mph. Does it get much more hardcore than that? Then again, Hennessey Performance will soon unleash its Venom GT successor, the Venom F5, which is aiming for a new top speed record. Could Bugatti be testing this Chiron in anticipation of that? We so hope so.