The Bugatti Veyron’s life began as the ultimate trophy vehicle for the VW group back in 2005, before all the scandals and the financial woes. Back then, the horse power race between the power obsessed Germans was at its height and VW was hopeful that they could reestablish the Bugatti nameplate with their crowning jewel of automotive engineering. The uber expensive 1000-hp car made headlines with its insane figures, ranging from a space-time continuum bending 0-60 time of 2.4 seconds, an outlandish price tag of $1.7 million, and a never-before-seen 8.0 liter W16 engine that produced so much heat that the company decided to produce the car without an engine cover.

Now that its time for a replacement, Bugatti has chosen to unveil the new Bugatti Chiron a day before its official launch at the Geneva Motor Show. Sporting a much more aggressive front end, which was one of Veyron’s major letdowns, the Chiron is more aggressive and even more purposeful than its predecessor. The 8.0 liter W16 engine now produces a mind boggling 1,500 horsepower with 1180 ft-lbs of torque and promises a 0-60 dash of under 2.5 seconds. With already a third of the planned 500 cars spoken for despite the $2.6 million price tag, we can faintly hear billionaires rummaging through their bags looking for their checkbook, not to be outdone by their peers.