Bugatti Chiron Les Legendes Du Ciel Faces Off With Dassault Rafale Marine Fighter Jet

Bugatti has a rich aviation history. Before the Second World War, Ettore Bugatti was developing a new aircraft designed to break speed records. Bugatti's aviation lineage led to creating the magnificent Chiron Les Legendes du Ciel or Legends of the Sky, an extremely limited version of the Chiron brimming with vintage-inspired design cues.

And unless you're living under a rock, you probably know the Chiron is a bloody quick supercar. But how does it compare to the French Navy's premier Dassault Rafale Marine fighter jet? We've seen the Veyron racing a Euro Fighter Typhoon twelve years ago on old Top Gear, and the plane won. But who wins the battle between the Legends of the Sky and the pride of the French Navy?

Bugatti is only making 20 examples of Chiron Les Legendes du Ciel at around $3.4-million each. Think of it as an expensive link between the past and the present, and you get a substantial 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbocharged engine to go with it.

It also comes with aircraft-inspired design touches like the Gris Serpent matte grey paint; the blue, white, and red Tricolor accents on the side sills; unique bars on the radiator grille mimicking airplanes in a flyby formation; and brushed aluminum door sill panels with Les Legendes du Ciel lettering. Meanwhile, the exterior and interior have vintage propeller and aircraft logos like the front fenders, center console, and seat headrests.

Inside, the Chiron Les Legendes du Ciel has Gaucho leather upholstery and contrasting aluminum inlays like a vintage aircraft. Also, the door panels have a sketch of a racing scene between the Bugatti Type 13 and a Nieuport 17 airplane. It also goes like an airplane with its 6.0-liter W16 engine pumping out 1,479 horsepower and no less than 1,180 pound-feet of torque.

Transferring power to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, the Chiron Les Legendes du Ciel can rush from zero to 60 mph in 2.5-seconds; zero to 124 mph in 6.5-seconds; and zero to top speed (250 mph) in under 32 seconds.

Impressive numbers, indeed. But how does it match up with the Dassault Rafale Marine? First entering service for the French armed forces in 2001, the Rafale has two jet engines and an innovative tailless delta mid-wing construction with canard wings. It can take off over short distances and has a top speed of Mach 1.6 (1,975 kph).

In a strange twist of fate, the two French icons share a lot in common. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 came in 2001, at about the same time as the Rafale entered service. Meanwhile, the brakes of the Rafale were courtesy of Messier-Bugatti. "The Chiron Sport and the Rafale Marine are both absolutely high-tech products, are manufactured with passion and precision, are beautiful and incredibly powerful and fast, can be maneuvered and can brake precisely like no other," said Frigate Captain Etienne, the man piloting Rafale in the video above.

So, who won the race? Of course, the jet fighter will win every time, but no other production car in history can keep up with a Navy plane like the Chiron Les Legendes du Ciel. "It's the ideal vehicle for navy pilots," concluded Etienne.