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Here’s how weekends under lockdown look for this Bugatti test driver

What does a man who tests 1,000bhp-plus hypercars in the week do to unwind during his time off under lockdown? For Sven Bohnhorst, a chassis engineer at Bugatti, the answer is simple: tinker with his old Porsche 911…

Production might have ceased production in Molsheim owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, but there’s a small, dedicated team of people still working hard at Bugatti. Sven Bohnhorst, a chassis setup engineer, is a part of that team. He joined the history-steeped marque in 2014 and helped to create such cars as the record-setting 300mph Chiron Super Sport. Together with Bugatti’s head of chassis testing Lars Fischer, he’s been continuing to diligently test and develop the Chiron and the Divo, both at special facilities and out on the public roads (while obeying the relevant authorities’ public safety guidelines, of course). On the weekends, however, Bohnhorst loves nothing more than spending time in the garage tinkering with his own pride and joy, a grey G-series Porsche 911 Carrera, sitting pretty on black Fuchs wheels. “My little workshop is a great retreat where I can recharge my batteries,” he says. And after the dizzying performance he experiences testing 1,000bhp-plus hypercars on a day-to-day basis, we imagine the modest power kicked out by his Porsche’s air-cooled flat-six is a welcomed step change. 

Photos: Dr. Julia Lemke for Volkswagen AG 

You can find selections of both modern-era Bugatti hypercars and Porsche 911 Gs listed for sale in the Classic Driver Market.