Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport

It could have been one of the highlights at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) had it not been cancelled for the ubiquitous Corona virus that killed off the presentation of the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport. Thus the presentation of this even more sporty model from Molsheim unfortunately only took place on the internet and many car enthusiasts were denied a view of the new hypercar. Even before the GIMS, there was a rumor that the French manufacturer was planning to upgrade the model series with an even sharper version after producing half of the planned contingent of 500 Chiron. With the Pur Sport, Bugatti now presents a vehicle designed even more consistently for driving pleasure on race tracks and winding country roads than the Chiron Sport shown in Geneva two years ago.

To achieve this goal, the development department in Molsheim has extensively modified the Chiron. Although the changes in design are aimed exclusively at optimising downforce and thus road grip, they also make the Pur Sport appear more crouched on the tarmac and more aggressive. For example, a front splitter that extends far forward limits the front bumper at the bottom, which is dominated by the enlarged air intakes and the enlarged horseshoe grille in the center. At the same time, these also provide visual cooling for the W16 unit. The additional air vents on the fenders enhance the impression and make the Chiron Pur Sport look tense like a predator ready to leap. Compared with a normal Chiron, the headlights, each consisting of four LED rectangles, are angled slightly and a narrow air inlet is integrated underneath them, providing an air curtain on the wheels. The new design of the two-color paint in horizontal division brings the supercar visually closer to the road, with the lower part in bare carbon so they seem to merge with the asphalt. The biggest changes, however, are to be found in the rear section, where a large, 1.9-meter-wide fixed wing is dominant. Its angled brackets form a visual ‘X’ together with the struts in the rear bumper and are intended to remind us of science fiction and elements from motorsport. At the same time, dispensing with the hydraulic control of the normally extendable wing reduces the weight by 10 kilograms.

Together with the newly designed diffuser, the aerodynamic engineers achieved a significant improvement in downforce. In the center of the rear bumper is the innovative exhaust system made of high-temperature-resistant titanium, which is manufactured usind a 3D printing process. This guarantees minimal wall thickness and thus contributes to weight savings in the same way as the completely newly developed magnesium rims do. Each of these is four kilograms lighter than those of the normal Chiron and optionally equipped with so-called Aero Wings. Mounted in a ring shape, these ensure optimum ventilation of the wheel arches and also improve the aerodynamics of the Pur Sport. Bugatti has developed the appropriate tire for these new rims in cooperation with Michelin, the Michelin Sport Cup 2 R, which is produced exclusively for Bugatti. Thanks to its new tire design and a modified rubber compound, this tire offers 10 percent more lateral acceleration. The size for the Pur Sport is 285/30 R20 on the front axle and 355/25 R21 at the rear.

In keeping with the intended areas of application for the new Bugatti, the chassis is uncompromisingly tuned for performance in bends. This is ensured by 65 percent harder springs at the front and 33 percent harder at the rear in conjunction with adapted control of the adaptive dampers and modified camber values of minus 2.5 degrees. With an additional ‘Sport+’ mode, the suspension control system offers the driver the opportunity to experience these modifications. Here the control system intervenes much later and allows the driver to drift even in fast corners.

While Bugatti has taken the power unit with 16 cylinders, eight liters of displacement and an output of 1,500 hp unchanged from the Chiron and Chiron Sport, the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission represents a new development. A total of 15 percent shorter overall transmission ratio ensures that the individual gears are closer together and allows for shorter gear changes. In conjunction with the increased downforce and the chassis modifications, it allows the Chiron Pur Sport to accelerate even more brutally at the end of a curve. However, the new transmission also reduces the topspeed to 350 kph (217.5 mph) with the engine fully revved up. The only modification to the engine is the increase in maximum speed by 200 rpm to now 6,900 rpm. In combination with the shorter transmission ratio, Bugatti thus achieves a 40 percent improvement in elasticity values compared to the normal Chiron.

Production of the new Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport will begin in the second half of this year and is limited to 60 units. The price is 3 million € plus local taxes. “With the Chiron Pur Sport, we are presenting an outstanding vehicle that provides thrills shortly after starting and challenges the limits of driving physics even more than all previous cars. We are thus following in good, old Bugatti tradition”, said Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti Automobiles, at the presentation of the Pur Sport in Molsheim.

Images: Bugatti