- The Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is the lightened version of the regular Chiron.
- It shaves 50kg off of the normal Chiron's weight with the use of magnesium wheels and titanium exhaust tips.
- Only 60 Pur Sports will be made for the worldwide market, each priced starting at $3.6 million (R60 million).
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
You wouldn't think Bugatti, a company that makes 1,500-horsepower supercars with enough cylinders to celebrate a Sweet 16, would have much in common with boutique British automaker Lotus. But when it comes to the Chiron Pur Sport, the French automaker did appear to take a leaf out of Lotus's book.
"Simplify, then add lightness," is the Lotus company guiding philosophy, where minimalistic cars are the top priority — the logic being that powerful, heavy cars go fast in a straight line but don't handle as well. The Chiron is in no way light, but the Pur Sport version of it has been tweaked to prioritize handling and agility. And it's lighter than the original. Slightly.
Don't worry, it's still just as powerful as the normal Chiron — think 1,500 horsepower powerful — but it has lighter wheels and exhaust tips, and a stiffer suspension for improved cornering.
Business Insider was recently invited to check out the Chiron Pur Sport in person. The car has a starting price of $3.6 millio (R60 million), a company representative said, but the show example is priced at $4 million (R66 million).
Read on to see what, exactly, you get in a $4 million car — besides the love and adoration of your peers, of course.
The Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is the lighter, better-handling version of the Chiron.
It has the same 8.0-litre, quad-turbocharged, W16, 1,500-horsepower engine as the regular Chiron.
But it sheds 50kg from the standard Chiron thanks to a lightweight exhaust, a fixed rear wing, and lighter wheels.
The wheels are made of lightweight magnesium and have a slight negative camber to them, which means they tilt inward, for improved cornering traction.
As part of the Pur Sport Exterior Package, the wheels have little "winglets" on them that help with improved aerodynamics and hot-air extraction.
Another feature of the Exterior Package is a black-trimmed taillight, instead of the standard aluminum trim.
That massive, fixed, carbon fiber wing is hard to miss.
It's 190cm wide and is 10kg lighter.
The accent lettering is part of the Exterior Package, too.
Lest people walking by briefly forget what kind of car it is you drive.
One set of the special Michelin Sport Cup 2R tires, co-developed by Bugatti especially for the Pur Sport, will run you $10,000.
The carbon-fiber roof is also an option. Otherwise, the roof is typically painted to match the rest of the body.
The exhaust tips are 3D printed titanium, which makes them lighter.
In person, the car is massive.
This is a new paint for the Pur Sport called Agile Blue.
Inside, it's surprisingly minimalist for a car so expensive.
Everything is largely upholstered in lightweight Alcantara.
The windows are double-paned, though, for maximum quietness in the cabin.
These custom, textured door cards are an option.
The rest of the doors have exposed carbon fiber.
A Bugatti representative said that most Bugatti owners only put about 1,600km on their cars per year.
It's because most of them typically have big car collections. Don't we all? (We don't.)
The Pur Sport's redline was also raised by 200 rpm, which encourages drivers to stay on the throttle longer.
Up close, the rear diffuser is gigantic.
An attractive, blue stripe runs along the interior, aesthetically splitting it in two.
All Chiron Pur Sports take two months to hand-assemble by the 20 or so technicians at Bugatti's headquarters in Molsheim, France.
Only 60 of them will be made for the worldwide market, yet not all of them have been sold. This is your chance!
They have a starting price of $3.6 million.
But this particular one, with all its options, was priced closer to $4 million.
Receive a daily update on your cellphone with all our latest news: click here.
Get the best of our site emailed to you daily: click here.
Also from Business Insider South Africa:
