The New Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport – A Bugatti That's Finally Fast Around Turns?

Hungry for twisty country roads, the Chiron Pur Sport branches off from the usual Bugatti speed tree.

Fresh off the heels of creating the first production car to break the 300-mph barrier with the Chiron Super Sport 300+, Bugatti has now added a corner sleuth, searching for apexes to master. Introducing the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport. Not only will its 1,500 horsepower make your teeth fold inwards, the car now tends to stick to pavement while you tackle turns.

Thanks to a combination of weight loss and aerodynamic design, the Pur Sport adds agility to unprecedented speed. The track demon has cleverly shed 110 pounds by utilizing techniques even the weight-phobic engineers at Lotus would applaud. The unique wheels shed 35 pounds of unsprung mass (weight not supported by the suspension) thanks to efficient “aero blades” fitted on the rim. These wheels also direct turbulence from the wheel well back to the rear diffuser, increasing downforce and overall wind tunnel success. Alcantara has been splashed on the interior to also save weight. A 3D-printed titanium exhaust proves to be extremely lightweight. The massive fixed spoiler also sheds 22 pounds by getting rid of the hydraulic actuators found on the vanilla Chiron.

Frank Heyl, Head of Exterior Design and Deputy Head Designer at Bugatti, said, “We focused particularly on the agility of the Chiron Pur Sport. The vehicle generates more downforce at the rear axle while the large, front splitter, air inlets, wheel-arch vents featuring optimized air outlets and a reduced vehicle height strike a clean balance at the front.”

The chassis has also been extensively reworked and now features 65% firmer springs in front and 33% firmer springs in the rear. Adaptive dampers and modified camber values (minus 2.5%) help keep the car planted on the road. “Less weight results in more grip and tangibly more comfort, as adaptive dampers are forced to deal with lower masses to thus be able to maintain the wheels’ contact with the road surface more easily,” said Jachin Schwalbe, Head of Bugatti Chassis Development. All of these changes allow for more precise driver input while steering, improving turn-in impressively.

The engine in the Pur Sport is the same behemoth W-16 quad-turbocharged powerplant in the Chiron and still produces 1,500 horsepower. The redline has been bumped up 200 RPM to 6,900 RPM to help apex turns while staying in the powerband. The transmission has been tinkered with by configuring the gears to be 15% closer together helping with those corner exits.

Only 60 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sports will be produced starting in the second half of 2020 for around $3.6 million each. I admire Bugatti for this endeavor. While the speed-crazed identity is still very apparent, the handling improvements add valuable driver enjoyment.

“With the Chiron Pur Sport, we are showcasing an outstanding vehicle that makes your heart race shortly after having started the engine to push the limits of driving physics even further to the limit than any vehicle ever has done before. This means we have come full circle, back to the good, old Bugatti tradition,” states Bugatti’s President, Stephan Winklemann.