Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport: The Driver's Bugatti

You can think of the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport as a sportier, more agile, and track-focused version of a regular Chiron. And as such, the Pur Sport is not all about achieving the highest top speed. "The Chiron Pur Sport is a hyper sports car that yearns for country roads with as many bends as possible," said Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti.

Mind you, transforming the Chiron into a hyper track monster is no easy feat. Don't get us wrong, the standard Chiron is nothing short of breathtaking in all aspects of luxury, performance, and exclusivity. As editor-in-chief Vincent Nguyen put it bluntly, the Bugatti Chiron is an incredible car with incredible numbers, and we're not even talking about the price yet. But the Chiron is a grand touring hypercar. And apparently, Chiron buyers were yearning for something with more gravitas on the racetrack.

Enter the Chiron Pur Sport. First, Bugatti took the Chiron and gave it a crash diet by installing lighter magnesium wheels, titanium-infused brakes, titanium exhaust tips, and ditching the complicated rear wing in favor of a fixed unit. All in all, Bugatti saved 110 pounds over a standard Chiron. Next came stiffer springs, new electronic adaptive dampers, and minus 2.5 degrees of camber to improve handling. The Pur Sport is also equipped with bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires that offer better lateral grip.

Most exciting is the testing part. After enduring many weeks of confinement caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns, the blokes at Bugatti were able to resume testing the Chiron Pur Sport at the Bilster Berg racetrack in Germany. "The combination of an uncompromisingly sporty and harder chassis setup, new tires with a softer rubber compound geared towards lateral dynamics, and the shorter transmission ratio make it possible to maneuver the Chiron Pur Sport out of any corner safely and at lightning speed," said Sven Bohnhorst, Bugatti engineer.

"It's a car for drivers, for all those who have petrol in their blood," Bohnhorst added, "I never want to get out again."

And during these test drives, the engineers are mostly focused on handling instead of tuning the car for top speed runs. Make no mistake, the Chiron Pur Sport is expected to remain blisteringly quick with its standard 8.0-liter W16 engine. Capable of churning out 1,500 horsepower and a mind-blowing 1,180 pound-feet of torque, the Pur Sport is blessed with a higher 6,900 rpm redline to deliver the sensation of a full-on racing car.

Coupled with a sleeker body that generates more downforce than a standard Chiron, the Pur Sport is touted to be the best-handling Bugatti yet. "This car makes it possible to get the most out of corners, right up to the limits of what is physically possible," concludes Bohnhorst. "The Chiron Pur Sport handles even faster, with better performance and greater safety on narrow roads with plenty of bends."

Bugatti is only making 60 examples of the Chiron Pur Sport. If you want a fast and agile Bugatti and you have $3.35-million to spend on a new car, the Chiron Pur Sport is as good as it gets.