Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport on Tour

Due to the still ongoing Corona pandemic, car fans will have little opportunity this year to see new car presentations at motor shows. One of the very first events to be cancelled was the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) at the beginning of March. As one of the largest and most traditional motor shows in the world, it would have provided the stage for numerous new car launches this year.

One of the new cars that would have had its debut in Geneva is the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport. Instead of the big stage, there was only a virtual premiere and an invitation to the Bugatti manufactory in Molsheim for a few selected journalists. In order to reach the intended customer target group as well, Bugatti sent the Chiron Pur Sport show car on a tour of the European dealerships. This tour began in Paris and then went to London.

Germany was the next country on the agenda, where our team was on site in both Hamburg and Düsseldorf. At each station of the tour, the hypercar manufacturer takes the opportunity to have its latest product skilfully presented at one or two well-known sights of the respective city. In the pictures from Hamburg, for example, you can see both the harbour and the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in the background, while in Düsseldorf it is the famous Gehry buildings at the Media Harbour and the TV tower.

Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport in Hamburg
The Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is the sportiest car in the French manufacturer’s recent model history to date. After the world premiere could only take place corona-securely over the internet by CEO Stephan Winkelmann showing it, it was now decided that no film, no matter how well made, could replace the personal impression.

Hamburg was already the third destination of the already mentioned tour. In the Bugatti Hamburg showroom near the airport, the Pur Sport made its big entrance after visiting typical Hamburg highlights in the harbour. At first, customers and friends of the company were allowed to take a look at the new model, then the local press had the opportunity for a first date with the Chiron Pur Sport.

On first contact with the hypercar, the significantly sportier appearance, characterised by the massive fixed rear wing with the present ‘Bugatti’ lettering, immediately catches the eye of the beholder. Only afterwards do the further details gradually reveal themselves and merge into the image of a sports car that wants and is able to do more than just drive very fast in a straight line. Under the wing at the rear you can see the massive diffuser and the centrally mounted sports exhaust. The titanium tailpipe is 3D printed, which allows for an extremely thin wall thickness of the material and thus reduces weight.

In addition to other details that point to the deliberately sporty design, it is also noticeable that the interior of the Pur Sport can fully meet the comfort requirements of a Bugatti. No spartanic sports seats torture the driver and passenger on long journeys. A mix of carbon, Alcantara and leather creates a high-quality ambience. So the new Bugatti hypercar leaves behind a mixture of amazement, admiration and enthusiasm at its first appearance in Hamburg, and unfortunately also the certainty that there will probably not be a reunion any time soon. In total, only 60 of these cars were built, each of them at a unit price of 3 million euros plus tax.

Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport in Düsseldorf
“It’s unbelievable how much the optical changes make the Chiron Pur Sport different from the normal Chiron,” said our photographer Niklas Emmerich, as we sat together again in the car after the appointment in the Bugatti showroom in Düsseldorf, “due to the new air intakes in the front bumper, even the Bugatti logo appears larger, although it is probably exactly the same size as before. The huge rear wing looked almost exaggerated on the first few pictures, but in reality it looks fitting and should improve downforce significantly. I think we’ll have controverse opinions about the tailpipe. I personally think the look is great.”

In fact, the first pictures, which were sent by eMail at the beginning of March instead of a physical presentation, were in some places rather counterproductive for a proper assessment of the optical changes of the Chiron Pur Sport compared to the well-known normal Chiron. In the end Bugatti modified almost every part of the car except the roof and doors. This includes the new carbon rims as well as the interior, which can be completely lined in Alcantara on request. And in the meantime there have also been television reports which underline the fact that the Pur Sport can take a corner even when drifting. Something that you wouldn’t actually believe as a possibility for a sports car this heavy with a permanent all-wheel drive system. In addition, Bugatti voluntarily limited the topspeed to 350 kph (217 mph), but at the same time ensured even lower acceleration times thanks to a new gear ratio. “Up to now, we have not actually had a single customer ask us for even better acceleration,” said Tobias Dorn, General Manager of Bugatti Düsseldorf, during our visit.

Many of the 60 planned units have already been pre-ordered. They will be included in the total run of 500 Bugatti Chiron, which are all handcrafted at the Molsheim factory. Next to the Pur Sport and the normal Chiron, customers can currently also order the Chiron Sport (18 kilograms lighter than the normal model) or the Chiron and Chiron Sport Edition Noire, which is limited to 20 units. Last year, the brand also launched the Chiron Sport 110 ans, also limited to 20 units, to mark its 110th anniversary. Parallel to the Bugatti Divo recently began and the first examples of the Bugatti Centodieci will soon be rolling out of the factory. The latter should actually also be shown in Düsseldorf. However, there were problems with the electrically powered show car of the Centodieci, which had been specially manufactured by Bugatti, so that a transport wasn’t possible. The Chiron Pur Sport on display is also merely an electrically driven show car, but it can show potential customers all the visual and technical changes.

Authors: Kay Andresen, Matthias Kierse – Secret Classics

Images: Bugatti, Hella Andresen, Kay Andresen, Niklas Emmerich, Matthias Kierse, Sven Falk