Bugatti Chiron puts on a lighter Pur Sport suit

Following in the wheel track of its revered Veyron predecessor with the rollout of numerous special edition variants, Bugatti has released a limited run version of the Chiron it claims is not only a “genuine thoroughbred”, but also an “uncompromising hypersports car for winding roads”.

Externally, the Pur Sport distinguishes itself from the standard Chiron by receiving a larger horseshoe grille and wider air intakes, a new carbon fibre front splitter and at the rear, a new rear wing measuring 1.9 m that Bugatti claims will “generate serious amounts of downforce” despite not revealing the exact figure.

Tipping the scales at 50 kg less than its sibling, the Pur Sport has also undergone several changes underneath its skin in the shape of a lightweight 3D printed and temperature resistant titanium exhaust, a new chassis with stiffer springs and dampers, revised chamber, and new front and rear stabilisers made out of carbon fibre.

In addition to a new Sport+ mode that joins the existing four settings; Motorway, EB, Handling and Sport, the Pur Sport’s brakes have upgraded with new lightweight titanium pads and specially made Bugatti Sport Cup 2 R tyres that reduces weight by 16 kg.

Co-developed with Michelin and said improve the Pur Sport’s lateral acceleration by 10% as well as aiding brake cooling , the rubber is wrapped around newly designed Aero alloy wheels that measure 20-inches at the front and 21-inches at the rear.

Minor changes have also taken place inside where the spine of the steering wheel and 12 o’clock marking feature blue cross stitching, while Alcantara and metal look inlays adorn the door panels with the former also being used on the steering wheel and side bolsters of the seats. Anodised aluminium, black or titanium switchgear rounds the interior off.

While no alterations have been made to the 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 that continues to produces 1 103kW/1 600Nm, the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox has been reconfigured with closer ratios that improves response, while the redline has been upped from 6 700 rpm to 6 900 rpm.

An overall elasticity improvement of 40% over the Chiron, the Pur Sport’s top speed is still limited to 420 km/h, but 60 km/h to 120 km/h now comes up two seconds faster. The benchmark 0-100 km/h sprint time though is unchanged at 2.4 seconds.

Going on sale from the second quarter of the year, production of the Pur Sport will be capped at 60 units priced at €3.2-million (R54.8-million) a piece.

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