A special commission by Manny Khoshbin that saw the collaboration between two French luxury brands – Bugatti and Hermes. The result was a unique 1 of 1 Bugatti Chiron.
This Bugatti Chiron was individualized in almost all aspects including the exterior color, interior designs and the unique details inside and outside the vehicle. The teams in Molsheim and Paris worked together to bring the application of custom colors, fabrics and materials into reality.
The color scheme of the Chiron was designed by Hermes to match the leather interior which is finished in ‘craie’ whereas the exterior of the Chiron has been completed in off-white, chalk-derived hue envelopes making it a one exterior color vehicle compared to other Bugatti Chirons that consists of two colors for contrast. The ‘Craie’ shade used in the interior of the car was made by Hermes.
In addition, the ‘Craie’ shade has also been used on the rear bumper, all mesh covers, trim parts and also on the ‘classique’ alloy wheels of the Bugatti.
The exterior of the Bugatti Chiron habillé par Hermès also features a horseshoe grille customized with the H monogram from the Parisian brand signature and ‘courbettes’ motif design under the rear wing.
The ‘courbettes’ design consists of sketches of rearing horses to emphasize the immense 1,500PS output power of the Bugatti Chiron, this design was personally chosen by Mr Khoshbin. In addition, Mr Khoshbin also chose the ‘sky view’ glass roof adding two fixed glass panels above the driver and the passenger.
The original Hermes material in ‘Courbettes’ design can also be found on the middle console plate, centre console tray and on the door cards. The exposed engine bay on the top side of the vehicle remains as the only exterior part not finished in ‘Craie’. The brake callipers are finished in ‘ Italian Red’ whereas the door sills have an aluminium finish.
Almost all the materials used for the interior have been designed by Hermes, the interior features the shade ‘Craie’ on the leather seats, inner signature line, centre console, door clasps and the roof and rear panels. The centre console, dashboard and other parts of the interior have been finished in ‘Ecru’ leather developed by Bugatti. The carpets have been finished in ‘Beige’.
Mr Khoshbin recently added a Hermes McLaren Speedtail to his collection.
A combination of tenacity, dreams, and boundless passion always prevails. No one knows this better than Romano Artioli. For decades, the Italian had dreamed of a modern super sports car, and this is what led him to revive the dormant Bugatti brand.
“Romano Artioli is a part of our brand’s history. It was thanks to his initiative and perseverance that Bugatti was revived,” explains Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. “Romano’s energy and enthusiasm, his irresistible passion for Bugatti, helped to transport the brand into the 21 century.”
Artioli’s love of cars is closely linked to his background. Born close to Mantua, the home town of racing driver Tazio Nuvolari, as a child he was fascinated by racing drivers and their cars. At the age of 12, he devoured a book on driver’s licenses. “After that, it was clear to me that my life would be dedicated to cars and engines,” he once told the magazine Classic Driver. Artioli studied mechanical engineering in Bolzano, and after the war, he repaired cars.
When in 1952, at the age of 20, Artioli heard the news that production at Bugatti had ceased (at least for the time being), he was shocked. A brand of such superior quality, sophisticated design, ideas, and technical achievement had to one day be revived. At that moment he vowed: “If no one reacts to the situation at Bugatti, I will work as long as it takes to one day bring the brand back”. It would take 39 years for him to achieve his ambition. Over the coming years, the Italian earned his living as a vehicle importer, including the brand GM and Suzuki. He became the largest importer of Japanese cars in Italy and the largest Ferrari dealer. His private car collection at that time featured numerous historic Bugatti models.
By the mid-1980s, the Italian had begun to negotiate the sale of the brand with the French government, discreetly and concealed from public view for two years. In 1987, he founded Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. and became its chairman. Artioli initially wanted to resurrect the company in Molsheim. “Molsheim is comparable to Maranello in Italy or Hethel in England. It is a Mecca for Bugatti, but at the time there were neither production halls nor engineers in the region,” says the 88-year-old. He asked fans of the brand to support him to create a link between Molsheim and a new location, Campogalliano.
State-of-the-art car production plant built in Campogalliano
In the years that followed, the world’s most modern car production plant was built with intensive planning on a site covering 240,000 square meters in the vicinity of Ferrari, Maserati, De Tomaso, and Lamborghini. The site incorporates an administrative building, design studio, engine and test development area, production halls, test track, a stylish canteen, and exhibition space. The halls are open, bathed in natural light, and fitted with air conditioning systems so that the employees feel as though they are sitting in the open air. He handed the architectural commission to his cousin Giampaolo Benedini, who designed a spectacular building, one which went on to inspire other manufacturers.
Benedini also modified the initial design of the future super sports car, smoothing the sharp edges and the extreme wedge shape. “With the EB 110, we had to push the boundaries in terms of performance and quality. I owed that to Ettore Bugatti. Production output was less important than uncompromising quality and innovation,” explains Artioli, who today commutes between his office in Lyon and his family home in Trieste. The car enthusiast enlisted the region’s top engineers and designers to put his plan into action.
The EB 110 came into being on a blank sheet of paper, breaking with many of the conventions of its class and reaching the peak of automotive excellence. It was to become the best and fastest super sports car in the world. The EB 110 featured the first series-produced carbon chassis, all-wheel drive, four turbochargers, and a 3.5-liter V12 engine with five valves per cylinder and a power output of 550 PS. With a top speed of over 351 km/h, the two-seater broke multiple records. Almost 30 years ago, on Ettore Bugatti’s 110 birthday (September 15, 1991), Romano Artioli presented the EB 110 in Paris. Over 5,000 reporters and leading industry figures from all over the world, not to mention countless eager spectators, attended the premiere in Paris. Several hundred security personnel were needed to safeguard the event on the Place de la Défense. All of the fans shrieked as Alain Delon drove down the Champs-Élysées with Artioli’s wife Renata.
The most high-profile customer was Michael Schumacher, who had tested various super sports cars as part of a comparison test for a car magazine and had been particularly impressed by the EB 110, which he regarded as unrivaled. “Michael came to Campogalliano immediately after and purchased a yellow Super Sport with a blue GT interior. He did not ask for a discount, he was clearly a fan,” recalls Artioli. Every owner was able to individually configure their own EB 110, like a tailor-made suit.
However, times changed. While the response to the EB 110 had been extremely enthusiastic despite the global financial crisis, the Americans were suffering from the effects of the Gulf War, and the value of the yen was rising while in Italy the economy was collapsing, the market shrank and sales fell. Moreover, Artioli had invested in the automotive company Lotus and amassed debts; problems with suppliers followed.
After 39 years of dreaming and seven years of hard work, the Bugatti project under Romano Artioli came to an end. On September 23, 1995, after the construction of around 128 vehicles, he filed for bankruptcy. He paid his 220 employees up to the very last day. “The employees understood the spirit of Bugatti. They were what made the EB 110 so special, losing all that was a shock. It was a terrible day for all of us,” explains Artioli. The almost completed EB 112 super-saloon could no longer be launched. “An incredible car, a delight to drive, with a 6.0-liter V12 installed behind the front axle. The chassis was made of carbon fiber and the internal suspension was lightweight. It drove like a go-kart,” recalls Artioli.
But the legend that is Bugatti did not rest for long. In 1998, Bugatti returned to the French town of Molsheim, to the place where, in 1909, Ettore Bugatti built his first car in his own name. Since then, the Atelier in Alsace has produced the inimitable hyper sports cars Chiron, Divo, Chiron Pur sport, and in homage to the EB 110, the Centodieci.
Unique hyper sports cars demand an extraordinary backdrop. The former monastery, Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, lies at the heart of the forest of Rambouillet around 50 kilometers southwest of Paris. Parts of the complex were established in the 11th century as a Cistercian abbey. Nowadays it is one of the world’s most charming hotels – and thus the ideal place to highlight the Chiron Sport and Chiron Pur Sport to French passion.
“We are delighted to share, with an authentic simplicity, this passion that keeps us together”, explains Edouard Schumacher, CEO of Groupe Schumacher and LS Group. “La Maison Bugatti Paris has the purpose to create special experiences, that bring people to live the French Art de Vivre. The Chiron Sport and Pur Sport are extraordinary vehicles, with superlative performances, a real dream that links together all the automotive passions.”
Since its creation in 1947, the family Group has developed a representative network of roughly twenty automotive brands throughout France and has carried on the historical tradition and presence of sports cars brands in the Paris metropolitan region.
“For myself personally, it’s a particular pleasure to be part of this Bugatti Paris event and showcase the Chiron Sport and Chiron Pur Sport to our customers”, says Guy Caquelin, Regional Director Europe at Bugatti. “After long abstinence and merely digital presentations, aficionados of our brand finally have the chance here to test and experience the two hyper sports cars. Customers need to be able to see, drive and feel Bugatti vehicles so they can internalize their unique and special character.” The test drives in Paris have been the kick-off of a Bugatti Road Show for the Chiron Sport and Pur Sport in Europe.
The Chiron Sport, launched in 2018, refines the Chiron and relies on lightweight components and firmer running gear – for even more direct handling and impressive agility. With the Chiron Pur Sport Bugatti engineers developed a hyper sports car uncompromisingly geared towards lateral dynamics, boasting maximum agility, driving performance, and excellent handling. Ideal for fast cornering and appropriately matched with the 8.0-liter W16 engine generating 1,500 PS and 1,600-newton meters of torque. It propels the Chiron Pur Sport from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 2.3 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 5.9 seconds. The series-production version of the Chiron Pur Sport has been limited to 60 units and comes with a price tag of 3 million euros (net). Just like the Chiron Sport, the Chiron Pur Sport is being built in the Atelier in Molsheim in the Alsace region of France.
Paris site of historic significance to Bugatti
As a French luxury brand, Paris has always been a special place for Bugatti. Ettore Bugatti established the brand’s first showroom here in Avenue Montaigne almost 100 years ago. Even though the founder chose Molsheim as the company headquarters and production site in 1909, he frequently visited Paris, the center of the intellectual avant-garde. He spent pivotal parts of his professional and personal life here. Today Bugatti lives on in the spirit of Ettore Bugatti at the recently inaugurated, new showroom in Neuilly-sur-Seine – situated only 500 meters from where Ettore Bugatti spent his last days in 1947.
The Bugatti Chiron is hand-built in Molsheim, France, and with a limited production run of only 500 units, it is noteworthy they’ve just completed construction of the 300th units, a stunning black Chiron Pur Sport, a shade known as ‘Nocturne’ in Bugatti language.
As which each of these 500 Bugatti Chiron, this number 300 is a one-off, bespoke build for the enthusiast owner, remember the Chiron Sport ‘Alice’ we’ve covered a while ago, a white and pink combination that seemed to be a stunning Valentine’s gift, or the even more impressive Bugatti Divo ‘Lady Bug’ with that amazing, faded pattern scheme that took 18 months to complete.
Back to the Chiron Pur Sport, number 300 in the Chiron production, as mentioned, finished in Nocturne with several exterior details in grey carbon fiber, while the famous Bugatti logo comes in ‘Gris Rafale’ while wheels and the famous ‘C-line’ have a ‘Gun Powder’, the stunning engine cover shows carbon fiber again.
On the inside, the dark and intimidating shades make their return, for the leather and Alcantara upholstery the customer opted for ‘Beluga Black’ while the seams come in Gris Rafale to complement the same shade on the outside, while the optional ‘Sky View’ adds large glass panels in the roof of this Chiron Pur Sport, and you can admire the tribute to Ettore Bugatti’s younger brother Rembrandt, a drawing of the famous dancing elephant on the head restraints.
From the 500 Bugatti Chiron that will be made, only 60 will be the amazing Pur Sport version, with the fixed rear wing and 1,500 PS from the 8.0-Liter W16 engine … the Pur Sport can reach 300 km/h in only 12 seconds! Most of the 60 Chiron Pur Sport will be delivered to their customers in 2021, but next to the Pur Sport they are also building the Chiron Sport and the Divo this year.
Remember La Voiture Noire? Bugatti presented this very special car in March 2019, but now they are finally producing this return to the coachbuilding tradition of this luxury automotive manufacturer with the most exclusive and most expensive car in the world in 2021.
There will be only 60 units of the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport in the entire world, and while this latest production model from the company in Molsheim hasn’t been available in the United States of America for long, she hasn’t failed to impress some of the most important automotive publications during their test drives.
“The Pur Sport offers U.S. customers a new dimension of the Chiron that doesn’t require the Autobahn to fully experience,” said Cedric Davy, Chief Operating Officer of Bugatti of the Americas. “We now have the car for those customers who have been waiting for a Chiron geared more towards agility and dynamic cornering.”
Even 24 Hour of Le Mans class winner and longtime Bugatti test driver Butch Leitzinger was impressed with the Chiron Pur Sport during extended testing in Southern California, he stated: “The seamless marriage of agility and brute force give the Pur Sport abilities that are unmatched, not only by any other car, but also by any other Bugatti.”
The heart and soul of any Bugatti model is its engine and signature power delivery. At the core of the Bugatti Veyron and Chiron1 is an evolution of groundbreaking engineering: an 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 engine that can deliver a power output well over 1,000hp. Such finely a tuned, high-tech masterpiece of a powertrain is assured of the distinctive Bugatti character and performance, but only with regular care and attention for servicing and maintenance.
Bugatti ownership is now easier than ever, with the launch of the Passeport Tranquillité service program. Now Veyron and Chiron owners can choose complete peace of mind with the new service program which includes one service per year with an official Bugatti service partner. Additional planned elements will be the premium roadside recovery service and a Bugatti-branded car care kit featuring a wide range of cleaning and detailing materials.
The Passeport Tranquillité is designed to cover vehicle life after the end of the Bugatti-provided standard warranty period. Customers can be assured that they will continue to have access to the services that will keep their Veyron and Chiron models well maintained and in peak condition. This means that Bugatti drivers can continue to enjoy the certainty of maintenance and upkeep of their unique hyper sports car, happy knowing that a team of highly qualified and dedicated technicians know how to ensure their Bugatti’s optimum performance.
Tailored plans for Veyron and Chiron owners
The Passeport Tranquillité Veyron service program can be split over a two- or four-year plan to best suit the customer and their own unique requirements. Both options include one service per year performed by officially trained Bugatti technicians, covering the requirement for the Veyron to undergo a biennial service, estimated at around 14 hours, and a service taking around 32 hours to complete in alternating years.
What is more, the Veyron customers’ plan provides the choice of ‘Active’ or ‘Collector’ plans, with the program tailored to meet the needs of their driving habits. Bugatti recognizes that the highly designed, era-defining Veyron model might now form part of a collection, rather than being driven regularly. But even hyper sports cars that record a minimal distance every year require servicing, in order to deliver that incredible Bugatti performance whenever required. The ‘Collector’ option provides high-quality service and maintenance for Veyron models that do not exceed 200km a year, a plan tailored for reduced activity, while the ‘Active’ profile caters to frequent drivers. Both options ensure Bugatti drivers can turn the key and enjoy their prized Veyron at any time.
The Passeport Tranquillité Chiron program is set for four years, designed to reflect Chiron’s specific service intervals. The Chiron plan includes a service every year, taking into account the requirement for an annual ‘Low’ service, taking up to 14 hours of workshop time, then a ‘Major’ service every four years, completed in around 72 hours by highly skilled and officially trained Bugatti technicians.
Owners of multiple Bugatti models can tailor a Passeport Tranquillité package to meet their needs.
Exclusive Bugatti service plan extras
In the unlikely event of a Veyron or Chiron having a mechanical fault, an additional future planned feature is, the customer is able to arrange for their Bugatti to be transported to an authorized Bugatti Service Partner in just one call. This service is planned to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, anywhere in the world. The premium recovery service will be exclusive to Bugatti owners and will provide onward personal travel for the customer while organizing for their Veyron or Chiron to be taken care of by a service partner.
Customers are not fixed to a specific Bugatti Service Partner for the life of the Passeport Tranquillité plan. The new service plan has launched at all official Bugatti Service Partners in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, with a planned roll-out to cover North America in the summer of 2021.
Trevor Hodgson-Phillips, Global Aftersales Business Manager at Bugatti Automobiles, said: “This exclusive new program provides our customers with a complete sense of ‘peace of mind’ when it comes to the care and maintenance of their prized Bugatti Veyron or Chiron. We are designing this plan with our customers at the forefront. We are tailoring the program with the flexibility of plans and additional valued components, such as roadside recovery, providing the customer with the certainty of service and maintenance and in doing so providing the utmost peace of mind and tranquillité.”
The Passeport Tranquillité is assigned to the Bugatti vehicle, rather than the customer, so the plan will pass onto the new driver if ever the hyper sports car is sold. This can potentially add to the value of the model while also giving the buying customer extra peace of mind that official Bugatti technicians have maintained their Veyron or Chiron. All Bugatti models joining the Passeport Tranquillité plan must first pass a thorough 85-point inspection by a Bugatti service partner.
Although the previous Veyron Loyalty Maintenance Program is no longer available for purchase, existing contracts will remain valid until the original service contract period expires or all applicable services are utilized.
We have already mentioned this amazing-looking Bugatti Divo in our article ‘The Million dollar option‘, but just now Bugatti published a press release on this rather unique, bespoke build, keeping in mind only 40 Divo will be built, the last ones being delivered at this moment we’ve heard, and with a base MSRP of €5,000,000, these cars were ordered by some rather discerning customers, and that came with challenges never seen before, especially on this ‘Lady Bug’.
When the Bugatti Divo was introduced in August 2018, one customer located in the USA came up with a great idea: ‘a geometric-dynamic algorithmic fading pattern on the bodywork’. So he got in touch with Bugatti design to first decide on which shades to use … they created two special colors for this customer, ‘Customer Special Red’ (I guess they ran out of names) and ‘Graphite’, both metallic paints. But now came the hard part, designing a diamond pattern to run from the front over the sides of the Bugatti Divo.
The customer wanted to emphasize the silhouette of the Bugatti Divo with this gradient pattern, but it took the Bugatti design team over 18 months to develop and later achieve the correct look and feel on a real Divo. It’s easy to create a diamond pattern on a computer in CAD, but the problem comes when you apply that pattern onto a 3D, very round Divo body. The ‘diamonds’ get distorted, and it starts to look strange, although perfectly geometrically correct on the computer, even the slightest offset putting it onto the car ruined the look.
In the end, it would take approximately 1,600 diamond shapes, almost no two alike, to create exactly what the customer had in mind, and every single one of these had to be put in their perfect spot along the roofline, on the doors and rear fender edge in order to make sure it all looked right and created that perfect fade on the side of this unique Bugatti Divo.
At one point Jörg Grumer, Head of Color & Trim at Bugatti Design almost wanted to say: “We cannot meet the customer’s request’, however, it is our profound conviction that we should never give up and that our foremost motivation should always be to make the impossible possible for the customer.”
At Bugatti design they actually used 6-meter long film and did several trial fittings on one of their in-house test cars, only after several weeks, they managed to get it right and applied the bespoke diamond pattern onto the customer’s Bugatti Divo without any distortion or folds. After that, it took the Bugatti employees several more days to make sure every single diamond was positioned accurately, some of them were manually trimmed, some were even replaced at this stage.
After everybody was happy with the film on the car, it was time to paint … which involves not only applying the Graphite over the Customer Special Red but also meticulously removing every single diamond film, all 1,600 of them, without damaging the paint. After that, the paint gets sanded, smoothed, checked, retouched where necessary only to be re-sanded again. After applying the clearcoat another session of wet sanding and buffing goes on to create that deep, wet-look finish and gloss … it took months of hand craftsmanship to create this car.
Bugatti recently completed a custom Divo named “Lady Bug” featuring geometric patterns on the body in the shapes of diamonds – finished in special Red and Graphite metallic.
The Bugatti Divo is powered by an 8.0 liter W16 engine with 1,479hp and a top speed of 380 km\h. The car is limited to 40 units worldwide each priced from 5million euros excluding options. Deliveries started in August 2020 and are expected to finish within the first months of 2021.
It took one year and a half for the team to perfect the diamond shaped patterns to exact definition and eventually they had to be modified digitally and positioned on the roofline, doors and rear fender edge. The diamond patterns were separated and transferred into a film which was then stuck on the body. The shapes were replicated with 1600 diamonds all around the body.
After each diamond was checked and passed as perfect, the next task was painting the actual color and removing each diamond. In this process, the paint job was sanded, smoothed, re-touched and re-sanded all over again. The multiple layers of paint blended the diamond patterns into the anthracite color gradient.
The owner of the customized Divo was impressed by the job done and stated “ The thought of this project becoming a reality was exciting and a dream of mine, I was absolutely floored upon delivery”.
Additional Photos by Ted 7
In addition to this Divo, he also owns a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse known as “Hellbug” due to its unique paint work. It was famous for hitting 230mph at an Idaho Freeway during the 2016 Sun Valley Road Rally.
Photos by Hunter Swift
CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this Reuters story said Porsche could raise its stake in Rimac to nearly 50%, but Rimac reached out to Autoblog to say that’s not so. Here is a statement from Mate Rimac:
“We have a very strong partnership with Porsche that is key for Rimac Automobili. Porsche is a shareholder in Rimac since 2018 with 15.5% ownership currently, accumulated over several rounds of investment. While it is true that we are discussing further expansion of this collaboration that will lead to increase of Porsche’s stake in Rimac Automobili, some media have mistakenly reported that Porsche would take over 50% or nearly 50% of the company.
We are very happy that the partnership with Porsche will strengthen even further, but it is in the interest of both Rimac and Porsche that Rimac is a fully independent company. We are working with many car companies that are not our shareholders and there is a clear separation between shareholding and projects. It is very important to us that our industry customers have the peace of mind that Rimac is independent and that there is an “Information Firewall” between projects and shareholders (not only Porsche, but also Hyundai and others) – and this will not change. Confidentiality is very valued in the industry and one of the basics for collaboration between companies. Our shareholders are happy with such an arrangement and expect the same level of professional behaviour and confidentiality for their projects and customer projects.
So, the point is: Porsche’s stake will increase but nowhere near to 50% and Rimac will remain independent with many industry customers that are not our shareholders/investors.”
FRANKFURT — Volkswagen unit Porsche is participating in a financing round of Rimac Automobili that will see the electric supercar maker raise 130 million-150 million euros ($157 million-$181 million), its owner Mate Rimac told weekly Automobilwoche.
The fundraising should be completed in two to three months and another round is planned at the end of the year, Rimac told the trade journal.
Porsche owns a 15.5% stake in Rimac Automobili and could raise its stake in a deal that would also include the transfer of Volkswagen’s supercar brand Bugatti to Rimac, Automobilwoche said.
Volkswagen and Rimac were not immediately available for comment on Sunday.
Porsche Chief Executive Oliver Blume said earlier this month that intense discussions on Bugatti’s future were ongoing and that Rimac could play a role as the brands were a good technological fit, adding that a decision was expected in the first half of 2021.
Rimac has developed an electric supercar platform, which it supplies to other carmakers, including Automobili Pininfarina.
“Supercars have a limited market, the market for components is much bigger. That is why we are planning to expand our company,” Rimac told Automobilwoche.
That includes plans to more than double Rimac Automobili’s workforce by early 2023 to 2,500 from 1,000 currently, he said.
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February 14 is Valentine’s day, the perfect day to give the love of your life a nice gift, some will bring flowers, others might get a nice piece of jewelry … but one guy walked into H.R.Owen in London and went the extra mile. He ordered a one-off, bespoke build Bugatti Chiron Sport as a gift for his loved one, which, judging by the name found all-over this Bug, is called ‘Alice’.
But don’t get me wrong here, each and every Bugatti Chiron Sport is custom-built for her lucky owner, none of these cars look alike when they leave the doors of ‘the Atelier’ in Molheim, but still, some are more special than others, and come with a long list of truly bespoke options, like this ‘Alice’ version.
The main shade on this specific Bugatti Chiron Sport is white, but on a Bugatti, it’s called ‘Matt Blanc’, and in this case, it has been combined with ‘Silk Rosé’, a special shade of pink, on the rear section, the lower side sills and the lower part of the front bumper. Also, note a touch of Silk Rosé on the top part of the exterior mirrors … the white on rosé two-tone makes her one-of-a-kind, no other Bugatti was even built in this specific color combination. Also note the stunning wheels on this Chiron Sport get a touch of Silk Rosé too, just to match the rest of this amazing-looking Bugatti, the brake calipers seem to be a light grey shade with white lettering.
That light grey shade makes a return on the interior too, where smooth leather and luxurious Alcantara in a color called ‘Gris Rafalé’, are combined with Silk Rosé color-coded stitching on the seats, dashboard, doors, and steering wheel. The very light grey steering wheel might require some care to keep it clean, but such a light interior does look amazing … and the ‘Alice’ script on the headrests has been embroidered for maximum contrast., while a touch of ‘Silk Rosé’ also find it’s way onto the central console … or should we call it ‘arch’?
During the process of ordering this amazing Chiron Sport, the owner went from walking into the H.R.Owen Bugatti showroom in London to flying out to Molsheim’s unique headquarter in France for Bugatti, founded in 1909, even today every customer is invited to the Molsheim Experience, where they can get behind the wheel of the car they are looking to order. And go into a meeting with the Bugatti design and sales team to go through countless options and possibilities to create ‘their’ unique car, to create the dream.
The Chiron Sport represents a different character for the Chiron. As the French luxury brand’s interpretation of the ultimate super sports car, the Chiron Sport boldly offers a firmer chassis that provides even sharper handling and exhilarating agility. This comes from the introduction of more performance-orientated lightweight components, all without compromising the Chiron’s uniquely luxurious character. The Chiron Sport retains the iconic 8.0-liter W16 engine and is produced in the Atelier in Molsheim at a unit price $3,212,290 (or €2,650,000).
A lucky Lady named Alice will be the recipient of a one off Bugatti Chiron Sport commissioned by her husband as a gift, revealed by Bugatti just one day before Valentine’s. The gentleman ordered it through HR Owen Bugatti in London, every bit of the car has been personalized to meet Alice’s taste. The $3.2 million plus Bugatti Chiron Sport “Alice” is finished in Matt Blanc and Silk Rose – the only Chiron in this combination thus making it a 1 of 1.
The Silk Rose exterior color was combined with Matt Blanc color which dominates the outer shell, lower trim and the alloy wheels. The interior consists of a mix of leather and Alcantara materials finished in Gris Rafale, Alice logo stitching on the headrest of the seats and Chiron Sport stitchings elsewhere in the cabin. The Alice logo can also be found on the silk rose door sills finished in aluminum.
Revealed in 2018, the Chiron Sport has a firmer chassis that provides sharper handling and agility. It’s lighter than the standard Chiron due to the use of more carbon fiber, the 8.0L W16 engine still produces 1500hp. A quad tip exhaust system differentiates it from the regular Chiron. Each unit is going for a price of 2.65 million euros.
A fitting Valentine’s Gift, isn’t it?
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and while you may have something special planned for your significant other, it’s probably not as wild as what one Bugatti customer has done (though, depending on your significant other, that might be a good thing). The supercar builder revealed the pink Bugatti Chiron Sport above, which is a gift from the buyer to his wife.
The car features a one-off paint scheme combining a matte white front half with a Silk Rosé metallic rear half. The shimmering pink paint finish is carried to parts of the wheels as well as the engine covers. The interior is wrapped in leather and Alcantara all in a very light gray hue. The upholstery features pink contrast stitching, and the “Comfort”-style seats have the name Alice embroidered into the headrests. Presumably, that’s the name of the customer’s beloved wife. If not, there could be some explaining to do.
Besides the flashy color combo, this Chiron Sport seems to be just like any other Chiron Sport. That’s not a bad thing, though, since it still packs 1,479 horsepower from its quad-turbocharged W16 engine. It also weighs 40 pounds less than the regular Chiron and gains stiffer suspension and torque vectoring.
An exact price tag for this pink beast wasn’t given. The base price for a Chiron Sport is a little over $3.2 million, and the customizing probably added a not-insignificant chunk of change to that figure. We don’t know about you all, but we’ll probably stick to more modest Valentine’s Day gifts and events.
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At “The Quail – A Motorsports Gathering” in California back in 2019, Bugatti unveiled an extremely special project … the Centodiece as an homage to the legendary Bugatti EB110 from the Nineties, created by Romano Artioli and Giampaolo Benedini, the EB110 was responsible for the revival of Bugatti as a hypercar manufacturer.
30 years later the Centodiece wants to evoke that same sentiment again, but in a brand-new, contemporary design … the angular styling of the EB110 just wouldn’t work today, but Bugatti only wants to build 10 units of the Centodiece and with a price tag of €8,000,000 (which is $9,700,00 at today’s exchange rate), this very exclusive car is destined for a select few customers, still, they sold all ten units in a matter of hours.
The Bugatti Centodiece is being created by the one-off and few-off projects department at Molsheim, but it has to meet very stringent requirements just like the normal (of you can call any Bugatti ‘normal’) production cars, probably the Centodiece customers even expect their car to exceed every single Bugatti known today, so the pressure is on at Bugatti to build the best EB110 tribute possible.
The time has come at Molsheim to build the first production prototype for the new Bugatti Centodiece, Andre Kullig, who was involved in cars like the Divo and La Voiture Noire, was looking forward to finally build the first Centodiece after more than a year of calculations, simulating, designing, and testing the new design.
Recently the development team at Bugatti was able to put the first rolling chassis to work in their in-house dynamometer to make sure the drivetrain is up to specs, after all, we are talking about a W16 engine that will deliver 1,600 hp in the end … the next step is to build the actual bodywork now …
The challenges are enormous: taking an 8-liter engine capable of 1,600 hp gets extremely hot, and as an homage to the EB110, the engine cover is made of glass so you can admire this powerplant, so they need a large air vent and optimized airflow to make sure the engine gets enough cooling. Inspiration from the EB110 Super Sport was taken for the five, oval air intake behind the side window, but also for the fixed rear wing.
The first customer deliveries for the Bugatti Centodiece will only happen by 2022, first, they have to complete this production prototype, and then take it to the track for many miles to perfectly finetune the engine, suspension, cooling, and chassis setup … only after every single parameter is perfected will the first owner be able to take delivery of his ‘one of ten’ Bugatti Centodiece.
Images & Words: Makenzie Shattler
Recently, Supercars.net had the opportunity to get a private viewing of none other than a 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport while on tour from its birthplace, Molsheim, France. The private viewing was held at one of Canada’s must-see luxury dealerships: Grand Touring Automobiles of Toronto, Canada.
Thank You, Grand Touring Automobiles!
Established in 1974, Grand Touring Automobiles was at one time Canada’s only dealer to house all major British vehicle brands. Since that time they have become one of Canada’s greatest Luxury dealerships. They are Toronto’s Luxury OEM dealership to Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Jaguar, Karma, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Polestar, Rolls-Royce, and Volvo.
The Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport has a powerful presence, which is personified in the “Pur” beauty of this hypercar. It’s hard to tell that Bugatti put design after the performance with the 2021 Chiron Pur Sport. Seeing Bugatti’s two-tone Agile Blue with exposed carbon fiber up close gave me a feeling of “Pur” adrenaline. The longer I stared at it, the less I cared about the millions of dollars worth of Rolls Royces and Aston Martins a few feet away.
The changes Bugatti made were eyecatching but their interviews assured that it was strictly to improve the Chiron’s agility and emotion demanding performance, I beg to differ. The design cues added to the car looked as if Jean Bugatti himself was overlooking the Pur Sport’s development.
The first thing you notice when you walk towards it is that the Chiron Pur Sport includes large front air intakes, a rear wing that spans 6.2-feet, and a massive rear diffuser that have all been added to improve downforce. Every piece of carbon fiber on the car is perfect. The hood venting, front bumper/spoiler with two mini scoops added, every weave of carbon on this car was finished to the highest standard.
I did find myself sitting and staring at magnesium wheels featuring carbon-fiber fins for quite some time. Those fins by the way are there to assist in removing heat from the brake along with controlling turbulence surrounding the wheel arches. The wheels’ barely noticeable negative camber of 2.5-degrees makes the Pur Sport extremely agile when cornering. After sitting so close to these gorgeous works of art it was tough to look away, but there was a lot of real-estate to cover on the Pur Sport. 
Bugatti has absolutely nailed the design as the French supercar manufacturer also kept the “spine” on the Pur Sport, reminiscent of one of my favorite cars, the Bugatti 57SC Atlantic. They have also stayed true to their “form follows performance” philosophy though it looks amazing on its own without glancing at the Pur Sport’s incredible performance specs.
Bugatti has only produced 60 examples of the 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport and this makes it not only rare but something that must be seen to appreciate and I did just that. The photos featured in this article, have captured the emotion of the Pur Sport along with its agility, through my eyes.
The sticker price on this limited edition hypercar will put you out 3 million euros or roughly $3.6 million USD, and after seeing it, I think it’s worth every penny.
After spending so much time walking around the Pur Sport, it was difficult for us to leave but all great meetings must come to an end. Grand Touring Automobiles is sure to have something special roll into its showroom soon and when it does, so will we.
Though a Bugatti is often envisioned as a top speed-only type of hypercar, the Chiron Pur Sport sheds a whole new light on Chiron’s capabilities. It has a decreased top speed of 217mph though it maintains the original Chiron 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 engine capable of 1,479 horsepower to the wheels and 1,180 foot-pounds of torque. It also maintains a 7-speed automatic transmission that has been overhauled with shorter gearing to increase its acceleration.
The Pur Sport’s total weight is 1,945kg, down 50 kilograms over the standard Chiron. This is thanks to weight-saving upgrades to the wheels, titanium brake plates, and lightweight exhaust tips. It contains an all-wheel-drive system that stays perfectly grounded with specially developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.
For the Pur Sport, Bugatti has changed quite a few things gearing it towards a circuit track instead of an airstrip such as shortening all seven gears to improve its elasticity by 45% and giving it a zero to 60 time of just 2.3-seconds. The Pur Sport’s W16 engine was also given a 200-rpm redline increase to 6900-rpm. This gives the Pur Sport a huge advantage over the base model when it comes to racetrack performance.
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 8 Liter W16 |
| Power | 1479 hp @ 6700 rpm (1103 kW) |
| Torque | 1180 lb/ft @ 2,000 rpm (1599 N·m) |
| Fuel type | Premium |
| Transmission | 7-speed automatic |
| Drivetrain | AWD |
| Vehicle type / Category | |
| Vehicle type | Coupe |
| Category | Exotic |
| Assembly | Molsheim, FR |
| Fuel efficiency / Autonomy | |
| City | 35.2 L/100km |
| Highway | 15.2 L/100km |
| Combined | 26.2 L/100km |
| Autonomy | 381 km |
| CO₂ emissions | 613 g/km |
| Equipment | |
| Infotainment | |
| Apple CarPlay compatible | not available |
| Android Auto compatible | not available |
| Steering / Suspension / Brakes / Tires | |
| Steering | rack and pinion, electric assistance |
| Front suspension | independent, double wishbones |
| Rear suspension | independent, double wishbones |
| Front brakes | Disc |
| Rear brakes | Disc |
| Front tires | P285/30ZR20 |
| Rear tires | P355/25ZR21 |
| Safety | |
| Seat belts | 2 |
| Dimensions / Weight | |
| Length | 4,544 mm (179″) |
| Width | 2,038 mm (80″) |
| Height | 1,212 mm (48″) |
| Wheelbase | 2,711 mm (107″) |
| Front track | 1,749 mm (69″) |
| Rear track | 1,661 mm (65″) |
| Weight | 1,945 kg (4,288 lb) |
| Capacities | |
| Passengers | 2 |
| Trunk | 44 l (2 cu ft) |
| Fuel tank | 100 l (22 gal) |
| Towing capacity | N/A |
| Performance | |
| Power to weight ratio | 567.0 W/kg |
| 0-100 km/h | 2.3 s (manufacturer) |
| 80-120 km/h | 4.4 s (estimated) |
| Top speed | 350 km/h (217 mph) (manufacturer) |
| Braking distance | 31 m |
| Warranty | |
| Base warranty | 2 years/50,000 km |
| Powertrain warranty | 2 years/50,000 km |
Bugatti vehicles have always been exclusive. But as their age increases, so does their value – as shown by an analysis carried out by Classic Analytics, a company specializing in international market analysis and valuation of classic cars worldwide. “Bugattis from the Ettore and Jean Bugatti era, especially in their original condition and with a history of racing, have always been among the most expensive classic cars on the market. This trend has held steady and in fact, even increased despite the general decline in interest in pre-war vehicles,” says Frank Wilke, Managing Director of Classic Analytics. Classic Analytics belongs to the Hagerty Group, the largest classic car service provider in the USA. The top ten ranking is based on an internal auction database in which all international classic car auctions over the course of a year are observed and evaluated.
“The current situation has certainly brought about a change in the auction market, from face-to-face to online auctions. But prices for exclusive, classic vehicles remain stable at a high level,” says Frank Wilke. “Every historic Bugatti vehicle is unique. Those built between 1920 and the end of the 1930s set standards in both performance and design. But this year’s auctioned vehicles were particularly outstanding in terms of history and originality,” Wilke explains.
“This year certainly presented challenges, but it opened the door for Gooding & Company to create new opportunities to maintain our connection with our automotive community and enthusiasts around the world,” says David Gooding, Gooding & Company President and Founder. “We held our first-ever UK sale which set many new records that include selling the most expensive Bugatti at public auction and selling the top two most valuable lots of 2020; the 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports and the 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante.”
“We were honored and extremely proud to have been entrusted with these exceptional and historic Molsheim masterpieces,” said James Knight, Chairman of Bonhams Group. “Both represented superb Type 55S – one a special coachbuilt convertible by Figoni, the other the iconic artistry of the Jean Bugatti Super Sport roadster. As one would expect, both cars attracted multiple bidders. Not surprisingly, the Bugattis won the accolade as the most valuable motorcars sold at their respective auctions. and both also achieved the highest results at auction during Paris Rétromobile 2020 and the 2020 Amelia Car Week respectively.”
Bugatti Type 59 Sports (Chassis 57248)
A 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports with the chassis number 57248 was auctioned for USD 12,681 million at Gooding & Company in London in September 2020. This makes it one of the most expensive Bugattis ever to come under the hammer at a public auction. The Bugatti Type 59 Sports was created as a racing car for the Bugatti Grand Prix factory team and won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, later finishing third in the Monaco Grand Prix. Some of the most famous and successful Bugatti racing drivers were at the wheel of this car – including Robert Benoist, Louis Chiron, René Dreyfus, Achille Varzi and Jean-Pierre Wimille. After the successful racing season, Bugatti converted the Type 59 into a sports car. King Leopold of Belgium purchased it in 1937. The vehicle remains in its original, unrestored condition to this day. It is powered by an 8-cylinder in-line engine with a capacity of 3.3 litres and a supercharger. The power output was around 250 PS; other engine variants reached up to 380 PS in the Type 59, which was built until 1936.
Bugatti Type 57S Atalante (Chassis 57502)
A sum of EUR 10.44 million was paid by the buyer of a rare and highly desirable 1937 Type 57S Atalante with the chassis number 57502 at the Gooding & Company auction in London. It is a genuinely distinctive model that was purchased by British racing driver and Bugatti enthusiast Earl Howe in 1937. The Bugatti Type 57S Atalante is one of only 17 cars that Jean Bugatti fitted with his sensational Atalante body. The power unit is a turbocharged 3.3-litre eight-cylinder engine that delivers an output of up to 175 PS in the Type 57S.
Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster (Chassis 55220)
A 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster with a factory body designed by Jean Bugatti fetched USD 7.1 million at Bonhams’ Amelia Island auction in March 2020. Bugatti produced a total of just 38 Type 55 Super Sport chassis up until 1935. Eleven of the 14 roadster-bodied vehicles built by Jean Bugatti are still in existence today. Victor Rothschild, later the third Baron Rothschild, purchased the Type 55 as a new car and kept it in his collection for many decades. In 1985, Boston professor Dean S. Edmonds Jr. acquired this Bugatti with the chassis number 55220 for GBP 440,000. This made it the most expensive car ever sold in Britain at the time. In Edmonds’ ownership, the Bugatti was restored and won first place in its class at Pebble Beach in 1993.
Bugatti Type 35C (Chassis 4871)
A Bugatti Type 35C Grand Prix dating from 1928 fetched USD 5.23 million at a Gooding & Company auction in London – a record for the Type 35. This car with the chassis number 4871 was originally built for the Targa Florio 1928. The first private owner was Jannine Jennky, a French racing driver who drove it to overall victory in the first ever Coupe de Bourgogne in Dijon. Now more than 90 years old, the vehicle had only four owners after 1932. It remains in its original, unrestored condition. Up until 1930, Bugatti produced the Type 35C with an 8-cylinder in-line engine and a capacity of two litres. With the help of a Roots-type supercharger, the power unit delivers an output of 125 PS, enabling a top speed of over 200 km/h more than 90 years ago.
Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport (Chassis 55221)
A Bugatti enthusiast paid USD 5.07 million for a 1931 Type 55 in Paris last February. This made the vehicle with the chassis number 55221 the most expensive car to be sold at one of the Rétromobile 2020 auctions. This is an outstanding vehicle: Louis Chiron and Count Guy Bouriat-Quintart co-drove it as a factory racing car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1932. The later owner had a unique Figoni body put on the chassis. With this body, the Type 55 remained in the family for over 60 years. Its 2.3-litre 8-cylinder turbocharged engine produces an output of some 160 PS.
The prices paid in 2020 are not surprising to experts. Bugattis are considered the most valuable cars of all time anyway. Between 1936 and 1938, only four of the Type 57 SC Atlantic were produced, three of which still exist after more than 80 years. The fourth Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic is considered the Amber Room of the automotive world and is still missing today.. If it were found, its speculative value would probably be much higher.
With the presentation of the Bugatti Bolide last autumn, the French luxury brand Bugatti unveiled its most extreme car to date. Now the Bolide has been officially voted the most beautiful and aesthetic hyper sports car in the world. The Bugatti Bolide won the “Hypercars” category at the prestigious Festival Automobile International in Paris. An expert jury voted the experimental vehicle from Molsheim the most beautiful hyper sports car of 2020 by a substantial margin from a total of four finalists.
In its 36th year, the Festival Automobile International gave awards to cars from a range of categories according to their beauty, aesthetics, form and design. The expert judging panel was made up of 14 judges, chaired by the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Anne Asensio, Vice President of Design Experience at Dassault Systèmes. The jury selected a winner in each of a total of 15 categories.
Since 1985, the Festival Automobile International has celebrated the automobile in its most beautiful, creative and exciting forms. The industry itself as well as the changes taking place within it are examined, and the trends analysed. The Festival is also committed to shining a spotlight on those men and women who make the car what it is each and every day, who transform it and adapt it to meet changes in society, environmental requirements, economic upheavals and geopolitical challenges. Each year, the Festival judges reward not only major innovations but also the bold ideas and talent of those involved in the automotive field.
“We are extraordinarily proud that the Festival Automobile International judges were as enthusiastic about the design of the Bugatti Bolide as Bugatti fans all around the world. The experiment to demonstrate the brute force of our W16 engine in a lightweight and high-performance car has resulted in a driving experience akin to riding on a cannonball. My thanks goes to the entire Bugatti team, who have once again demonstrated with this incredible car the full extent of their creativity and technological expertise,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. “Our focus has always been on innovation and aesthetics from the very beginning. Receiving this award is an affirmation of our work.”
With the presentation of the Bolide in October 2020, Bugatti introduced the most extreme, uncompromising, fastest and lightest vehicle concept in the company’s recent history. The French luxury car manufacturer designed an ultra-lightweight shell around the iconic 8.0-litre W16 engine with up to 1,850 PS. Weighing just 1,240 kilograms, the Bolide achieves a phenomenal weight-to-power ratio of just 0.67 kilograms per PS. The top speed has been calculated at well over 500 km/h – without sacrificing maximum handling and agility.
“The Bugatti Bolide has been both the greatest joy and the greatest challenge of my 17-year career in Bugatti Design,” says Achim Anscheidt, Design Director at Bugatti. “Combining the extreme aerodynamic and thermodynamic requirements into a complete and integral expression of Bugatti’s unique DNA is the clearest demonstration of our motto ‘Form follows performance’. The fact that this sequential iteration between technical development and design has been recognised by the jury on a stylistic level is a source of enormous pride for the Bugatti design team, and we are extremely grateful for that.”
Bugatti routinely uses this innovative 3D printing technology to enhance components with complex three-dimensional structures. The French luxury manufacturer applies principles from the field of bionics to give the printed components a bone-like structure: featuring thin walls, a hollow interior, and fine branching. And this is precisely how the components obtain their remarkable rigidity despite their low weight – with wall thicknesses of up to just 0.4 millimeters. “We will continue to reduce the weight of our cars while increasing their innovative features in every conceivable area,” explains Henrik Hoppe. From conception through production to installation in the vehicle, the engineer designs and plans the individual steps and carries out all of the calculations. This also includes an evaluation of the commercial feasibility for the production of the components. “Although Bugatti demands the highest quality standards in terms of materials, manufacturing processes and components, they must be commercially viable,” he adds.
Bugatti is the technological leader in the field of metal 3D printing. Since production began of the Chiron, the hyper sports car has been fitted with the industry’s first series-produced metal 3D-printed functional component: a small, water-carrying high-pressure pump console next to the transmission fluid reservoir. In 2018, the world’s largest 3D-printed titanium component, a titanium brake caliper, was presented by Bugatti. This was followed by the world’s largest hybrid functional assembly made of 3D-printed titanium and coiled carbon. “These components are extremely lightweight, robust and durable, and therefore absolutely suitable for use in production vehicles,” says Frank Götzke, Head of New Technologies at Bugatti.
The new materials and manufacturing processes are now being used in the Bugatti Bolide2 technology carrier, which celebrated its world premiere in late October 2020. “As an experimental vehicle in the form of a racing car, the Bolide is no show car; it is an uncompromisingly road-ready extract of Bugatti’s complete technological expertise. Bugatti enthusiasts will also find these cutting-edge technologies in other vehicles in the future,” says Frank Götzke.
Just like the turbofans typically used in motorsport, Bugatti has found a way of including radial compressors on ultra-lightweight magnesium forged wheels. Their appearance is similar to that of a wheel rim, but they perform multiple functions: they pump the air out of the wheel housings through the brakes and draw the warm air to the outside. In this way, the turbofans cool the brakes and minimize lift. In contrast to the well-known mono-material solutions, the Bolide components have a hybrid structure. This consists of a central bowl made of 3D-printed titanium with a thickness of 0.48 millimeters, and a 0.7-millimeter thick carbon plate with small inner blades, also made of carbon. Cross-pieces with a width of 0.48 millimeters further increase the rigidity of the central titanium bowl, which weighs just 100 grams. All of this adds up to a total weight of under 400 grams for an individual 18 ¼-inch turbofan on the rear wheels (17 ¼-inch at the front). This would not be possible with a mono-material solution due to the fact that it is not possible to achieve the specific buckling resistance and flexural rigidity.
Highly complex components from the 3D printer are also used in hidden places. A mounting bracket for the front wing, on which the front wing can be mounted at three different heights, is printed in titanium by Bugatti. With a hollow interior and a wall thickness of 0.7 millimeters, the mounting bracket can withstand an aerodynamic downforce of up to 800 kilograms – with a weight of just 600 grams. The downforce of the rear wing, which can reach up to 1.8 tonnes at 320 km/h, is introduced via the Bolide’s central carbon fin into the upper structural matrix, which forms the upper termination of the high-strength stainless steel rear frame. Inside this central fin, there is a laminated and printed titanium component for connecting the fin to the wing, for which the angle can be adjusted by means of a coupling rod. Despite its rigidity, it weighs just 325 grams. The engineers also use titanium to print the bracket for mounting the steering column, which features integrated dashboard support, the support collar for the steering column throughfeed, and the two air vents in the vehicle interior. All components are designed as lightweight hollow structures, with a uniform wall thickness of 0.5 millimeters.
The Bolide features wheel control based on double-wishbone kinematics on both the front and rear axles. On the rear axle, the spring-damper elements have a vertical configuration, while on the front axle they are arranged horizontally at right angles to the direction of travel. The springs are made of titanium, and the dampers feature an adjustment mechanism and a reservoir, which is integrated internally on the front axle dampers. In the case of the horizontal spring-damper elements on the front axle, the vertical contact forces are transmitted by means of a linkage located directly beside the swivel bearings on the lower wishbones via pushrods and rockers. The brackets that control the rockers have a wall thickness of just 0.4 millimeters and weigh only 95 grams each. The rockers weigh just under 195 grams each. Since air flows completely through the Bolide’s front axle, its kinematic components – both the 3D-printed titanium components and the high-strength stainless steel wishbones – are extremely lightweight, rigid, and aerodynamically optimized. The tensile strength of this and all other 3D-printed elements is 1,250 N/mm2. “Using a special heat treatment process developed in-house, we achieve this high tensile strength with a simultaneously high fracture strain of at least 19 percent,” explains Götzke.
The developers are particularly proud of the pushrods in the Bolide. “They transfer a force into the rockers which, depending on the driving maneuver, is equivalent to a weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. Nevertheless, thanks to the implementation of multiple ideas, they only weigh as much as a bar of chocolate, in other words, 100 grams each,” explains Henrik Hoppe. For the first time, the Bugatti developers varied the wall thickness of the thin-walled, hollow rods. They become thicker towards the center and then thinner again, meaning that they are optimally adapted to localized stress. Similar to a human bone, the component has an internal structure. This special structure was also recently registered as a patent.
In the tailpipe trim cover, a hybrid component made of 3D-printed titanium and ceramic, Bugatti reduced the weight by around half compared to the already weight-optimized titanium tailpipe trim covers well known from series production. The component, which measures more than 280 millimeters in length and has a consistent wall thickness of just 0.5 millimeters, therefore weighs less than 750 grams. Since ceramic material is a significantly less effective heat conductor than titanium, Bugatti introduced special ceramic elements that are built into the titanium housing and center the cover with respect to the carbon outer skin, so that the outer skin is not damaged even at high exhaust gas temperatures. This thermal shield is also supported by a built-in Venturi nozzle: when hot exhaust gas enters the tailpipe trim cover, fresh air is drawn in, thereby creating a jacket of cool air around the hot exhaust gas flow. In its entirety, this is an invention for which Bugatti has submitted a patent application.
With the launch of the Bolide – the track-oriented hyper sports car – a few months ago, Bugatti presented an extraordinary technological concept. The iconic 8.0-liter W16 engine, with up to 1,850 PS, powers a car weighing just 1,240 kilograms. This equates to an incredible weight-to-power ratio of 0.67 kg/PS, a top speed of over 500 km/h, perfect handling, and maximum agility. “It is the Bolide’s many technological highlights that make it so special. But these can also be transferred to production vehicles. This is what we are continuing to develop and work on because Bugatti has set itself apart with its impressive innovations for over 110 years – and will continue to do so in the future,” says Frank Götzke.
(From the official Bugatti press release)
2021 begins with the world’s first delivery of a Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport in the USA. Bugatti Greenwich, the official dealer/partner of the French luxury brand, recently handed over to its customer the keys to happiness. “Bugatti of Greenwich is honored to have delivered the world’s first Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport to a very valued and loyal client. A long time Bugatti aficionado who now holds the keys to the purest Bugatti ever made,” says Evan Cygler, Sales Manager Bugatti Greenwich.
Like every Bugatti, the first Chiron Pur Sport is unique and individualized to perfection down to the smallest detail by its new owner: On the outside, the upper part of the vehicle is dominated by Quartz White with Pur Sport Split in Grey Carbon, while the lower part is also in grey exposed carbon. The entire roof, rear wing, horseshoe, and side mirrors are also in Grey Carbon, with accents in “Gun Powder”. The icing on the cake: the optional Sky View, which gives the driver a view of the sky. The Pur Sport color split contrasts with the “Italian Red” leather interior.
Bugatti has calibrated the Chiron Pur Sport for agility, handling, and driving performance. In addition to immense power; it also offers a high level of comfort and is suitable for everyday use. It is powered by an 8.0-liter W16 engine delivering 1,500 PS and 1,600-newton meters that is designed for an engine speed of up to 6,900 rpm in the agile Chiron Pur Sport. With the assistance of a 15 percent shorter transmission ratio, the Chiron Pur Sport accelerates even faster than the Chiron. The Chiron Pur Sport catapults from zero to 100 km/h in just 2.3 seconds, to 200 km/h in a mere 5.5 seconds, and to 300 km/h in less than twelve seconds. Compared to the Chiron, the new model’s elasticity has improved to 3.4 seconds in the 60 to 100 km/h range and to just 2.4 seconds from 80 to 120 km/h. Grip-optimized tires and sophisticated aerodynamics with a fixed rear wing ensure more downforce and lateral dynamics.
The Chiron Pur Sport is produced in the Atelier in Molsheim, Alsace since autumn 2020. In total there will only be 60 vehicles at a unit price of 3 million euros (net).
Bugatti has completed the first delivery of the Chiron Pur Sport which took place in the USA through Bugatti Greenwich. The Chiron Pur Sport is a handling focused model revealed back in 2020, it is limited to 60 units only.
The car is powered by a 8.0L W16 engine delivering 1500hp and 1600 newton metres of torque.
The Chiron Pur Sport is quicker than the regular Chiron thanks to a 15% shorter transmission ratio. Compared to the regular Chiron, the Pur Sport has improved the 60-100km/h time to 3.4 seconds while the 80-120km/h is completed in 2.4 seconds. The Chiron Pur Sport accelerates from 0-100km/h in just 2.3 seconds, 0-200km/h in 5.5 seconds and 0-300km/h in less than 12 seconds.
This is the first Chiron Pur Sport to be delivered, it’s finished in Quartz White and Grey Carbon on the outside. Grey carbon with accents in “gunpowder” have also been used on the side mirrors, rear wing, horseshoe and the entire rooftop. A sky view option which enables the driver to see the sky is also available. The latter is Bugatti’s version of a panoramic roof.
For more downforce and lateral dynamics, the car has grip-optimised tyres and sophisticated aerodynamics with a fixed rear wing.
Only 60 units will be manufactured each priced at 3 Million Euros.
Bugatti introduced a one-off track car named Bolide in October 2020, but the images it sent us were computed-generated renderings. It released a batch of fresh photos that finally show the model in real life.
In a normal year, there is a good chance we would have caught up with the latest addition to the Bugatti family tree at an auto show on either side of the pond. 2020 is different because all of the events we normally cover are canceled, so the images give us a much-welcomed second look at the Bolide. It’s just as stunning in photos as it is in the computer-generated graphics, and the new gallery proves this track monster is not merely a figment of some designer’s imagination. It exists, you can look at it and sit in it. Odds are you’ll want to drive it, too.
It’s built around a quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter W16 that’s related to the engine that powers the Chiron and tuned to develop 1,824 horsepower when it’s slurping 110-octane race fuel. While that’s an impressive figure on its own, it’s even more mind-boggling when you take into account the Bolide’s 2,734-pound dry weight. It weighs about 166 pounds less than the new, second-generation 2022 Subaru BRZ yet it has eight times the power.
Nils Sajonz, Bugatti’s recently-appointed head of special projects, shed light on one of the Bolide’s design themes. He explained the x-shaped lights on both ends are a reference to the tape that race car drivers used to put over their headlights to ensure the glass didn’t spread on the tarmac if it broke. Racing is a significant part of the Bugatti heritage, cars like the Type 35 were hugely successful, and the Bolide is the newest torch bearer.
Will it race? It’s too early to tell. As of writing, it’s a one-off model that hasn’t been approved for production. Bugatti notes that simulation testing reveals the Bolide can lap the Nürburgring in 5:23:01, a figure that makes it nearly as fast as the record-holding Porsche 919 Hybrid, and it takes 3:07:01 to go around Le Mans. The firm is done chasing speed records, but we’re hoping it gives the Bolide the chance to prove its mettle on the track.
