A planned production run of 30 has become a stunning one-off – and your last chance to buy a Chiron
By Matt Bird / Wednesday, 21 December 2022 / Loading comments
Remember the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport? A special car even by Bugatti standards, it was intended to make the Chiron more rewarding to drive, with shorter ratios, magnesium wheels, less weight, firmer springs, more negative camber on the front axle and Michelin Cup 2R tyres on each car. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bugatti customers loved it. But there were also a few who wanted the ability of a Pur Sport in a more discreet – it’s all relative for Chirons – package, a Chiron Touring if you will. There were set to be 30 such cars made, called the Profilée, a model ‘maintaining the elegance of models like Chiron or Chiron Sport’ as well as some Pur Sport fairy dust. Such was the popularity of the regular PS, however, that there simply wasn’t space in the 500-unit Chiron production run for all those Profilées to be made. Meaning that only one was ever built…
It’s easy to see why buyers were keen on the idea of a Pur Sport with a bit less Sport, as this really is a stunning Chiron. Perhaps the most noticeable difference is the replacement of the huge, fixed rear wing with a subtler spoiler integrated into the rear deck. It’s said to be a nod to early Bugattis like the Type 46 and Type 50, ‘which also carried the elegant flick in their tail’.
Additional bits that mark the Profilée out include the chunkier intakes and revised front end from the Pur Sport, unique wheels and an interior featuring a woven leather dashboard. Because of course. Said to be comprised of more than 2,500m of leather strips, the colours are Gris Rafale and Deep Blue. Speaking of which, the exterior paint is unique to this model as well, with no other Chiron ever having been made in Argent Atlantique with a carbon lower section tinted Bugatti Bleu Royal. The ‘Le Patron’ shade for the wheels has been created to match the carbon tint. Even for a Bugatti, it’s spectacular.
Combine those changes with a lot of Pur Sport influence underneath and it’s easy to understand the enthusiasm. Bugatti says the springs are 10 per cent stiffer than the Chiron Sport, the rear axle has 50 per cent more negative camber and its gear ratios are 15 per cent shorter, meaning it’s not quite as extreme as the full-fat Pur Sport. Look really closely and you’ll see this car is on a regular Cup 2 tyre rather than the Cup 2R, too.
Really, though, Bugattis are operating on another plane – this more relaxed Pur Sport will reach 62mph in 2.3 seconds and 124mph in 5.5. With ratios not as close, top speed for the Profilée is 236mph, against 217mph for the sprint geared Pur Sport. Moreover, it’s a fully type-approved Chiron, too, not a pre-production mule used for testing and discarded, now only fit for a museum.
As Bugatti President Christophe Piochon puts it: “We knew what we had created was too beautiful to be hidden away. It is – in every sense – a true Bugatti and a one-of-a-kind piece of collectible automotive history. And we really wanted to give a fair chance to any devotee of the Bugatti brand – customers or non-customers – to acquire this very unique piece and therefore decided to partner with RM Sotheby’s to auction it.” That auction will take place on February 1st in Paris, with a percentage of proceeds going to charity. Don’t be surprised if a new record is set…
- 2020 Bugatti Chiron Sport | PH Review
- Bugatti W16 Mistral bids farewell to iconic engine
Source: Read Full Article