The Chiron Sport offers significantly improved handling and even greater agility with no change in the power or performance data. For this purpose, Bugatti has developed a dynamic handling package and reduced the weight of its car by about 18kg.
As a result, the Chiron Sport reaches higher cornering speeds and can lap the Nardò handling circuit in the south of Italy five seconds faster than the Chiron. The main differences between the appearance of the Chiron Sport and the standard version are a new wheel design and new four-pipe exhaust deflector.
The basic price of the Chiron Sport is €2.65 million (RM12.8mil) net. A base price of US$3.26 million (RM12.7mil) including transport, customs duties, taxes and fees has been set for the US market. In addition, there is an optional colour and trim package allowing customers to individually tailor the sporty appearance of their Chiron Sport. It is planned to deliver the first vehicles to customers at the end of the year.
“We have developed the Chiron Sport for customers wanting an even sportier driving experience with their Chiron, with improved lateral dynamics on winding roads,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. “What was important for us was to leave unchanged the unique character of the Chiron, its combination of ultimate performance, longitudinal acceleration and maximum speed with luxury, comfort and everyday usability.”
This is why the extreme power and performance data of the Chiron as well as the ease and convenience of driving remain unchanged. There is however a significant improvement in the handling of the Chiron Sport.
The Bugatti developers have made the suspension stiffer. This includes a new control strategy for the shock absorbers, which react 10 percent more stiffly than on the Chiron on average. The steering has also been modified without sacrificing its direct feel and its performance. These new settings only take effect in the Handling mode of the Chiron Sport, which is therefore distinguished from the EB mode more clearly for the driver.
In addition to these changes, the rear-axle differential has been optimised and the car now features a Dynamic Torque Vectoring function that distributes torque individually to the wheels on each side, significantly improving the steering behaviour and agility of the vehicle, especially in tight curves. This change is effective in all driving modes.
Weight savings came from new lightweight wheels, together with increased use of carbon fibre, for example for the stabiliser, the intercooler cover or the newly developed windscreen wipers. The Chiron Sport also features lighter glass in the rear window and a new, lighter exhaust deflector.
On the handling course of the Nardò test circuit, Bugatti developers recorded a lap time which is five seconds faster than the base Chiron model. Due to its design the Nardò circuit is especially well-suited as a reference track for the Chiron, as the super sports car can reach its full handling potential even at cornering speeds in excess of 200kph.
The windscreen wiper arms developed by Bugatti for the Chiron Sport are an interesting technical detail. This is the first production car to feature windscreen wiper arms made from carbon fibre. This new development means that Bugatti no longer needs the articulated joints which normally feature on conventional wipers.
The function of these joints has been integrated into the carbon fibre structure of the wiper arms. In addition, the wiper arm tips, which are made from aluminium, are produced by a weight-saving 3-D printing process. This means that the new carbon fibre wipers are 77 percent or 1.4 kg lighter than their predecessors.
In addition, thanks to the new material, the wiper arms have a new profile that allows improved aerodynamic properties.
The Chiron Sport can be recognised by its new “Course” alloy wheel rims and the new exhaust deflector, which has four round tailpipes instead of the rectangular design used on the Chiron. In addition, the Sport version has a number of design features that underline its identity as a Chiron Sport. For example, the engine starter button and the driving mode selector knob on the steering wheel as well as the marketing plate have an anodised black finish, the “Sport” logo is in evidence on the door sill strips and there is an insert on the central console with an embroidered “Chiron Sport” logo.
In addition, Bugatti’s design team has created a package of colour and trim options for the Chiron Sport allowing customers to give their vehicles the sportiest look possible. The Chiron Sport on show in Geneva features all the options available.
Including this optional colour and trim package, the Chiron Sport on show in Geneva costs €2.98 million net (RM14.4mil), which probably makes it the most expensive production car on display at this year’s show.
