The heat shimmers above the asphalt of the Dubai Autodrome. The thermometer reads 34 degrees Celsius, with the track temperature hotter still. In the distance, soaring skyscrapers loom over the horizon as customers in the Middle East prepare to experience the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport1 for the first time.
But before they step behind the wheel, Bugatti’s two official test drivers, Pierre-Henri Raphanel and Andy Wallace, showcase Chiron Super Sport’s extreme performance through the Autodrome’s 16 corners, full-throttle straights, sweeping bends and G-inducing braking zones. Then, it’s time for the customers to experience Chiron Super Sport for themselves. With lap after lap, they get more and more of a feel for the car, pushing the advanced technologies and cutting-edge aerodynamics to their limits.
To give them some context, the drivers then switch from the Chiron Super Sport – the fastest and most luxurious Chiron – to the Pur Sport, the most agile, allowing them to feel the Chiron’s full spectrum of performance. “The Dubai Autodrome gives customers the chance to experience what these extreme hyper sports cars have to offer,” explains Kostas Psarris, Regional Director Middle East & Asia. “The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport is the quintessence of luxury and speed, and is therefore a perfect match for our customers in the Middle East.” Bugatti already offered extensive test-drives in the Chiron Pur Sport2 in Dubai last year and the customers were astounded. This year, the customers have had the opportunity to put the new Chiron Super Sport to the test at high speeds on the Dubai Autodrome in the United Arab Emirates, before it continues its Middle East tour to other key Bugatti markets. This again has been an incomparable experience and “like nothing ever experienced before” in the customers’ own words
“We developed a new vehicle design with optimized aerodynamics for the Chiron Super Sport’s streamlined bodywork. The Chiron Super Sport is an uncompromising reincarnation of the Bugatti design mantra ‘form follows performance,’” says Frank Heyl, Deputy Design Director at Bugatti. From the front splitter to the rear diffuser, every centimeter of its skin has been designed for top speed. The bodywork was extended by around 25 centimeters, for example. Called a long tail, it holds the laminar flow to the bodywork for as long as possible – for aerodynamics and as a prerequisite for neutral handling at top speeds. “The Chiron Super Sport and Chiron Pur Sport are very different to one another visually. But the difference between the two models is even more pronounced when driving,” explains Frank Heyl.
1,600 PS for a top speed of 440 km/h
Bugatti thoroughly overhauled the 8.0-liter W16 engine for the Chiron Super Sport, boosting its output by 100 PS to 1,176 kW/1,600 PS. With its new-found power came a new chassis specifically for high speeds and a carefully honed aerodynamic shape. The Chiron Super Sport accelerates from 0 to 200 km/h in 5.8 seconds and to 300 km/h in 12.1 seconds, finally hitting an electronically limited top speed of 440 km/h. Delivery of the new hyper sports car with a price tag of 3.2 million euros (net) is scheduled for early 2022.
For comparison purposes, the Chiron Pur Sport’s 8.0-liter W16 engine delivers 1,500 PS of power and torque of 1,600 newton meters. Thanks to a 15 percent shorter gear ratio, the Chiron Pur Sport accelerates from 0 to 200 km/h in 5.5 seconds, with its top speed being electronically limited at 350 km/h. Limited to 60 units, the production version of the Chiron Pur Sport, costing 3.1 million euros (net), has been manufactured in Molsheim, France, since fall 2020, from where it is delivered to its new owners all over the world – a number of whom are based in Dubai and the Middle East.
