Purity is often portrayed as being free of imperfections, flaws, and a clearer sense of self. This form of purity also extends out into the automotive world, where many cars try to achieve it, but only a select few can achieve it. One of these elite talents is the Bugatti Chiron hypercar. The Chiron made waves when it debuted back in 2018. With an 8.0 liter quad turbocharged W16 engine producing over 1400 horsepower, the Chiron was a clear step up over the Veyron, and had the 300 mph barrier firmly in its sights. Since then, the French bespoke luxury automaker has released several iterations of the Chiron, as well as a few wild concepts based on its flexible platform. But does the Chiron have what it takes to be the de facto benchmark for all the automotive industry? We were keen to find out with the 2021 Chiron Pur Sport.
Prepare for a long search
Chiron’s are ultra rare vehicles, and this rarity means sometimes having to endure a pretty substantial wait for one to make its appearance out in the wild. Luckily for us, Bugatti of Troy (part of the broader Exotic Motorcars of Michigan line of stores operated by the Suburban Collection) is a stop on Bugatti’s latest national tour, and after a few emails, we made our way over to their Troy, Michigan location to check out the latest flavor of Chiron the $3.5 million dollar Chiron Pur Sport.
The Pur Sport’s visit to Michigan also reflects the progress that Bugatti of Troy itself has made as part of a recent sweep of renovations that Exotic Motor Cars of Michigan did to modernize their showrooms the past few years. Once tucked away in a corner of the massive building, and only being represented by a mere poster, Bugatti of Troy now has a display room of its own, and it’s a very bold reflection of Bugatti’s core principles (Art, Form, and Technique.) Typically the space is empty, with access only being achieved by going through a narrow hallway, Once you make your way inside though, you are greeted by a very impressive degree of detail.
Artistry is clearly a key theme here, with the space featuring splashes of color, a small customer lounge with designer chairs, high quality furniture, and even an elaborate digital configurator and video screen to help immerse you in the bespoke realm that’s Bugatti. Our favorite feature though was the large elephant sculpture, which is a nice tribute to the pachyderm’s lone appearance as a hood ornament on the legendary Type 41 Royale. As mentioned, the Chiron is a very rare beast, and usually national tours like this one are the only way that many mere mortals can view one outside of an auto show setting.
Purity echoes the Pur Sport philosophy
However, the real star of the show is the Pur Sport itself. While Bugatti issued a firm no test drive edict for the Pur Sport on display (despite our best efforts at persuasion) we were allowed plenty of time to appreciate its exterior styling. The core design shares alot of its basic inspiration with the standard Chiron, but increased downforce was a key objective for Pur Sport designers. This was achieved with revisions to the front and rear fascias, as well as a massive rear wing that helps push the rear of the car down.
Another key feature that made our Agile Blue hued example stand out are the sharp black wheels. However, in Bugatti tradition, these wheels go far beyond the hoops you see on the average Toyota Camry, with the slick hoops debuting a new feature called “aero blades,” Essentially, these blades are designed to help move some of the turbulence near the wheels towards the rear diffuser which helps enhance the amounts of downforce that are on hand.
Exposed carbon fiber is also very abundant, and plays further into the broader crash diet that Bugatti engineers gave to the Pur Sport in an effort to cleave 110 lbs of flab from the car. To do this, they equipped the Pur Sport with a 3D printed titanium exhaust system, and the fixed rear wing also meant that the hydraulics and some of the inner workings of the standard Chrion spoiler were not needed. The fore-mentioned wheels also shave 35 lbs of weight, and the end result is a car that is far more track focused than its more luxury oriented cousin.
The interior is also a reflection of this quest towards track purity. Slip inside, and you are greeted with a forest of Alcantara trim, as well as even more splashes of carbon fiber trim. The Pur Sport’s seats are reasonably comfortable, and while the massive W16 behind your head limits rear visibility to a mere porthole behind it, the rest of the cabin is a very simple and elegant place to spend time in. Controls are limited to only the bare essentials, and the Alcantara wrapped steering wheel easily fits into your hands. The Chrion’s trademark C-line is still intact, and our Bugatti rep even revealed that the piece lights up at night which is a welcome touch. Like other hypercars, entry and exit is slightly hampered by how low it is, but as long as you go in legs first and remember to duck your head, you will quickly get used to the gymnastics in short order.
A monster lurks under the sleek skin
Like the standard Chiron, power for the Pur Sport comes from the familiar 8.0 liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine which produces 1500 horsepower. A seven speed dual clutch automatic is also on hand, but the brand claims that subtle tweaks were made to both of these items to further enhance their ability to be thrashed about in hard track use.
But while a 0 to 60 time of 2.3 seconds is very impressive, the Pur Sport’s 218 mph top speed might seem a bit contradictory towards Bugatti’s typical policy of going as insanely fast as possible. However, it’s a classic example of give or take, with a sharp cornering track car and a 300 plus mph top speed simply being incompatible with each other. Instead, the Pur Sport expects its owner to fully embrace the grip that’s provided by the Pur Sport’s Michelin Sport Cup 2R tires (exclusively developed for this model) as well as how composed the suspension is in challenging chicanes.
When can I buy one?
The 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is currently available for sale now, but it will be a very rare beast, with only 60 units being produced. Each one will start at $3.6 million, but our kind hosts at Exotic Motor Cars of Michigan revealed that the power of imagination is the only barrier towards customizing it to a picky customer’s tastes, and as a result, that figure could easily eclipse that mark when equipped with bespoke custom appointments and extras. If you want to see the Pur Sport yourself and you happen to be in Michigan? There’s still time, with the display car being in town until November 12th before it moves to its next destination.
Seeing is believing, and the 2021 Bugatti Chrion Pur Sport will certainly make a believer out of anyone who eyes gaze upon its elegant form, and the performance potential that lurks underneath its chiseled bodywork.
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Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.