New Bugatti Chiron Sport makes Geneva 2018 debut with sharper set-up
Bugatti has put the Chiron on a diet and sharpened its set-up to produce the new Chiron Sport
The Bugatti Chiron is an incredible hypercar, but now there is a faster version on sale – the Chiron Sport. Revealed at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the Chiron Sport uses the same 1,479bhp W16 that you get with the standard Chiron, however a selection of lightweight components have reduced the kerbweight by 18kg. What’s more, there is a new hardcore suspension set-up that comes into play when using the ‘Handling Mode’ that’s been engineered to hone the car’s performance when on the track.
Bugatti made sure the Chiron Sport can be differentiated from its less athletic stablemates with a handful of distinguishing features. For starters, there is a new four-pipe exhaust deflector mounted centrally at the rear of the car.
There are also new lightweight wheels, a redesigned window over the carbon fibre intercooler in the engine bay and, in a world first for a production car, carbon fibre windscreen wipers. These components combined deliver the Sport’s 18kg weight saving but that’s shaved from the hefty 1,996kg kerb weight of the standard Chiron so, it’s still no featherweight.
The driving experience of the Sport has tailored to match that of the standard Chiron until you twist the drive mode selector to its sportiest ‘Handling Mode’ setting. That unleashes the Chiron Sport’s revised damper control strategy and rear differential settings which are designed to make the best use of the quad-turbo engine’s huge power output when the road, or track, starts to twist. Also to this end, there’s an all-new dynamic torque vectoring function that further assists the all-wheel drive transmission in deploying its epic grunt.
Bugatti Chirons are largely delivered with interiors fashioned around the tastes of their buyers, but the Chiron Sport is available with special features to mark it out. There are adonised black finishes for the interior switchgear, and the exterior rear light clusters, plus Chiron Sport stitching for the leather and Alcantara trim. All of the above comes at a price of £2.36m plus local taxes, quite an increase on the £2.1m standard car.
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