2019 Bugatti Chiron Sport Puts 1,500hp Supercar On A Diet
How do you make a Bugatti Chiron even better – and more exclusive? We've just found out at the Geneva Motor Show 2018, where the covers have been pulled back on the 2019 Bugatti Chiron Sport. Targeted at drivers wanting "an even sportier driving experience" it's a more honed twist on the already potent supercar.
Power, of course, was never in short supply for the Chiron, and so Bugatti sticks with the existing car's strengths. That includes the same quad-turbocharged W16 engine, with 1,500 horsepower and 1,180 lb-ft of torque. Where the Chiron Sport diverges, though, is in weight and handling.
Bugatti has put the car on a diet, stripping almost 40 pounds from the car. It's not been as easy as you might imagine, though. The automaker even had to develop its own carbon fiber windshield wiper arms, which can do away with the typical articulated joints and rely on the race-honed material's own flex instead.
The wiper arm tips are made of aluminum, and 3D printed, while the whole assembly is more aerodynamically efficient than the regular wipers on the Chiron. Excessive? Maybe, but the wiper changes alone save more than three pounds from the standard car.
It's not just about removing raindrops, of course. A new dynamic handling package introduces stiffer suspension and new mapping for the shock absorbers, which now react approximately 10-percent more stiffly on the Chiron Sport than on the Chiron. The steering has been modified too, though the changes only take affect in the Handling Mode.
The rear-axle differential gains Dynamic Torque Vectoring, which Bugatti says will make a noticeable difference in cornering. Lightweight wheels help shed pounds too, along with more carbon fiber in the stabilizer and intercooler cover. Even the rear window has lighter glass than the regular Chiron.
The result, Bugatti says, is a significant improvement in handling. When the automaker took the Chiron Sport to the Nardò handling course, it completed it five seconds faster than the base Chiron. That includes taking some corners at more than 124 mph.
Since you'll probably want people to know you're in the speedier car, Bugatti has thrown in some design changes too. The wheels are new, and there's a new four-pipe exhaust deflector. There are more color options, including the duo-tone with visible grey carbon paired with red, blue, silver, and dark grey paint. For the Sport, Bugatti finishes the aluminum alloy C-shaped trim line in the same color as the body paint.
Inside, black anodized metal abounds, while the steering wheel and transmission selector get wrapped in suede. Alcantara is used for the roof liner, A-pillar wrap, and elsewhere, while leather is on the seats, door trims, and on sections of the dashboard. Exposed carbon fiber fills in the rest, punctuated by body-color matching lighting.
Bugatti says the first deliveries of the Chiron Sport will kick off by the end of 2018. The car will start at $3.26m in the US, though the show car here in Geneva is – with its options thoroughly checked off – a heady $3.672m.