The resuscitation of the Bugatti marque by the VW Group in 2006 remains one of modern automotive history’s most compelling legends, a triumphant revival of a storied racing brand that achieved goals of utmost excellence across the board. Ten years after its introduction, the Bugatti hypercar underwent a significant update in the form of a brand-new model.
At the Geneva Salon in March 2016 Bugatti finally unveiled a successor to the Veyron 16.4, which this time was named after a far more significant works racing driver: celebrated Monégasque legend Louis Chiron. The new Bugatti Chiron shared many of its predecessor’s features, carrying over the prior model’s all-wheel drive, rear-mid-engine architecture, its approximate coachwork dimensions, and most importantly, the aluminum alloy 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W-16 engine. The drivetrain was even further developed from the outgoing Veyron Super Sport, with larger two-stage turbochargers, larger catalytic converters, and a new titanium exhaust system combining to produce 1,479 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque.
Utilizing an improved carbon fiber monocoque built to LMP1 standards, new adaptive chassis technologies, purpose-developed tires, and monstrous Formula 1-specification brakes (that can bring the car from 249 mph to zero in under 10 seconds), the Chiron could reach 60 mph from standstill in just 2.4 seconds on the way to an electronically limited top speed of 261 mph. In addition to refined performance, the Chiron was bequeathed with unequivocal rarity when it was earmarked for a production limit of just 500 examples in all variants, endowing each car with a cachet of instant collectability.
At the 2018 Geneva Salon Bugatti introduced the first upgraded iteration of the Chiron model, the Chiron Sport. Conceived as a more dynamic and driver-focused variant of the Chiron, the Chiron Sport is almost 40 pounds lighter due to increased use of carbon fiber, lightweight wheels, and lighter glass. In fact, the model is believed to be the first car to feature a purpose-developed carbon fiber windscreen wiper, amongst many additional first-in-class technological achievements.
The Chiron Sport is furthermore equipped with approximately $275,000 worth of chassis improvements over the base model Chiron, including a dynamic handling package, more responsive and engaging steering, revised torque vectoring system, stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, quad exhaust tips, and better aerodynamics. These upgrades so significantly enhance the car’s cornering abilities that the Chiron Sport was able to run the Nardo Ring in Italy five seconds faster than the base-level Chiron, an impressive testament to the Sport model’s performance potential.
Car and Driver magazine’s editors pronounced the Chiron to be the fastest model they ever tested, and when testing the Chiron Sport the writer was astounded by its acceleration times north of 60 mph, as the car reached 100 mph in just 4.4 seconds, and 200 mph in 15.7 seconds. As he summarized, “The Chiron buyer needs to appreciate it for the integrity of its design, the quality of its construction, and how it confidently achieves speed unlike any other vehicle on earth.”
Limited to a quantity of approximately just 60 examples, the Chiron Sport boasts the typical Molsheim design brief: exclusivity, power, comfort, technology, and style built to the highest possible standard. The Chiron Sport combines enhanced handling performance and astonishing agility with distinctive design and superlative comfort for an unforgettable driving experience. Even among today’s increasingly crowded hypercar competition, the Chiron Sport stands alone in a class of its own.
As with any modern Bugatti, this exquisitely specified example benefits from a bespoke combination of colors and features, further distinguishing the prominent speed machine. According to a copy of the original window sticker, this Bugatti was factory finished in the standout combination of Nocturne paint over a two-tone interior of Beluga Black and Italian Red leather accented with satin carbon fiber.
As part of its options package the engine cover was painted a bespoke Satin Italian Red finish, the engine trim was finished in Nocturne and exposed gloss carbon fiber, and the rear wing received black anodized components and was painted Italian Red on the underside. The wheels and the rear lamp trim parts were painted black, while the brake calipers, inner signature line, and rearview mirror were finished in Italian Red. The door sills were made of aluminum, and interior headrests received embossed Chiron logos. The options alone cost a startling $301,000, while the total MSRP was $3,561,000.
Retailed through Bugatti Newport Beach in Costa Mesa, California, the Chiron Sport has remained a West Coast car from new, with merely 3,950 miles showing on the odometer at time of cataloguing. As reflected by a service file, the car has been steadily maintained by Bugatti dealers throughout its lifetime, receiving paint protection film and other surface preserving agents during December 2020, new Michelin tires in early 2021, and maintenance by the respected O’Gara Coach Company in Southern California in late 2021, including a two-year service. The car is accompanied by a set of custom HRE wheels.
Claiming rarity, elegance, and uncompromising build quality and reliability standards, as well as one of the boldest performance briefs ever devised, this Chiron Sport is the first example to ever be publicly sold at auction in North America, offering a stunningly specified example for any spirited driver, marque enthusiast, hypercar collector, or performance aficionado. Its unique character is declared by the imposing color combination of Nocturne over Italian Red, a commanding aesthetic that captures the Sport edition’s performance-oriented design brief of improved handling and cornering while maintaining the W-16’s uncompromising power. Sure to captivate any enthusiast of highly engineered top-shelf speed machines, this Bugatti is the absolute pinnacle of sports car design, offering serious collectors a nearly unparalleled opportunity to own the cornerstone of a legend.
