Bugatti raises bar with 440km/h Chiron Super Sport

JUST as night follows day, Super Sport variants follow the latest generation of Bugatti hypercar and that is exactly what has happened now with the Chiron; the new Super Sport is the fastest and most powerful Bugatti production car to date.

Unveiled overnight in Germany, the Chiron Super Sport takes the already biblically high power and performance standards of the regular Chiron and elevates them even further thanks to a raft of mechanical and aerodynamic enhancements.

Starting with the engine, each of the four new (bigger) turbochargers delivers 40.6psi of boost to the fabled 8.0-litre W16 which has also been treated to a new oil pump and cylinder head while the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission has been given a complete overhaul, including the clutches.

When all said and done, the monstrous mill now churns out 1176kW of power and 1600Nm of torque– 74kW more than the standard Chiron.

The redline has been elevated by an extra 300rpm as well (now 7100rpm) while the torque band has been widened by an extra 1000rpm with all 1600Nm now available from 2000-7000rpm.

All this extra firepower combined with the 23kg weight saving results in some drastically enhanced performance figures, namely a 5.8-second sprint from standstill to 200km/h with 0-300km/h dispatched in 12.8 seconds – both figures are 0.3s faster than the standard car.

No official 0-100km/h time has been claimed yet by the French-founded, German-owned speed specialist but you can be fairly certain it will at least match the regular Chiron’s 2.4-second dash.

Off the line performance however is not Bugatti’s primary target, that treasure lies in the realm of absolute top speed.

While an official (record attempting) speed run is yet to be carried out, the brand has been vocal about a 440km/h v-max for the Chiron Super Sport, however the bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres are reportedly rated to up to 500km/h.

To help the Super Sport hit what would ultimately be a new production car speed record, designers went to town trying to make it as aerodynamic as possible while simultaneously increasing downforce.

The result is a body 250mm longer than the standard Chiron, most of which can be found in the new long-tail rear end which has been completely redesigned with an enormous diffuser dominating the lower half.

Things are a little less drastic at the front with the Super Sport flaunting enlarged intakes (finished in black mesh), a new carbon splitter and nine “exhaust air holes” on each of the front wings which help to release the air pressure from the within the wheel arches as well as serve as a nod to the iconic EB 110 Super Sport of the 1990s.

Behind the front wheelarches are another set of supporting vents which Bugatti says “balance out the aerodynamic loads”.

Plenty of work has gone on under the Super Sport’s skin too with engineers gifting it a bespoke chassis tune to better suit the enhanced aerodynamics and higher top speed, not to mention all of the associated forces.

Firmer springs and dampers have been fitted in all four corners, the adaptive damping system has been remapped and the steering system has been tightened up, resulting in more feedback from the controls as well as quicker steering response.

“We tweaked all possible parameters when developing the chassis in order to achieve the best possible setup for immense acceleration as well as the unique Bugatti luxury and comfort experience,” said chassis development boss Jachin Schwalbe. 

“In comparison to the Chiron Pur Sport, which, as a free-revving vehicle with transverse dynamics offers a great deal of downforce up to 350km/h, the Chiron Super Sport remains very neutral and quiet even above this in the uppermost speed ranges.

“Our focus at top speed is on absolute driving stability coupled with comfort.”

Ever since the Veyron emerged in 2005, Bugatti has been determined to offer world-beating performance with almost limousine levels of luxury and comfort.

Despite the “Super Sport” part of its name, the ultimate Chiron is no different with brand executives describing the interior as a “combination of timeless elegance and comfort beyond compare” thanks to a wealth of leather, aluminium, carbon-fibre and various other exotic materials.

“The Chiron Super Sport stands for increased comfort and elegance coupled with even greater performance and higher speeds,” said Bugatti president Stephan Winkelmann.

“With this new creation, we established another distinct personality within the Chiron family. 

“It is the essence of what we learned and developed in recent years – the ultimate grand tourer.”

It remains to be seen exactly how many Chiron Super Sports emerge from the brand’s Molsheim plant when production goes into full swing early next year, let alone if any will make it to Australia.

In its native Europe, the car will brandish a pricetag of €3.2 million ($A5m).