WELCOME HOME
Motor Trend|August 2021
BUGATTI CHIRON SPORT MEETS CHIRON PUR SPORT: THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
JONNY LIEBERMAN
WELCOME HOME

2021 Bugatti Chiron Sport • 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport

Some emails are better than others. Case in point: When Bugatti PR asks if you’d like to compare and contrast the Chiron Sport against the new Chiron Pur Sport (pronounced “pure sport”), well, that’s a pretty good email. Yes, I spent a day driving two cars that between them have 3,000 horsepower, 32 cylinders, eight turbochargers, 128 valves, and 20 radiators. Together, they cost north of $7.7 million. That’s $3,757,150 for the blue exposed-carbon-fiber Chiron Sport and $3,959,000 for the Jet Grey Pur Sport. I’ll get to the differences between them, but first a little story about the first time I drove a Bugatti.

In 2010, Bugatti unveiled the Veyron Super Sport at the annual Pebble Beach hootenanny. The ultimate Veyron was fresh off its (then) record-setting top-speed assault, where Pierre-Henri Raphanel piloted the 1,200-hp mega-thing to a Guinness-certified top speed of 268 mph. I was a Bentley guest at Pebble, and at dinner I sat across from Franz-Josef Paefgen, who at the time was CEO of both Bentley and Bugatti. I peppered him with questions about Veyron development; he was brought in to “fix” the car halfway through its evolution from fever dream of Volkswagen Group übermensch Ferdinand Piëch to its eventual 1,001-PS (987 SAE hp) reality.

There were nine issues, Paefgen explained, that held up Veyron production. Around the meal’s third course, our conversation turned to the Super Sport. “Dr. Paefgen, isn’t 268 mph getting silly?” I’ll never forget his response.

This story is from the August 2021 edition of Motor Trend.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 2021 edition of Motor Trend.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MOTOR TRENDView All
2023 GMC Canyon
Motor Trend

2023 GMC Canyon

MC, the luxe-truck division of General Motors, has long struggled to differentiate its products from mechanically similar Chevrolets.

time-read
3 mins  |
Spring 2024
2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty
Motor Trend

2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty

The heavy-duty truck world moves more slowly than other pickup classes, and progress comes in spurts. Take the Ford F-Series Super Duty, whose recent refresh included softer-edged styling, a new entry-level gas-fed V-8, a new high-output 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8, and myriad small improvements like new bedside steps. Is it still basically the same truck as before? Absolutely, but it’s also a better Super Duty, however incrementally.

time-read
2 mins  |
Spring 2024
2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD
Motor Trend

2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD

When Chevrolet unveiled its all-new 2020 Silverado HD lineup, it set the truck  world ablaze, and not in a good way.

time-read
3 mins  |
Spring 2024
THE CHEVROLET COLORADO IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND TRUCK OF THE YEAR
Motor Trend

THE CHEVROLET COLORADO IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND TRUCK OF THE YEAR

A BROAD LINEUP DELIVERS AN IMPRESSIVE RANGE OF OFF-ROAD CAPABILITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE TO EVERYDAY LIVABILITY

time-read
8 mins  |
Spring 2024
HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THE 80?!
Motor Trend

HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THE 80?!

THE FIRST-GENERATION NISSAN PATHFINDER IS AN SUV THROWBACK TO A TOTALLY RAD TIME, FOR SURE

time-read
7 mins  |
Spring 2024
BAVARIAN ECONS 2002te
Motor Trend

BAVARIAN ECONS 2002te

THIS ELECTRIC BMW RESTOMOD LOSES ITS ENGINE BUT NOT ITS SOUL

time-read
7 mins  |
Spring 2024
2023 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS FIRST TEST
Motor Trend

2023 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS FIRST TEST

PORSCHE'S MOST FOCUSED 911 OF ALL TIME MUST BE EXPERIENCED AT ITS LIMITS TO BE UNDERSTOOD

time-read
6 mins  |
Spring 2024
2024 TRUCK OF THE YEAR MADE IN MICHIGAN
Motor Trend

2024 TRUCK OF THE YEAR MADE IN MICHIGAN

AFTER DECADES IN THE WEST, TRUCK OF THE YEAR MOVES TO MICHIGAN

time-read
3 mins  |
Spring 2024
YOUR ICON OF ICONS: CHEVROLET CORVETTE
Motor Trend

YOUR ICON OF ICONS: CHEVROLET CORVETTE

Was there ever any doubt? MotorTrend readers are largely American, and as much as we love Jeeps, Mustangs, and F-150s in this country, the Corvette has been “America’s sports car” for nearly as long as this publication has existed. That’s why you chose it via our online vote as the most iconic car of the past 75 years.

time-read
4 mins  |
Spring 2024
MOTORTREND CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
Motor Trend

MOTORTREND CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

The 10 Most Iconic Vehicles of Our Time and Much More

time-read
7 mins  |
Spring 2024