If the Bugatti Super Sport name sounds familiar to you, it is simply because the very first model stood in front of the crowd at the Paris Motor Show in 1931, and it carried the Type 55 Super Sport nameplate.
Only 38 units were made up to 1931. Again, from 1993 to 1995, Bugatti produced 39 models of the EB 110 Super Sport. Two decades later, Bugatti brought the Super Sport back to life in the form of the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport that broke the speed record in 2010 with a speed of 431.2 km/h. Thus it secured a spot in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s fastest road-legal series sports car. In 2019, Bugatti then introduced the Chiron Super Sport 300+4 with only 30 units produced.
Bugatti has revealed its new Chiron Super Sport that is earmarked to go on sale in early 2022 with prices set at a whopping $3.9 million (R52 787 436).
Powering the new Bugatti Chiron Super Sport is a thoroughly overhauled 8.0-litre W16 engine with 1 176 kW and a staggering 1 600 Nm of torque accessed from between 2 000 and 7 000 r/min. Bugatti says the engine’s rev range has been increased by 300 to up to 7,100 r/min, for noticeably increased agility.
It employs a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission of which its 7th gear boasts a 3.6 % longer ratio. The upgrades to the powertrain come courtesy of modified turbochargers, oil pump, cylinder head, transmission as well as clutch. The weight of the Chiron Super Sport has also been reduced by a further 23 kg.
“We increased the revolutions per minute for even greater longitudinal acceleration and an even more emotive driving experience,” says Michael Kodra, Head of Drive Development at Bugatti.
In the performance stable, the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport dashes off the line to 200 km/h in 5.8 seconds all the way to 300 km/h in 12.1 seconds. Its 0-400 km/h sprint time 7% quicker than that of the Chiron. Its top speed, meanwhile, is capped at a blistering 440 km/h.
As much as speed is concerned here, the Chiron Super Sport boasts a new design with optimized aerodynamics from the front splitter to the rear diffuser. The rear of the Chiron has been extended by approximately 25 cm while the diffuser cross-section has been enlarged.
The tailpipe configuration has been repositioned and now sits on the side with the tailpipes aligned vertically, thus boosting the effectiveness of the diffuser. “If we can generate downforce with the diffuser, there is no need for us to generate it with the drag-inducing wings. This means we can retract the wing as far as possible in Top Speed mode for a drive with minimal drag,” says Kodra.
The front end comes fitted with improved airflow extending to the wheel arches. The new Bugatti Chiron Super Sport rides on bespoke new aluminium wheels in a five-Y-spoke design. Optionally, the wheels can be had in a diamond-cut as well as magnesium design, which further reduces the weight. It wears newly developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres that, according to Bugatti, have been optimized for top speed and can do speeds of up to 500 km/h.
The interior features natural elements like leather and polished aluminium, together with high-tech carbon fibre applications. The suspension is entirely new as it is built for high speed as well as new aerodynamics. There are harder springs plus re-tuned electronically controlled chassis. Drivers can select from a choice of four driving modes – EB, Handling, Autobahn, and Top Speed. Only nine examples of the latest Bugatti Chiron Super Sport will be made, making it ultra exclusive for the well-heeled