Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport Strikes 217 MPH at Paul Ricard Track

Even at 300 km/h (186 MPH), it pulls without stopping, even after that.

The Chiron, much like the Veyron, has produced many special editions. While some were limited to minor visual tweaks, others included significant hardware upgrades. It is easy to forget about the Pur Sport, since the Centodieci and Super Sport 300+, the Divo, Centodieci and Super Sport 300+, as well as the one-off La voiture Noire, made headlines more often that the track-focused derivative.

It is very slow for a W16 coupe, as it can only reach 218 mph at the top, compared to a uncorked Super Sport 300+ which can go 304 mph. It has been redesigned for faster acceleration and 15 percent closer gear ratios, at the cost of top speed. You can witness the Pur Sport’s incredible performance on a circuit at Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille, France.

We are impressed by the acceleration of 0 to 60 mph (100 km/h), but not the sprint to 124 miles (200 km/h), or 186 miles (300 km/h). It pulls at 186 mph and the quad-turbo, 8.0-liter engine seems to have unlimited resources. This one-of-60 Pur Sport hypercars was shot by Paul Englert. It is a rocket after exiting corners and should handle better that a base Chiron, having lost 50 kilograms (110 lbs).

Acceleration is more important than top speed so the engine’s redline was increased by 200 rpm to 6,900 rpm. Although it is still a very heavy car, at just under two tons, the video shows that Bugatti has managed to reduce some of its bulk. It’s the most agile Chiron, thanks to its bespoke Michelin Sport Cup 2 R suspension and stiffer (+65 percent front and +33% rear).

How many Pur Sports owners will take their Pur Sports to the track and give them the beans? It’s not something we would wager a lot on, which is a shame because it seems like a great car in the right hands. Although it is almost the same weight as a full-size SUV, the Chiron with its more focused attitude seems to be having fun on the Circuit Paul Ricard’s 3.6-mile circuit. It has 15 corners. It was able to reach 217 mph (350 km/h), on the 1.1-mile Mistral Straight.