Ballistic Bugatti Chiron Super Sport unleashed

The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ grabbed plenty of attention in 2019 when it hit 490.484km/h (304.773mph) at the Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany – in the process setting a new speed record for production-based cars.

Although the car created for the record attempt was a one-off, it paved the way for the road-going Super Sport 300+, of which 30 examples were built.

Now comes the daily-driveable Chiron Super Sport, which is now available to order for 3.2 million euros ($A5.04m) plus taxes and import duties, ahead of first deliveries commencing in early 2022.

Rather than merely being a warmed-over Chiron, the Super Sport represents a comprehensive overhaul, with virtually every aspect the car being re-engineered, in line with its ultra-high-speed job description.

Whereas the regular Chiron is speed-limited to 420km/h, the Super Sport (23kg lighter than the donor car) ups the ante to 440km/h.

And it accelerates to 400km/h seven per cent faster than its standard sibling. Bugatti claims the Super Sport sprints to 200km/h in 5.8 seconds and to 300km/h in just 12.1 seconds.

Propulsion for the limited-edition model comes from an uprated version of Bugatti’s quad-turbo W16 engine, eking out an additional 100ps (74kW) for a total output of 1600ps (1176kW).

The Super Sport’s mighty powerplant is also more rev-happy than the standard W16, spinning all way up to 7100rpm. In addition, the peak torque figure of 1600Nm is accessible all the way from 2000 to 7000 rpm, rather than up to 6000rpm.

The power and rev hike is the result of larger turbochargers, plus modifications to the oil pump, cylinder-head and valvetrain, as well as to the transmission and clutch.

At full load, the dual-clutch gearbox now shifts from sixth to seventh gear (which has a 3.6 per cent higher ratio than standard) at a mind-boggling 403km/h.

When changing gear, boost pressure dips for a mere 0.3 seconds, then returning to full boost pressure of 2.8 bar to fill the Chiron Super Sport’s 16 combustion chambers.

Despite its mind-numbing stats, the Super Sport is touted as a well-rounded and user-friendly hypercar.

“In spite of the immense power and the enormous longitudinal acceleration, the Chiron Super Sport offers a comfortable, quiet, and balanced drive,” says Bugatti’s head of driveline integration, Michael Kodra.

The Super Sport is equipped with firmer dampers and more direct steering to instil a greater sense of connection between car and driver.

In addition, Bugatti says harder springs stabilise the vehicle at top speed, and the engineers also retuned the electronic chassis-control systems accordingly.

But arguably the most significant element of the Super Sport is its aero package, which includes a rear-end that has been stretched by 250mm.

Apart from contributing to greater high-speed downforce and stability, the ‘longtail’ endows the Super Sport with proportions that are quite different to its Chiron stablemates.

Bugatti designers also enlarged the diffuser cross-section, pushing the diffuser’s trailing edge higher and thereby reducing the rear’s trailing surface by 44 percent. The company claims the extended rear and modified front makes for balanced aerodynamics at high speed.

“Even on long bends taken at high speeds, the rear remains calm and neutral, resulting in a very composed drive in the Chiron Super Sport,” says Bugatti’s head of chassis development, Jachin Schwalbe.

To boost the effect of the diffuser and give it more space, Bugatti has relocated the otherwise central exhaust system closer to the sides, with the pipes stacked vertically. The exhaust system is also said to emit a deeper and richer soundtrack.

“If we can generate downforce with the diffuser, there is no need for us to generate it with a drag-inducing wing. This means we can retract the wing as far as possible in Top Speed mode for minimal drag,” says deputy design director Frank Heyl.

The Chiron Super Sport’s nose features side air curtains alongside the air intakes to provide improved airflow from the front to the wheel-arches, keeping it as close to the side of the vehicle.

“This minimises drag and improves the flow of air over the side radiators,” says Heyl.

The nine exhaust air holes on each fender are more than just a nod to the Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport – they’re designed to release air pressure from the front wheel wells, thereby generating downforce at the front axle. Additional outlets behind the front wheel-arches likewise help to balance out the aerodynamic loads.

Also unique to the Super Sport are five-Y-spoke aluminium rims, although the Chiron Pur Sport’s magnesium wheels, which further reduce the weight of the unsprung mass, are available as an option.

Newly developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres for top speed offer greater rigidity and smoothness than the grip-optimised rubber fitted to the Chiron Pur Sport, says Bugatti.

What’s more, these are claimed to be the only tyres that can consistently drive at up to 500km/h.

This is made possible by reinforced belts that can cope with immense forces – verified on the test bench originally built for the Space Shuttle. Every tyre is X-rayed following production in order to rule out even the most minuscule of irregularities.

Befitting its ultra-premium status in the Bugatti line-up, the Super Sport’s interior is trimmed in leather and polished aluminium, as well as high-tech carbon-fibre highlights.

Alas, like all current Bugatti models, the Chiron Super Sport is left-hand drive only and no examples are likely to come to Australia.