A year ago, a team from Bugatti took a special supercar to a track. The intent of the occasion was to open up the supercar’s throttle and break the 300 mile-per-hour production car barrier. It was a dangerous undertaking that was achieved handily. But, Bugatti makes other extraordinary models as well. Now, we have word that one of the performance machines became airborne.

300 mph? Yeah, Bugatti can do that

Last year’s 300 mile-per-hour top-speed run by Bugatti was completed with a model created specifically to chase top speeds. That model was the Chiron Super Sport 300+. The driver and supercar accomplished this feat with a speed of 304.773 miles-per-hour.

The Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport

This year, engineers focused on the Chiron Pur Sport model. Their intent was to create a more precise handling machine. So, an effort was made to update the suspension of the supercar, including adding carbon fiber stabilizer bars, adjusting the camber, using stiffer springs, and installing harder bushings. 

According to our friends at Motor Authority,

“The changes lower the Pur Sport’s top speed to 217 mph, compared to 261 mph for the standard Chiron. Power is still provided by an 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W-16, which still delivers a peak 1,480 horsepower. However, the power peak is between 6,700 RPM and 6,900 RPM—200 RPM higher than the standard Chiron.”

The car itself is a forthcoming model from Bugatti based on the Chiron model, called the Pur Sport. It was unveiled earlier this year. According to the press release from the manufacturer, production is expected to start soon with only sixty units to be built. Deliveries will begin before the end of this year. The vehicle is priced starting at around $3.5 million after conversion to U.S. dollars. 

The test driver takes the wheel

After the engineers were finished, it was time for test driver, Andy Wallace, to drive the Bugatti Pur Sport at the world-famous Nardo test track. Mr. Wallace is the same driver that was at the wheel for the previously mentioned top-speed run. The Nardo track is in Italy. 

Mr. Wallace had a few words about his experience behind the wheel, 

“I am really impressed by the precise balance of the running gear, the extremely high grip level, the exact steering response, and the way in which the Chiron Pur Sport accelerates so quickly and safely out of the corners. this car has exceeded my expectations by far”

Wallace to Nardo, the Bugatti has landed

During his time behind the steering wheel, Mr. Wallace was doing the shakedown testing of the car as Bugatti prepares it for production. The performance of the car was strong enough not only to launch all four wheels off of the ground but also to handle the impact as it came back down to Earth. Wallace to Nardo, the Bugatti has landed. You can see the short video clip by clicking here and scrolling down about a third of the page.

Leaving people jaw-droppingly shocked

Bugatti supercars are already impressive vehicles. They are low production, powerful, and luxurious machines that catch the eye of the elite and regular folks alike. But, in the last year, the automaker has managed to do some truly extraordinary things with its Chiron family of vehicles. Surpassing 300 miles-per-hour and getting a supercar airborne are not things that many manufacturers can claim. These things will add to the impressive history that is the story of Bugatti and will continue to leave people jaw-droppingly shocked. Well done, Bugatti.