French supercar maker Bugatti has officially launched its Sur Mesure (or tailored in French) customization program by unveiling a one-off Chiron Pur Sport wearing vintage-inspired livery. According to Bugatti, Sur Mesure responds to an ever-growing demand for personalized Bugattis like the Chiron Les Legendes du Ciel and the Divo Lady Bug.
Drawing inspiration from the Bugatti Type 51 racing car of legendary racing drivers Louis Chiron and Achille Varzi at the 1931 French Grand Prix, the customer wants a Chiron Pur Sport that immortalizes the racing heroics of vintage Bugattis. Wearing a handpainted number 32 logo and Baby Blue paint job, the creative minds at Bugatti Sur Mesure worked to conceptualize a Chiron like no other.
As expected, the customer wanted a hand painted number 32 logo on the doors to honor Chiron’s victory, and Bugatti Sur Mesure responded with aplomb. Look closer, and you’ll find those red accents on the bodywork that resemble fading stripes are hundreds of miniature EB logos, each applied by hand.
The number 32 motif continues inside the cabin. There are “32” emblems on the headrests plus fading EB stripes on the door panels. Additionally, the Grand Prix moniker is on the transmission tunnel and door sills, reminding the customer of Chiron’s historic win at the French Grand Prix.
Our clients are often deeply intrigued by Bugatti’s motorsport lineage, and it’s fitting that the first Sur Mesure commission should pay homage to one of our great racing icons,” said Hendrik Malinowski, Managing Director for Bugatti Sales and Marketing.
Under the hood remains an 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbocharged motor pumping out 1,479 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque. But unlike a standard Chiron, the Pur Sport’s engine has a higher 7,000 rpm redline, while the seven-speed automatic transmission has 15-percent shorter gear ratios.
The Pur Sport is a track-bred Chiron and has sharper handling than its stablemates, but it remains a blistering supercar when pushed to the limit. It may have a lower 217 mph top speed (the Chiron tops out at 261 mph), but it rushes from zero to 60 mph in 2.3-seconds and onwards to 124 mph in 5.9-seconds – a bit quicker than a standard Chiron.
This customization program will not be part of a television program – as far as we’ve been told – so in that, it stands as far as possible from the most successful pop culture customs television show ever made: Pimp My Ride. And given the intended customer for Bugatti’s new program, avoiding the legacy of the MTV program is probably well-advised.
