The Chiron Profilée was supposed to sit between the Sport and the Pur Sport, but all 500 Chirons sold out before it finished development.
Bugatti announced Wednesday it plans to auction off a one-off Chiron trim that was supposed to go into production, but couldn’t make it through development before all 500 cars were sold.
Dubbed the Profilée, it was meant to sit between the Chiron Sport and the Chiron Pur Sport as an in-between model in terms of performance and aggression. Now, it’s set to be sold off via RM Sotheby’s in Paris on February 1.
“Taking customer wishes to explore a less radical version of the Pur Sport seriously into consideration, we started with the design and development of the Chiron Profilée in Autumn 2020,” president Chirstophe Piochon said in a statement. “By the time we saw the pre-series vehicle coming out of production, all Chiron slots limited to just 500 were assigned for. But we knew that what we had created was too beautiful to be hidden away. It is—in every sense—a unique piece in Bugatti’s history and a true collector’s item. And we wanted to give a fair chance to any devotee of the Bugatti brand to acquire this unique car, so we decided to partner with RM Sotheby’s to auction it.”
Compared to the rest of the Chiron lineup, the Profilée is unique in several ways. It gets the same 1500-hp quad-turbo W-16 engine as most other Chirons, but paired to a gearbox with 15-percent shorter ratios, like the Pur Sport. Bugatti claims a 0-62 time of 2.3 seconds, and a 0-124 time of just 5.5 seconds. Top speed is 236 mph, slightly up from the Pur Sport’s 217 mph.
That higher top speed is thanks to a totally new aero setup that incorporates a new lip spoiler out back. It’s there not only to provide downforce to the rear, but to also use negative air pressure to suck hot air away from the engine compartment, all while providing less drag. Up front you’ll find wider air inlets and a bigger “horseshoe” grille get more air to the radiators. Despite being a one-off, the Profilée even gets its own chassis tuning, with 10-percent stiffer springs versus the Chiron Sport and 50 percent more camber out back.
Bugatti plans to give part of the proceeds of the Profilée’s auction to charity. No price estimate has been given, but it being the last W-16-powered car to be sold by the brand, we’re sure it won’t go cheaply.
Brian Silvestro Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.