Each time Bugatti announces a new model, it is sold out almost immediately. And because only a very small number will be made, it is already a collector’s item. The Centodieci, for example, was so sought after by customers that all 10 units were booked even before being officially revealed.
With the Chiron Profilee, however, it is a different matter: Bugatti has announced it and shown it but is not taking any bookings for the single unit built. This will be a truly one-of-a-kind model which will be put on auction by RM Sotheby’s on February 1, 2023, with a percentage of the proceeds going to benefit charitable causes.
“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,” said Christophe Piochon, President of Bugatti Automobiles.
Explaining the creation of the Profilee, Piochon said: “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 Profilee in autumn 2020. 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’s rare for manufacturers to spend the time and effort to bring a car to full production specification when they know only one can ever be produced. But the Profilee has been fully developed, tested and has passed each of the high-quality standards that Bugatti applies to all of its cars, allowing it to acquire a single Type Approval for Europe.
Truly bespoke design
The Profilee is a truly bespoke design featuring a sweeping fixed tail at the rear, which carries out two crucial functions. Firstly, the wing ensures stability and control right up to the Profilee’s 380 km/h top speed by increasing downforce over the rear axle, and secondly, it uses negative pressure to suck hot air out of the engine compartment via two interior tunnels in the high-temperature carbonfibre wing.
Air flows both over the top of the wing to generate downforce, but also under the wing to draw air from the engine compartment. “We incorporated an elegant, fixed sweeping tail that is both aerodynamically and thermodynamically optimized for the incomparable performance available to the Chiron Profilee’s owner, while keeping the graceful and timeless shape of the original Chiron,” said Frank Heyl, Deputy Design Director at Bugatti Automobiles.
At the front of this hyper sportscar, there are wider air inlets and an enlarged Bugatti horseshoe grille to help funnel more cooling air into the radiators. A revised front splitter works in tandem with a sculpted underbody to further increase downforce and maximize airflow.
In character, the Profilee maintains much of the purity of the Pur Sport; designed for lateral grip and ultimate acceleration. It is powered by the same 1,500 ps development of the Bugatti W16 engine, with 15% shorter transmission ratios than the Chiron Sport.
The Profilee can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.3 seconds and up to 200 km/h in 5.5 seconds, it is claimed. The top speed is 380 km/h compared with the Chiron Pur Sport’s 350 km/h.
Inheriting best characteristics of Pur Sport
Chassis tuning includes a change in the camber angles of the wheels on the front and rear axles and harder springs with a front-heavy balance. The springs are 10% stiffer compared with the Chiron Sport and the rear axle carries 50% more negative camber, offering improved grip in bends, without forfeiting any driving comfort. It is a blend of the best characteristics of the Pur Sport with a beautiful, elegant design.
The Profilee is finished in a primary colour of Argent Atlantique, exclusively developed for the car. No other Chiron model has this shade. The lower part of the car is finished in exposed carbonfibre, tinted in the existing Bugatti colour of Bleu Royal Carbon.
The wheels are also unique, especially designed, manufactured and tested for the Profilee, and finished in a shade of Le Patron, created to match the carbonfibre tint of the lower half of the body. Polished aluminium elements reflect the famous shape of the Bugatti horseshoe grille.
Familiar interior with unique feature
The interior will be familiar to Chiron owners but it also has something unique. It is the first Chiron fitted with a woven leather finish in the interior, applied to the dashboard, door panels and center console. In total, more than 2,500 metres of leather strips are used to create this complex and beautiful finish.
