Along time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a bountiful planet called Terra. Here, there existed colonies of peoples from all creeds, though while they have many laws and customs, there are some places where the boundaries of legal servitude ends. The primitive Terrans did not have the technology of advanced space-flight, nor have they become civilised enough to afford such travel. Yet in this one unique venue, a jagged arrangement of tarred surfaces lie upon the ground, circular as it loops, and hidden from view by thick trees.
Here, the Terrans toyed with fast machines, and while they could not overcome the forces of gravity, these grounded vehicles had few equals in the pursuit of ultimate speed. Roar as their thrusters did, surging with ease along the long straights, and looping around by high, curved banks on either side. One day, there came a machine, large as it was, but sleek in its design. It was dangerously sharp, and its stance was menacing.
Credits to: Bugatti Pur Sport, A Tour Through Europe
Four wheels, planted on the ground, the earth shook from underneath with the awakening of its power source. Yet, the Terrans that had brought this machine to life were not at all startled by its viciousness. They stood in silence, as the machine leapt and pounced, accelerating into a blur undefined by space and time. It had no hyperdrive, but that did not distract our amazement at its immense velocity, with thunderous roars bellowing and shaking the trees, awaking hibernating fauna across the woodlands.
From our observation, we can see the Terrans fondling every part of the machinery, having to refuel in earnest between stops. They spoke to one another, as their experimentations continued, with computers in hand, and instructions having been relayed to the pilot. Again and again, the cycle continues as the machine kept pouncing. As we observed, we can see from our previous logs that this vehicle is comparatively slow. Our translation modules caught the lips from one of its engineers, "She's just perfect at that speed. She's different from the rest". We were left puzzled at their satisfaction over a fairly mediocre outcome. Yet, we kept watching.
Credits to: Quentin FERET, Star Wars X-Wing
If you're reading this, then yes, I'm referencing Star Wars, and no, nothing in those last few paragraphs of surprisingly-not-the-worst fiction was canon. Though I find it suiting, as there's nothing about this one particular machine that's every Earth-like. Sure, there have been faster, and more well-refined ones. Yet, no other vehicle can meld those two opposite worlds together like a Bugatti. This is a company that has made the world's most prestigious cars, a sign of supreme extravagance that not even a Ferrari or Aston Martin can compete against.
It is a prestige that Bugatti has protected for 111 years, and even today, they manufacture cars only in the dozens each year. Consequently, each single vehicle receives more regard than a conglomerate of carmakers can ever accomplish, with every single stitch on the fabric, to all the wires that interconnect the componentry receiving minute attention to detail. A legacy built on space-age technology, and old-fashioned craftsmanship means that there's no such Bugatti costing less than seven-digits, while some others have been valued at $100 million.
A symbol of avant-garde, Bugatti is responsible for re-adjusting what we understand of automotive design and engineering, constantly pushing the envelope of what's possible. Once that's accomplished, they go ahead and reset the bar ever higher - they're the Concorde of the car industry, I'd say. The Veyron of the early 2000s was one example of a car to defy convention, with over 1,000-horsepower in its quad-turbo W16 engine, breaking into a top-speed of 267-mph (431-km/h) - a record at the time.
Credits to: Bugatti Pur Sport On Track | Note the distinctive shape of that rear-end. An X-Wing for reference just above.
I try to limit how much I love Bugatti, because I know in my heart that even if fortune smiles favourably on me, it's unlikely that I'll ever spend that much money on a car. Absolutely not. Even with those restrictions removed, I can't find myself to admire them as much, though I tip my hat at what it has accomplished. Bugattis of late have been large, heavy, and fast monsters that were designed to trek across continents with ease. This is a sharp contrast to what I personally want, and that's a car conceived to be light and nimble, allowing me to dance on a nice road, rather than charge through it.
That however, might change as Bugatti had recently announced the Pur Sport, a new derivative of their Chiron, and something I've written about before when it was announced a few months ago. I liked it so much, that I even used it as a banner for my profile, and my desktop wallpaper. As my inter-galactic explorer friends had noted in the introduction, the Pur Sport is different from most Bugattis that had come before it. It was a machine built not for ultimate speed, but to be agile in its footwork.
It was engineered like a sport -car, allowing the pure-hearted driver to play with it around the corners. The Pur Sport has a top-speed of 217-mph, and while that's face-meltingly fast for most cars, it's relatively slow for a Bugatti. It willingly sacrificed that for the sake of being 'quicker' and more fun for regular driving, as a consequence of having shorter gearing, and a higher-revving engine for better acceleration. The rest of the quad-turbo W16 engine - which is formed by combining two V8s together - was still characteristic of a Bugatti, with 1,500-hp, and 1,180-lb-ft of torque at the mercy of your right foot.
Credits to: Bugatti Pur Sport, Behind The Scenes. | The secrets to success are testing, testing, and testing.
Quite literally breath-taking, as a sprint from 0-100km/h takes only 2.3 seconds, with 0-200km/h taking 5.9 seconds, and 0-300km/h in just 12.4 seconds. A contributor to this was the weight-savings, through the disproportionate use of carbon-fibre on most of the exterior bodywork, and a 3D-printed titanium exhaust system. It's still a heavy car, but most crucially, most of the dieting happened with un-sprung mass - the parts of the car not supported by the suspension, like the wheels and tyres - which had a greater effect overall on its handling.
Then, the car was stiffened, with calibrations made to the suspension to better cope with going around bends. Aerodynamics had a large part to play as well, as the Pur Sport's exterior was reworked from the 'regular' Chiron. Everything was made to be just a tad bit sleeker than before, and even the "turbo-fan" carbon-fibre wheel design was created to vent heat from the brakes, and channel airflow along the body. Completing this is the large rear-wing, which is fixed rather than actively-deployed, thus saving weight. The whole reason for the Star Wars references, is that fact that this emblematic carbon-fibre wing was designed to mimic that of an X-Wing.
Credits to: sdesyn - Pur Sport Stormtrooper Edition | The Dark Side of the Force calls for you.
Even with the outbreak of a plague having halted most of human civilisation in its tracks, this will do little to stop a company that has made cars to a tune of breaking the 300-mph barrier, and with no signs of slowing down. Presently, final touches are being made to the Pur Sport, following minute refinements and personalisation before it can be worthy of leaving the Bugatti factory at Molsheim.
As with all Bugattis, the Pur Sport is a highly exclusive car, and part of its limited-production run of just 60 units, it means that more customers are having the chance to specify every little detail of it. This entirely bespoke touch is not only possible, but welcomed, and already we've begun to imagine what magical creations might be seen. It seems as though the Galactic Empire has taken interest in our Earth-ly machinery, as they've just made an order for one.
Note with a due sense of calm however, that these are just renders made on-top of a real Pur Sport, but it's subtlety somehow makes this less peculiar that it might sound. This "Stormtrooper Edition" Pur Sport looks rather attractive in its appearance, if not at least a bit intimidating. The two-tone finish is made with white and black, to highlight the colours of His Imperial Majesty's Stormtroopers. It's speed might make this a suitable vehicle to add to the regimental arsenal, if anything. More so, with the red accents, including the headlights themselves, you wouldn't mistaken this for anything else.
Credits to: johann DELESTREE - Engine, and Bugatti Pur Sport | Even more testing, and a view of the monster that lurks beneath, just for fun.
In before it can satisfy Palpatine however, more calibrations are needed to perfect the Pur Sport. Fittingly, this is to be done at Bilster Berg circuit, located in the depths of Teutoburg Forest - which itself is no farther than the location where 1/8th of the Roman Imperial legions were massacred by Germanic tribesmen. The Pur Sport is a driver's car, uncompromising, and every component, metric, and feedback must be tuned to be just right. It's for this reason why one of the most challenging tracks in Europe came to mind, and don't let its brief 4.2-km length fool you, as it has 19 turns, 44 crests, with a 70m change in elevation along the way.
Little can be spared, and Bugatti's test drivers are neither sympathetic nor gentle, even with a piece of automotive jewel that costs €3 million each. It's completion would mark another barrier that has been set higher, and perhaps then, our inter-galactic friends can understand the meaning behind its creation.
@zacknorman97 for more, coming soon :-)