With The Chiron Pur Sport, Bugatti Reimagines Its 1922 Type 13 Win At La Turbie Hill Climb

The La Turbie hill climb was revived in 1922. Around 1,476 feet upwards from Monte Carlo, the 3.9 miles track passed over sandy, stony roads filled with potholes. For Jean Mabille, winning was all about the Bugatti Type 13, and he had no doubts about that.

The event was originally held in 1897 during the Nice Speed Week when a race between Nice and La Turbie became the world's first hill climb. Mabille picked the Type 13, which debuted on the road in 1911 and finished second in the French Grand Prix that year because of its mix of light bodywork and solid engineering.

After WWI, manufacturing resumed in 1919, with Bugatti fitting a four-valve cylinder head to the 1.3-liter motor, becoming the first automobile to do so. Additionally, it was the first vehicle to use white metal for the crankshaft components and to spray oil into specified components through a pump.

It was enhanced in 1920 with dual ignition and ball bearings in the crankshaft to help it operate even smoother. Its capacity was expanded to 1.5 liters, allowing it to produce 49 hp. The Type 13 was competent in attaining speeds of 93 mph, weighing just 1,080 lbs.

It immediately ruled racing as a result of its technical breakthroughs, winning the French Grand Prix and completing 20 minutes ahead of the competition at Le Mans. It continued to win well into the early 1920s. Nevertheless, under the direction of Jean Mabille, the voiturette won the race at La Turbie in 1922, conquering the climb in only 6 minutes and 24 seconds. Ettore Bugatti was overjoyed with the triumph, which was significant enough for the firm to send a new Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport through the same routes to commemorate the achievement 100 years later.

“With its victory in the famous La Turbie hill climb 100 years ago, Bugatti demonstrated that its vehicles offered incomparable performance with their high quality, high-grade materials, and workmanship,” stated Christophe Piochon, President of Bugatti Automobiles.

He added: “We have maintained this tradition to this day and are also taking it into the future. It is therefore entirely fitting for the Chiron Pur Sport to celebrate the centenary of this achievement a modern-day expression of the experience and engineering knowledge Bugatti gained all that time ago.”