The two-tone-scheme of the Centenary Villa d’Este cars were at the origin of the “Sang d’Argent”, a one-off Veyron version built exclusively for the Middle East. But the country coded coloured parts of the car have now been changed to a subtle silver metallic which discreetly flows into the lines of the polished aluminium parts – doors and front wings – thus enhancing the “silver theme” of this car; yet another unique Bugatti creation celebrating the 100th anniversary of the brand. The “Sang d’Argent” has the Grand Sport rims, they complete together with the air intakes on the roof the overall silver appearance.

Through the windows shines a differentiating Havanna interior with quilting pattern on seats and saddle and other very personalized items emphasizing the unique features of this very special Bugatti.

As the climax of its centenary celebration ceremonies, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. presented customers and opinion-makers with the Bugatti 16 C Galibier concept, intended to be the most exclusive, elegant, and powerful four door automobile in the world last weekend in Molsheim. At the historic site where Ettore Bugatti once laid the cornerstone of his company, Bugatti’s current president, Dr. Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen emphasised that the Galibier is one of several concept studies with which the company is considering for the future of the Bugatti marque.

Art – Forme – Technique: those are the brand values to which Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean oriented themselves in order to develop even more powerful engines and even more noble body designs for each new model, which were without equal in quality, handling, speed and elegance. In the process, they experimented again and again without compromise with new materials; thus was Bugatti one of the first manufacturers to use aluminium parts for bodies, engine blocks and wheels.

Art – Forme – Technique are also the brand values to which the design and engineering team of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. oriented themselves in the development of the Galibier. With this new four-door concept car, Bugatti assumes anew a leading role in the use of new material combinations. Thus the body is constructed of handmade carbon fibre parts coloured dark blue so that, when illuminated, the woven structure shimmers through strikingly. Carbon fibre not only possesses unusually great rigidity but is also especially light. The wings and doors are out of polished aluminium.

The Galibier’s design masters the challenge of uniting sportiness with the comfort and elegance of a modern four-door saloon. The basic architecture picks up on the torpedo-like character of the Type 35, which was already revived in the Veyron, and reinterprets it. With the typical Bugatti radiator grille, big round LED headlights and the clamshell running the length of the vehicle which became synonymous with the brand identity under Jean Bugatti in the Type 57, this car transports the Bugatti genes into the modern world.

Beneath the bonnet, which folds back from both sides, there resides a 16-cylinder, 8-litre engine with twostage supercharging. What makes this engine special is that it was developed as a flex-fuel engine and can optional be run on ethanol. Four-wheel drive, specially developed ceramic brakes and a new suspension design enable the agile, always-sure handling of a saloon of this size.

The interior reflects the elemental design of the exterior. The dash panel has been reduced to the essential; two centrally located main instruments keep even the rear passengers constantly informed of the actual speed and previous performance. Parmigiani, the Swiss maker of fine watches, created the removable Reverso Tourbillon clock for the Galibier, which may be worn on the wrist thanks to a cleverly designed leather strap.

“Galibier” is not just the name of one of the most difficult alpine passes along the Tour de France but, in its time, was a version of the four door Type 57 unequalled in sportiness and elegance.

Continuing this year’s 100th anniversary celebrations Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. has chosen the prestigious Pebble Beach weekend to present a further highlight to pay tribute to this legendary brand : The company proudly unveils the Bugatti « Sang Bleu » – an exclusive, one-off Grand Sport, honouring the marques precious heritage.

Innovation and Harmony

The « Sang Bleu » has ventured into new areas. Instead of applying two paint colours or paint and material to highlight the two tone design the « Sang Bleu » exclusively concentrates on materials – carbon fibre and aluminum – an innovative combination never realised before. This unique approach opens a new dimension of « Art – Forme – Technique », the company’s core values.

The colour combination commissioned for the Pebble Beach car is blue carbon fibre with polished aluminum. The visual carbon fibre is tinted in royal blue to emphasize the refined volumes and surfaces of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. The rear airscoops are tinted in the same nightblue – offering a dramatic view from above – and thus fluidly integrate into the overall design philosophy of this unique model.

The rims are inspired by the Grand Sport Roadster and are highlighted in a Midnight Blue and Diamond Cut two tone finish. The interior, specially and tastefully selcted for the Pebble Beach event, is trimmed in a newly developed Gaucho leather which blends with the intriguing and pure exterior materials creating an elegant and harmonious overall appearance.

Featured Marque

In the year of its100th anniversary Bugatti has been selected to be one of the featured marques at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Ettore Bugatti started his business in the Alsacian town of Molsheim in 1909. The name of the company: „Ettore Bugatti Automobiles i. Els.“. In 1956 the company ceased its activities. Exactly 50 years later, in March 2006, the first Bugatti Veyron built by Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. was delivered – after the Volkswagen Group had aquired the rights of the Bugatti marque in 1998 and started the re-launch of this famous brand. To date over 250 of the planned Bugatti Veyrons are sold, 215 of them have been delivered to customers worldwide. In June 2009 Bugatti started production of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, the open roadster. The sales results are encouraging over 20 Grand Sports have been sold, with first deliveries already started.

The Bugatti « Sang Bleu » is the latest in a line of centenary Bugatti models which have won worldwide acclaim in 2009. This unique car stands – like the others – for the commitment of the Bugatti of today to carry the values and the philosophy of Ettore Bugatti, the founder of this unique marque, into a successful future.

In a further highlight on this year’s agenda of centennial celebrations, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. presented four Bugatti Veyron specials at Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza. These one off models are reminders of Bugatti’s glorious motor-racing history which played a central role in popularising and ultimately establishing the myth which the brand continues to enjoy to this day.

The Bugatti brand is almost inextricably linked to the Type 35. The Type 35 Grand Prix was by far the most successful racing model. The unmistakable radiator grille and eight-spoke aluminium wheels of the Type 35 have become defining features of the Bugatti automobile. In its day, the Grand Prix was also well ahead of its time in terms of engineering ingenuity. The front axle design of this vehicle, which, for reasons of weight minimisation, is hollow, is a true masterpiece of workmanship and was deemed nothing less than revolutionary. Its springs were passed through the axle to produce a high level of stability. The Grand Prix’s brake drums were integrally fitted into its lightweight aluminium wheels. Unfastening the central wheel nut allowed the wheel to be easily removed within a matter of seconds and the brake to be exposed. This was a crucial advantage at the pit stop.

2000 wins in ten years

The blue racers made their first appearance on the race track at the Grand Prix held by Automobil Club de France in Lyon in 1924. In the decade that followed, they remained practically unchallenged thanks to sophisticated manufacturing efforts, their lightweight design and easy handling. During that ten-year era, they won almost 2000 races – more than any other model ever has. Grand Prix races were highly fashionable events in those days, and Bugatti was not the only brand with considerable interest in substantiating the reputation of its products by winning races. In fact, in the 1920s, Europe was regularly host to a number of different races in different countries on a single weekend. The teams set up by different automobile manufacturers competed at popular race circuits such as Targa Florio, Le Mans, Monza and Spa as well as in Rome, Nice, Antibes and even a village in Alsace.

The main reason Bugatti won such an enormous number of races – on the back of which successes the brand was also able to forge its image – was the fact that Bugatti sold not only its normal sports and touring cars to private buyers, but its racing cars too. Thus it was that its automobiles took part in such a large number of Grand Prix events.

This bestowed upon Ettore Bugatti a double success. He was able on the one hand to sell his racing cars expensively to wealthy private buyers with a keen sporting ambition and, on the other, to capitalise on their successes on international racing circuits – without actually having to make a single investment in these “marketing activities”. This stroke of genius by “Le Patron” not only brought him immortal fame, but a substantial fortune as well. A total of 350 legendary Type 35-series automobiles were ultimately built – in a wide variety of versions. Those that survived their racing days, accidents, World War II and all other risks over the years, have become coveted and highly priced collectors’ items.

Four Type 35 Grand Prix models – Four distinct personalities – Four Veyrons

Tradition being what it is, the Bugatti Veyron Specials built to mark the 100th anniversary of the brand feature the racing colours of the respective countries: blue for France, red for Italy, green for England and white for Germany. Each of the four new Veyrons has a specific “predecessor” in the form of an original Grand Prix Bugatti on which it was modelled. These four historic race cars represent the generation of legendary Bugatti Grand Prix racers which were piloted by world-famous race-car drivers and which scored countless racing victories in the 1920s and ‘30s. Each of the four Veyron Specials is named after a Bugatti race-car driver of the 1920s and 30s. Jean-Pierre Wimille has given the blue Veyron its name, Achille Varzi the red one, Malcolm Campbell the green one and Hermann zu Leiningen the white Veyron.

Jean-Pierre Wimille was one of the longest-serving drivers at Bugatti. He only joined the team in Molsheim in 1933, but subsequently remained loyal to the brand, ultimately driving home Bugatti’s last-ever victory in 1947 at Bois de Boulogne in a 4.7-litre Monoposto Type 59/50 B. Wimille’s many previous successes included winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937 and 1939. Achille Varzi was a member of the official Bugatti team from 1931 to 1933. He had already achieved many successes since 1928 driving a private Type 35 C, then later went on to win the Monaco Grand Prix, an event on Berlin’s Avus circuit and other races. As the setter of numerous world records for speed, the name Malcolm Campbell is firmly established in racing history. He also competed in countless “normal” races from 1911 and 1936, often piloting a Bugatti Type 39 A or Type 35, and he owned one of the legendary Type 57 S street sports cars. Prinz Hermann zu Leiningen’s career driving Bugattis began in 1927 when he purchased a Type 40 chassis, for which he had a racing body built. He went on to win a number or races in a privately owned Type 37 A before eventually standing in the spotlight of the international racing scene in a 35 C for several years from 1930 onward.

“We have put a lot of effort into translating colour and material, the defining characteristics of our historic role models, into the designs of the modern-day Veyrons,” explains Alasdair Stewart, Director Sales & Marketing at Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. “We have taken extreme care to match the original colours of the original race cars, exterior and interior” On Sunday, the four historic racing Type 35s and the four modern-day Centenaire EditionVeyrons will be exhibited alongside each other in the park of Villa Erba for the first and only time.

Ahead of that presentation, Bugatti will on Saturday be prominently represented in the park of Villa d’Este by a special-display-class exhibition of models, which will serve to portray the 100-year history of the brand. Bugatti’s participation in the classic Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como will be the second highlight event to mark the carmaker’s centennial celebrations after it took part in the International Geneva Motor Show in early March. This latest event will be followed by the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California in mid-August and the main celebratory event on 12 September in Molsheim (Alsace), which has been the home of this unparalleled automobile brand for 100 years.

At Geneva the Bugatti Veyron « Grand Sport » is shown for the first time to a wider public in Europe. Next to the Grand Sport Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. presents the Veyron « Bleu Centenaire », a special commission honouring the 100th anniversary of the company, thus initiating a range of worldwide activities celebrating the creation of this mythic brand a hundred years ago.

The Veyron “Bleu Centenaire”

Building on the marque’s core values of « Art – Forme – Technique » , Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. has created the Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire, a unique model to celebrate the hundred year old history of the company. This special model takes up the traditional Bugatti two-tone-specification, but portrays it in one rather than two colours: in the most known light shaded Bugatti blue. The Centenaire’s unique combination of a « sprintblue matt » and « sprintblue gloss » hence offers a new impression of the two-tone-scheme known so far with parts of the engine also covered in this traditional Bugatti Blue.

The roof-trim-stripes and the exterior rearview mirrors are of polished, anodised aluminium. A special wheel design has been added – enhanced by a bright red brake-ca—-ar. The grills at the front and at the side air intakes are in « mirror shine ».

The interior of the Centenaire is fitted in a special «snowbeige» leather with quilting on the seats. The central console is covered in the same leather. New LED lights, Park Distance Control and a rearview camera have become part of the standard equipment for all Bugatti Veyrons from this year onwards. The Bleu Centenaire shares all performance characteristics of other Veyron models performance-, acceleration- and deceleration characteristics which have been highly praised ever since the Bugatti Veyron first appeared on the scene. The car will cost 1,35 Million Euro exclusive taxes and transportation.

Features and Performance

The Bugatti Veyron was going to be fast – 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, 200 km/h in 7.3, 300 km/h in 16.7 and on to its top speed of 407 km in just under a minute!

There’s even a power gauge on the instrument panel that shows how much of the 1001 horsepower you are actually using. It’s particularly amusing that although the gauge tracks power usage in 100 horsepower increments it ends at 1001.

We were often only tapping 300 to 400 hp and still passing everything in sight, but dropping the car into second gear via the steering-wheel mounted paddles or shifter and flattening the accelerator causes the power meter to flip to 700-800 hp or so producing a rush of speed unlike anything we have experienced before. The shove in your back, which incidentally is but inches from the massive 8-litre, 16-cylinder, four-turbo engine, is akin to the sensation of being in a jumbo jet at take off. The scenery literally blurs past and the next corner approaches like a cinematic car chase on fast-forward.

In the process of tweaking the shape and design of the Veyron, Bugatti has also managed to provide the car with a much more powerful engine than it originally intended. Early specifications for the Veyron’s mammoth 8.0-liter W16 listed the vehicle’s top speed at a whopping 220 miles per hour. As of May, though, Bugatti claimed that it had squeezed nearly 30 additional mph out of the engine, raising its top speed within a hair’s breadth of 250 mph.

Not content to rest on the laurels of a four-figure output for this engine, Bugatti has seen fit to make the Veyron yield 1,001 horsepower.

Merging the Past and the Future

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4’s home is in Molsheim-Dorlisheim, the French town where, almost 100 years ago, Ettore Bugatti began to realize his lifelong dream of being a car manufacturer. The new workshop is not just where the engine and vehicle are assembled and tested, it is also the place where customers collect their Bugattis and drive them out onto the streets for the first time.

The aim is to turn Molsheim into an all-round Bugatti centre once again. While up to 70 new vehicles a year are built by hand in the new facility, neighbouring specially-equipped workshops are the scene of expert restoration work on historic Bugatti vehicles. Both past and future have found a new home here.

High Performance

The car’s safety systems have been designed to cope with its extraordinary performance, acceleration and speed. The single-piece carbon fibre monocoque alone scores maximum points in crash tests, while airbags give the driver and passenger additional protection. The high-speed tires designed specially for the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (for vmax. > 350 km/h), sizes 265-68 R 500 A (front) and 365-71 R 540 A (rear), incorporate a further innovative safety feature in the form of the PAX System fitted to the wheels and tires, ensuring safe handling even after sudden pressure loss. Another Bugatti Veyron 16.4 component with a safety element is the rear spoiler. As well as providing the necessary downforce during high-speed travel, it acts as a kind of ‘parachute brake’ during emergency braking. Once precisely-defined deceleration forces are registered the spoiler tilts and the additional air resistance this generates reduces the braking distance to that of a lorry.

The Art of the Machine

The W16 alloy engine developed by Bugatti for the Veyron 16.4 will have a special and absolutely unique place in the history of sports car construction. Its design employs the space-saving VR principle with two particularly slender eight-cylinder blocks arranged at a 90° angle to each other.

1001 horsepower equip the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 with a level of acceleration unheard of in the sports car segment, propelling it from 0 to 60 mph in just three seconds and past the 200 mph mark in a mere 14 seconds. Thanks to its 923 lb-ft, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4’s enormous propulsive power is not exhausted until it reaches 252.3 mph (406 km/h): the maximum speed for which chassis and drive train have been designed. Any further performance escalation is limited by current design and construction.

Also unique is the power transmission via an innovative directshift gearbox. Without any interruption in the power flow, the sequential seven-speed gearbox transmits the engine’s power to the wheels via permanent four-wheel drive. Put simply, this means uninterrupted acceleration from a standing start to maximum speed: a feeling previously known only to jet pilots.

Exclusive, Classical, Functional

Both exclusive and highly functional, the interior of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 will transport you to a world of your own. Superb leather, also two-tone if desired, quality metallic trim and beautifully designed and ergonomically laid-out controls characterize the Veyron cockpit.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 instruments, with a large central rev counter surrounded by four smaller additional instruments also conjures up memories of the marque’s legendary motor sport past. The deliberate avoidance of superfluous instruments and modern extras are an unmistakable statement of the car’s uncompromising sportiness.

Unchanged on the series version of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the classical two-tone paintwork. The designers have selected five separate colour combinations for the car: Each of the combinations features the bonnet, roof and rear in the darker of the two colours, with the sides and front wheel arches in the lighter colour.

Buggati Factory in Molsheim

On Saturday, 3 September 2005, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. hosted opening festivities for the ‘Atelier’ in Molsheim, its new plant dedicated to production of the new Bugatti. At the same time, the company’s headquarters, the Château St. Jean, along with the neighboring buildings, were officially opened for their intended purpose.

The lucky 300 individuals able to get their hands on a 2006 Bugatti Veyron will certainly be paying handsomely to do so, as the vehicle is confirmed to go on sale for over a million euros, which translates into more than $1.2 million for American customers.

The last preparations are running at full speed. Two more weeks and then Bugatti Automobiles will present their new Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport for the very first time to the public.

It will be a roadster with a unique, removable roof. The open-top Grand Sport allows driver and passenger to feel even closer to the car’s breathtaking power. Those who consider the wind in their hair and the roar of a thoroughbred racing engine in their ears to be essential to true driving enjoyment will find their perfect motor car in this new Bugatti. Even with the top on the Grand Sport does not loose any of its fascination and conveys to the passenger a new exciting panoramic view.

As well as a large number of new equipment features, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport also incorporates innovative structural solutions, designed to ensure the roadster offers the same extremely high levels of performance and passive safety as the coupe version.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport will be presented to the public in the afternoon of August 16, 2008, at the lawn in front of the Pebble Beach Lodge. The very first build slot for this new car, to be built in Spring 2009, will be auctioned the next day at the renown Gooding auction at the Equestrian Center at Pebble Beach.

Now, when everyone’s attention was focused on finding as much info as possible about the Targa version of the Veyron supercar, Bugatti launched a new special edition, only one month away after the launch of the special edition Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès.

The new edition, called Veyron Sang Noir is, dedicated to the Bugatti Atlantique 57S, and it features many special design elements, including a black exterior and a orange interior.

. The vehicle features re-designed front grille, a black background for the headlights, side mirrors featuring same colour as the front grille, an entire black-painted body, an astonishing interior and custom alloy wheels featuring also black colour.

Like the Pur Sang version, the Sang Noir will also be limited to only five units.

On the occasion of the 78th Geneva Motor Show (from 6 to 16 March 2008), Bugatti and Hermès co-present the fruit of their partnership: the “Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès”, associat-ing Bugatti’s technical performance with the expertise of Hermès and its craftsmen. In partnership with Hermès, designer Gabriele Pezzini has married the distinctive Hermès style to the legendary Bugatti Veyron 16.4, magnifying the car’s personality.

This remarkable car features an array of excep¬tional characteristics: the innovative alliance of a technologically advanced engine, deliver¬ing 1001 horsepower, with an understated yet uncompromising silhouette reflecting the high performance capacities of state-of-the-art engineering and design, and above all, the pleasure these inspire in every Bugatti owner.

The fascination exerted by this sports coupé, capable of reaching 407 km/h, is due in large part to its unique alliance of the very finest motor-racing technology with comfortable handling for everyday driving. The 16-cylinder “W” configuration engine is fed by four turbochargers and features 64 valves, generating 1001 horse¬power at 6000 rpm. The engine draws on its 8-litre displacement to deliver a maximum torque of 1250 Newton-metres between 2200 and 5500 rpm. With full-time all-wheel drive, the car’s phenomenal power produces breath-takingly dynamic handling, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 2.5 seconds.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 benefits from aeronautical and aerospace technologies, making it the fastest production car ever made. The car also features a braking system designed to deliver unprecedented powers of deceleration, establish¬ing a new industry benchmark. The carbon-fibre discs provide brake pressure of up to 180 bars, combined with eight-piston monobloc callipers and titanium pistons fitted with fine steel heads and ceramic heat protectors. Apply the brakes at speeds above 200 km/h, and the rear wing acts as an airbrake, positioning itself at an angle of 113 degrees in less than 0.4 seconds, augmenting the Bugatti Veyron’s already impressive stopping power. The airbrake increases negative lift at the rear of the car to 300 kg, enhancing the braking torque on the rear axle. At 400 km/h, emergency braking will bring the sports car to a complete halt in less than 10 seconds.

This, the world’s most fascinating car, has pushed back the limits of physical engineering to offer a completely new sensation for driver and passenger alike. But it has also adopted a radically different stance to that of other sports cars: its features and finish are sure to impress the most demanding clientele. Hermès and designer Gabriele Pezzini have lavished attention on the interior and exterior of this exceptional car, to create the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4: the “Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès”

A harmonious design, inside and out

The official name of the highly exclusive Bugatti Veyron “Fbg par Hermès” refers to the historic Hermès headquarters on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, in the heart of Paris’s eighth arrondissement: the “Fbg” appellation evokes the house’s “faubourg” address.

With the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès, the exacting standards of Émile Hermès and Ettore Bugatti come together for the first time, in an exceptional collaboration: the culmination of their extreme attention to aesthetic and techno¬logical quality and performance.

Gabriele Pezzini has reinterpreted Bugatti’s tradi¬tional two-tone carriage work, fostering a fluid, harmonious transition between the car’s exterior and interior design. The colour of the hood extends to the interior of the cockpit, and re-emerges behind, at the level of the rear wing.

As a tribute to the celebrated 1924 Bugatti Type 35, undoubtedly the most famous of all time, thanks to its many successes on the racetrack, the new Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès features eight-spoked wheels in polished aluminium, central butterfly wheel locks branded with the letter H, and air vents around the rims repro¬ducing the characteristic appearance of Hermès saddle-stitching. The horseshoe radiator grille, and the lateral ventilation grilles flanking it, are made from lightweight alloys with a design of interlocking H’s evoking the Hermès “signature”.

A refined formal vocabulary

The inner surfaces of the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès have been designed and sheathed in bull calfskin by the Hermès workshops in Paris. The care and attention to detail observe an extremely refined, minimalist formal vocabulary, reflecting the tradition of the very first Bugattis and the fundamental design principles of the house of Hermès. The door handles echo the fluid forms of handles on Hermès travel bags and luggage. And the dashboard, traditionally finished in brushed aluminium, is here clad entirely in bull calfskin. Passengers aboard the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès will find a dashboard glove compartment designed to hold a selection of small travel accessories and a zipped Hermès wallet. Both seats are covered in two-toned bull calfskin, and the panel separating the cockpit from the central rear engine – traditionally made of carbon fibre – is covered in the same fine leather. The leather-lined trunk holds a specially-fitted “Toile H” and leather case, hand-made by craftsmen from the Hermès workshops.

This exceptional model – in toning colours of ebony and étoupe, or ebony and brick – is priced at 1.55 million euros (not including tax), available at the end of 2008.

Bugatti already announced there will be an even more powerful and expensive model than Veyron. It’s true this will be the Project Lydia, a 1175 hp supercar that will be priced at more than 2.5 million euro. But this won’t be the only big thing coming from Bugatti. We all know they like exclusive thing and want to have a world to say in the auto-industry. So why just the supercars world? After all there are a lot of people who would pay one million dollars to own a sedan for their family! Right, no? It seems this is what the company wants: a 950 hp, one million dollar sedan that will be launched in 2010. Competitors? None!

Our renderings is an old Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic combined with the EB118 and the EB218 Concepts. Both concepts were powered by a 18-cylinder engines. Of course the old and the concepts version needed to be adapted to real life!

More after the jump!

The 2010 Bugatti Sedan will be powered by a 8.0 liter engine -mounted up front- delivering 950 HP, just a little less than its 1000 HP Veyron mid-engined sibling.

The new model will have a coupe-like profile, similar to the Mercedes CLS-Class and Porsche Panamera. But, this extraordinary mix of a car and pure art will have a price that will only allow super-rich people to enjoy it: more than 1 million dollars.

Like the Veyron, the Sedan will be built in extra limited-edition. We presume same amount of units as the supercar.

The structure of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 gave the designers the idea of finishing the car in its pure material configuration – meaning no colour coating. The result is the Bugatti EB 16.4. Veyron “Pur Sang”, a two-tone study of pure materialness showing the car’s true essentials: carbon and aluminium.

The sophisticated monocoque contains all the core structural components, including the W16 engine, the passenger cell, the crash box and the linkagesto the wheels. It is this purpose-driven fundament that is visible as the centre of the car in clear-coated carbon fibre. The aluminium panelling lends shape and a unique body sculpture to the car, covering the wheels in a muscular and powerful expression by way of elaborately shaped fenders.

The Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron “Pur Sang” continues the legacy of the classic Bugatti sportscars: the “Atalante”, the Type 55, the Type 41 “Royale” – they all had an unmistakeable and characteristic graphic signature. It is this precise division of performance components and body panelling that makes the EB 16.4. Veyron “Pur Sang” unique in the supercar world.

The announced price for the smallest Bugatti amazed everybody, taking into consideration that its older brother, the Veyron, costs around $1,3million. The German magazine AutoBild reported that Volskwagen has in plan a price of just 50,000 euros for the Baby Bugatti.

This small supercar will be a serious competitor for the Porsche Cayman/Boxter, BMW Z4 and Audi TT. With a weight of just 1100 kg and a 4-cylinder turbo engine capable of over 300 BHP, the Baby Bugatti is going to be much quicker than it`s oponents. The estimated top speed is about 188mph and it will reach 60mph from stand still im about four – five seconds

Some say that it will follow its bigger brother steps and it wil be all-wheel drive, other say it will be front-engine and rear-wheel drive like the Z4. But untill 2010 we won`t know. And with a production rate of 6000 units/ year, be prepared for a very long waiting list.

To build the forty-two Type 57S sports cars, Bugatti created a shorter and lower Type 57 chassis and fitted it with De Ram shock absorbers, split front axle, dry sump lubrication, higher compression pistons, distinctive ‘V’ radiator, and other modifications. The later addition by the factory of superchargers led to the Type 57SC designation.

For the Atlantic Coupe, Jean Bugatti’s goal was to design the ultimate high-speed grand touring car. The concept was for the body to be built from Elektron, an aluminum-magnesium alloy that was difficult to work with in the usual manner. Of the three Atlantic Coupes built originally, we have seen the remaining two and they both are made from aluminum. Apparently, though no longer desired as a construction method, Jean Bugatti did not give up on the riveted flange design, hence the spines along the center of the body and fenders.

In 1920 the first outing of the 16-valve engines was a big success with Friderich winning the French Voiturette Grand Prix at LeMans. Even more successful was Bugatti’s clean sweep of the first four places at Brescia in 1921. In honour of this memorable victory all 16-valve engined cars were dubbed Brescia. Like with the 8-valve engines the Brescia was available in three wheelbases.

One of the Brescia’s few flaws was the lack of front brakes. This was solved in 1924 when front drum brakes became a standard feature.

The featured example is a late long-wheelbase Type 23, equipped with drums all-round. It is seen here at the 2002 British Racing Festival on the Dutch Zandvoort track.

Features

The past is the basis for the Bugatti EB 218. It has the style of a modern car, but the form recalls important design elements of classic Bugatti models, whilst retaining its own character. The result is a uniquely aesthetic body shape with well-balanced proportions. Its characteristics are power and elegance.

The model name Bugatti EB 218 refers to the 18-cylinder engine, the first of its kind to be used in a passenger vehicle. This engine, which was developed at Volkswagen, has three rows of six-cylinder banks which are joined in the shape of a ’W’. With a displacement of 6.3 litres, the direct injection engine has an output of 555 bhp and a maximum torque of 479 lbs-ft.

Aluminium space-frame technology has been used for the production of the body. The exterior aluminium cladding is finished in pearlescent ’Blu Notte Perlato’.

The harmonious lines of the body are continued in the comfortable and elegant interior. The instruments are oval in shape and the instrument panel is framed in the finest leather.

The interior is further enhanced through the use of light walnut. The special silk-finish leather is in ’biscuit’ colour.

Permanent four-wheel drive and an aluminum multi-link suspension lend the Bugatti EB 218 impressive driving dynamics and excellent traction. The powerful and sporty appearance of the vehicle is underlined by the wide track and the long wheelbase with short body overhang. The Bugatti design can also be seen in the harmonious wheels made from shining magnesium. The Bugatti emblem EB is on the central lock. The vehicle is fitted with eye-catching 285/50 R 18 tyres. ]]> http://www.240km.com/1999-bugatti-eb-218.html/feed 0 http://www.240km.com/2000-bugatti-eb-184-veyron.html http://www.240km.com/2000-bugatti-eb-184-veyron.html#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:04:27 +0000 simonie http://www.240km.com/?p=988

The Bugatti tradition of successful sports cars is reflected in the name chosen for this design study, which commemorates the former Bugatti factory driver Pierre Veyron. A Frenchman, he achieved numerous racing successes for this historic marque, culminating in victory in the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1939.

Features

The Bugatti EB 18/4 “Veyron” has impressively dynamic outlines. The team headed by Hartmut Warkuss, the manager of the “Center of Excellence Design” at Volkswagen, has succeeded in finding a new interpretation of traditional Bugatti values and creating a sports car with looks that emphasise its high performance potential at the very first glance.

The designers have also displayed their sincere appreciation of the character of the Bugatti. Warkuss regards it as a very special challenge to be allowed to interpret the mystic of the Bugatti make afresh in this way.

Of all the models that have appeared in the new Bugatti era, the EB 18/4 “Veyron” is surely the most audacious. Its advanced, sporting design is an indicator that a great future awaits this make of car.

4380 millimetres long and extremely low, with an overall height of no more than 1206 millimetres, this sports car’s outlines can surely be described as sensual; from every angle, they emphasise the dynamic body styling. The three-colour paintwork is a stylistic link between the past and future of a make of car that is already rich in tradition. The short body overhangs and emphatic curves add to the impression of sheer power that the design study creates.

This impression is confirmed when the mechanical elements of the EB 18/4 “Veyron” are examined. This mid-engined Bugatti is driven by a 408 kW (555 bhp) 18-cylinder engine located ahead of the rear axle.

This engine, with a swept volume of 6.3 litres, has direct fuel injection and – another eye-catching feature – consists of three banks of six cylinders.

It is exposed to view behind the seats and topped by two striking, silver-coloured air intake ducts which add a notable visual accept to the “Veyron”, in much the same way as the two pairs of circular rear-light clusters of classic sports-car design.

The exceptional character of the EB 18/4 “Veyron” is maintained inside, where sporting and luxury elements blend well together to create an inspiring ambience.

At the time of writing, in the spring of 2002, the 1001 bhp Bugatti EB 16/4 Veyron, although exhibited as a design study, has already reached a degree of driveline and body development that is close to series production status. The first theoretical performance figures are also available: the new 16-cylinder sports car should reach a top speed of 252 mph and accelerate from 0 to 186 mph in under 14 seconds.

The study exhibited at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show incorporates a large number of technological highlights. As on Formula 1 and Le Mans racing cars, the load-bearing chassis of the EB 16/4 is reinforced with carbon fibre for maximum strength and rigidity as well as minimum weight. This principle also ensures optimum passive safety for the car’s occupants. The outer skin of the body is of mixed aluminium and carbon-fibre construction. The W16 turbocharged engine, which has dry sump lubrication and four continuously variable camshafts, surpasses the power output of even the latest Formula 1 engines. Power is transmitted to the wheels through a new type of sequential-shift seven-speed gearbox with twin clutches.

The EB 16/4 Veyron runs on tyres that use the new Pax system developed by Michelin. These high-speed tyres for speeds in the region of 248 mph have a pressure monitoring system and run-flat capability, so that safe handling is maintained and the car can be driven for more than 200 kilometres in the event of pressure loss.

The dimensions of the Bugatti EB 16·4 Veyron are equally impressive: the wheelbase is 2,700 millimetres, the car’s overall length 4,466 mm, its width 1,998 mm and its height only 1,206 mm.

In addition to this design study, BUGATTI Automobiles S.A.S. is drawing attention to Bugatti’s origins at the 2002 Geneva Show, by exhibiting a 16-cylinder racing engine dating from 1928. This engine documents an exciting era in automobile engineering during the early part of the 20th century: with its two Zenith carburettors and double magneto ignition, it represented the leading edge of automobile engine development in its day. ]]> http://www.240km.com/2002-bugatti-eb-164-veyron.html/feed 0 http://www.240km.com/1998-2004-bugatti-eb-118.html http://www.240km.com/1998-2004-bugatti-eb-118.html#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:25:20 +0000 simonie http://www.240km.com/?p=975

The Bugatti EB 118 show car debuted in 1998. It featured a 6.2 liter turbocharged W18 engine that produced 555 hp and 479 lbs-ft. It had permanent all wheel drive. The design of the car was intended to echo the 1931 Bugatti Type 50, and it features a longitudinal groove echoing the Bugatti Atlantic.

To honor Ettore Bugatti, the EB 110 was created. ’EB’ was short for Ettore Bugatti. Launched on Ettore’s 110 birthday, 09-15-1991, the naming EB 110 was formed. It was first shown to the public at the Grande Arche at La Défense in Paris, France.

Features and Performance

The powerplant is one of the most advanced and complex engines ever created while the chassis and design is just as superb. Marcello Gandini of Bertone was tasked with creating a unique and stylish body that would be a modernized tribute to the glorious designs of the past. The result was an aerodynamic masterpiece with a horse-shoe shaped grille and an aluminum body. Aluminum was chosen because of its lightweight but sturdy characteristics. Aerospatiale, a French aviation company, was commissioned to aide in the production of the body, due to the metals being difficult to shape. The body panels were bonded to the carbon fibre monocoque chassis, one of the first road going vehicles to use this design and technique. In the front were push-rod operated shock absorbers while the rear featured dual shock absorbers on each side.

Mounted mid-ship was a 60-degree 3.5-liter V12 with dual overhead camshafts and producing an impressive 550 horsepower. Four IHI turbochargers aided the engine in producing its impressive power. This power was sent to all four wheels, 73% going to the rear, with the help of a six-speed manual gearbox. Zero-to-sixty was accomplished in about 3.6 seconds while top speed was achieved at 209 mph. Ventilated Brembo disc brakes brought this monster to a stop.

The scissor doors were truly exotic. The engine was visible through a glass cover, and the rear wing was speed sensitive. Five pre-production prototypes with aluminum chassis were constructed, followed by eight with composite.

If this wasn’t enough, an EB 110 SS version, meaning Super Sport or Sport Stradale, was created. The interior was void of an unnecessary amenities and luxurious. In total, more than 150 kg was stripped from the vehicle. The four-wheel drive system could be replaced with a lighter, rear-wheel drive configuration, decreasing the weight even further. The turbo boost was increased and the compression was dropped to 7.5:1, resulting in a rise in horsepower to around 615. Further modifications set the horsepower rating to as high as 650. Air holes located behind the side windows and seven spoke alloy wheels helped distinguish the standard GT car from the SS.

The Bugatti EB 110 SS made an appearance at the 1994 24 Hours of LeMans race. This was their first appearance in 55 years. Positioned in the GT1 class, vehicles with horsepower up to 600, the Bugatti was the fastest during training, outperforming the Dodge Vipers, Porsche Carrera RSRs, DeTomaso Panteras, and the rest of the competition.

Right before the race, a fuel leak was discovered. Araldite was used to seal the leak but it meant that the Bugatti had to use a half tank of gas for the first couple of shifts. After the Araldite dried, a full amount of fuel could be used. The Bugatti quickly showed its potential, cracking the top-ten. A problem with the turbochargers sent the team scrambling to replace them. The problem was fixed and the Bugatti was back on the track. Near the close of the race a tire failure sent the Bugatti into the barriers and the EB 110 SS was forced to retire.

Since that time, the EB 110 SS has raced at Watkins Glen, Daytona 24 Hours, and other races. Gildo Pallanca-Pastor drove an EB 110 SS on the frozen sea in Oulu in Finland, in 1995, capturing the World Speed Record on Ice with an speed of 296.3 km/h.

Produced from 1991 through 1995, only 95 GT’s and 31 SS’s were produced. One of the SS’s was purchased by Michael Schumacher. It is unfortunate that the EB 110 was introduced just when the supercar market crashed. The $350,000 SS model was expensive but well worth the money. The Bugatti Company was forced to file for bankruptcy while the remaining materials were sold to B Engineering and used for the use of their sports car, the Edonis.

During the close of the 1990’s, Volkswagen AG secured rights to the Bugatti name, again reviving the nameplate.

The EB 110 is a car Ettore would be proud to wear his name. It successfully captured the lineage of Bugatti and modernized it into a 210+ mph road going sports car. The four-wheel-drive system was heavy, meaning it was not as fast as other supercars of the day. In wet and rainy weather, the EB 110 could easily outperform the rest of the class.