Bugatti chose the Dubai Motor Show to conclude its Centenary celebrations by unveiling three special editions of the Veyron hypercar. The “Sang d’Argent” and the Grand Sport “Soleil de Nuit” are one-off models while the “Nocturne” will be limited to five cars only, all of them available exclusively to Middle East customers. Prices range from €1.45 million for the Sang d’Argent, €1.55 million for the Soleil de Nuit, and €1.65 million for the Nocturne. First deliveries are said to take place in the first quarter of 2010.
The Nocturne features a polished aluminium bonnet, galvanised side windows, special polished custom rims and polished aluminium upper body parts at the rear. The interior is dominated by a black nano-coated magnesium dashboard while the centre console is finished in galvanised platinum.
The one buyer allocated to the unique Sang d’Argent will get subtle silver metallic paintwork, polished aluminium doors and front wings, Grand Sport wheels and silver air intakes on the roof. Its so-called Havanna interior features a quilting pattern on the seats and saddle, as well as personalised items make the Sang d’Argent exceptionally special.
Last on the list is the Soleil de Nuit or Sun of the Night, another one-off model that comes finished in a polished aluminium and Black Blue metallic surface. The blue colour is also evident in the upper body parts and in the inner side of the rims (the outer side has a diamond cut). Occupants will be greeted by a bold burnt orange interior.
Last week Bugatti revealed the conceptual four-door super sedan 16 C Galibier at a private event to a select group of customers, who Bugatti refers to as “opinion-makers.” The event took place at the firm’s home in Molsheim. The 16 C Galibier could very well go into production in the next couple of years. According to Bugatti’s current president, Dr. Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen, the Galibier is one of several concept studies with which the company is considering for the future of Bugatti.
Surprisingly for a supercar marque where automotive designers usually try their hardest to create products that stand out of the crowd with distinctively repulsive styling traits, the Galibier 16 C features an almost boringly straightforward design - both exterior and interior - without any unnecessary gimmicks - well, forget about the eight tail pipes at the rear…
Echoing the styling of the famous Type 57 Atlantique, the Galibier 16 C combines a liftback bodystyle with the typical Bugatti radiator grille, large round LED headlights and the distinctive clamshell running the length of the vehicle.
Underneath the bonnet you’ll find a 16-cylinder, 8-litre, flex-fuel engine with supercharging. The Galibier 16 C also comes equipped with a four-wheel drive system.
Last week, Top Gear debuted its second episode of the new season, featuring a mile-long drag race between two of the most sought after supercars in recent history. Behind the wheel of the 1001 horsepower Bugatti Veyron: Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond. Behind the wheel of the 627 horsepower McLaren F1: The Stig. The race took place on a very dry, closed stretch of road in Abu Dhabi.
Watch the full video here and let us know if the race turned out the way you thought it would!
Although decades have separated the modern Bugatti from its heritage, the Alsatian exotic marque is one that prides itself on its racing pedigree. Bugatti will be celebrating its 100th anniversary with 4 Bugatti Veyron Centenaire Edition at Villa d’Este.
Each of the four one-offs bares a different color to contrast with the chrome fenders, and each honors a different driver from Bugatti’s glory days by taking their names. To more clearly emphasize the cars historical linkages, the four Veyrons arrived in Italy accompanied by matching historic Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix racers.
It certainly takes a special kind of eye to look at a $1.75 million Bugatti Veyron and think, “I’d like to draw more attention…I think I’ll paint it gold.” But that’s exactly what the car’s Kuwaiti owner did. The combination with tan offers a color combo that’s at once eye-catching and also nearly camouflaged with its resident environment - the desert.
The car isn’t just a freak-show garage queen, however, and it does get driven. It’s been spotted out and about in Kuwait by media, the public and even a few speeding cameras. But the owner also coddles it as one might expect, treating it to the occasional $10,000 detail job and storing it in a climate-controlled atmospheric chamber inside the garage.
Rumour has it that September will be an important month for the future of Bugatti.
This year is an important one for Bugatti. Not only does 2009 represent the centenary of the legendary marque but in September Bugatti’s management will reveal the future plans of the company, which will include the announcement of a brand new model. Why September? Because that is the month in which the company was founded back in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti.
To kick-off the celebrations, Bugatti will be releasing its new special edition Bleu Centenaire Veyron, which was revealed for the first time at last week’s Geneva Motor Show. While the Bleu Centenaire was not the much anticipated super-Veyron that was on everybody’s lips, Bugatti CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen has revealed to AutoTelegraaf that there are several projects in the works. Paefgen also ruled out the possibility of a cheaper model than the Veyron, explaining that Bugatti’s next car will be every bit as extreme and just as exclusive.
Here’s the first picture of the Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire, Bugatti’s anniversary model, unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.
Called the Bleu Centenaire, this latest in a long line of special edition Veyrons commemorates the brand’s 100th anniversary. As such, it’s wearing a special shade of blue that you might remember seeing on the late, great EB 110, but is also the main color of Bugatti’s historical racing livery. Note, however, that the Bleu Cenenaire features both matte and glossy applications of the color on its body panels, which looks strange yet inexplicably cool to us.
The 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante that was recently discovered forgotten in a garage in the UK has sold for about $4.4 million.
Hailed as one of the last great garage discoveries, the Bugatti was found locked in the garage of a reclusive Newcastle doctor after his death, along with an Aston Martin and a Jaguar E-Type. The Type 57S Atalante went under the hammer at the Paris Bonhams Retromobile auction on February 7, and the final selling price was 3,417,500 euros.
One of just seventeen examples, the car was originally owned by Earl Howe, the first president of the British Racing Drivers Club. Registered DKY 5, the Bugatti was a familiar sight in the local sports-car scene, and passed through a few owners until Dr. Harold Carr ended up purchasing it in 1955. It was in his garage that the car sat after it was mothballed in the early 1960s until it was unearthed in 2007.
The Type 57S was a sportier incarnation of the Type 57, with a high-performance engine and a shortened, low-slung frame and de Ram shock absorbers. Type 57S racers won the A.C.F., la Marne and Comminges Grand Prix races in 1936 and at Le Mans in 1937.
The identity of the Type 57S’ new owner has not been disclosed.
Relatives of eccentric Newcastle doctor Harold Carr found the rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante in a garage after he died.
After collecting dust in the garage for some 50 years, the classic car - thought to be one of just 17 built - is now to be sold by Bonhams in Paris next month. Especially with the remarkably low mileage of just 26,284, this rare 130mph Bugatti is thought to be worth up to £6 million at auction.
Dr Harold Carr left the contents of a lock-up garage to his nephews and nieces when he died in June 2007. Next to the Bugatti, his nephew also discovered a classic Aston Martin, and a Jaguar E-type.
Over the years, the Top Gear Lap has become an important standard by which supercars’ performance is judged. The Stig has shot around the course in everything from the Ascari A10 to the Pagani Zonda, with the Gumpert Apollo S in top position with a time of 1:17.1. The Bugatti Veyron is a liable candidate to become the fastest car around the track. And well, Top Gear finally got their hands on one and put the Stig behind the wheel to see what it could do. Check out the video to see if he succeeded!
