It’s widespread for trendy Bugattis to have lots of of hundreds of {dollars} in choices, with some bespoke commissions by way of the Sur Mesure division costing seven figures on prime of the already mega-expensive automotive. There may be one Veyron that stands above the remainder on this regard, and it was by no means earlier than seen till just a few days in the past when German supercar specialists Mechatronik listed it on the market. This Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse has physique panels milled from particular person blocks of aluminum, which costed greater than the Vitesse’s $2.5-million price ticket.
The earliest iterations of the Veyron have been mere million-dollar automobiles, however the Vitesse commanded a value greater than double that of the bottom automotive. It was the ultimate evolution of the long-lasting supercar, a droptop model of the record-breaking Tremendous Sport that itself grew to become the quickest convertible on the earth with a prime pace of 254 mph. Out of the Veyron’s 450-car run, solely 92 have been the Grand Sport Vitesse. In response to Mechatronik, in 2014 considered one of Bugatti’s most necessary shoppers needed a Vitesse that will be “probably the most elaborate and interesting model of what was attainable on the time, probably the most particular Veyron and probably the most excessive and distinctive model ever constructed.”
Inspiration got here from the Veyron Pur Sang, of which 5 have been produced in 2007. The Pur Sang had a carbon-fiber hood and heart part with uncovered polished aluminum fenders, bumpers and sides; a spectacular look. Head of design Achim Anscheidt and shade and trim designer Laurent Chevalley thought an identical shade and materials break up would look nice and in addition “meet the shopper’s request for a really clear design utilizing authentic supplies, ideally with out paint, [and that it] would profit most when mixed with an attention grabbing, contrasting inside.”
Relying on market rules, a few of the Pur Sangs had painted bumpers as a substitute of matching aluminum ones, and due to the sheer dimension of the physique panels a few of them needed to be welded collectively, which resulted in seams that have been polished by hand however nonetheless seen. To the shopper, these two issues have been unacceptable. In his order, he specified that aside from the carbon rear heart, each physique panel have to be constituted of its personal single piece of aluminum, together with the hood.
Bugatti needed to write a brand new CAD program to determine find out how to produce the automotive, and the corporate’s engineers in Germany calculated it might require greater than 20 tons of aluminum blocks. Not solely would manufacturing prices be “astronomically excessive,” it might additionally find yourself rather more costly than the already agreed-upon gross sales value, so Bugatti determined to inform the shopper his order can be canceled and he’d need to give you a spec that was “extra sensible.”
Upon receiving the information, the shopper stated that not solely would he cancel all the opposite Bugattis he had on order, however he would by no means purchase from the corporate once more. Except, after all, Bugatti would create the automotive to the unique specs, with any compromises being “categorically rejected.” I can hear you asking, “what number of Bugattis may this man have on order for that to matter to the corporate?” The reply, my pal, is a lot.
Along with already proudly owning just a few Veyrons, he had put in orders for considered one of every of the six completely different Les Légendes de Bugatti particular editions, which have been all based mostly on the Grand Sport Vitesse (and solely three items of every one have been made). He additionally had a number of Veyron Tremendous Sports activities on order, and the reveal of the automotive’s Chiron successor was shortly approaching — absolutely he’d need a few of these too. That’s a minimum of $25 million’s price of automotive.
Bugatti relented, and the automotive was constructed as initially envisioned. Every physique panel was milled from a single aluminum block after which polished, and the carbon-fiber panels have been constituted of 6K weave and aligned at 90 levels, which was additionally tough to supply on the time. Mechatronik says it was the “most excessive and time-consuming” Veyron ever made, and the price of all of the choices ended up being better than the Vitesse’s $2.5M base value.
All of that paid off, I believe — the automotive is simply spectacular. The aluminum panels make it appear like a spaceship out of a ‘60s sci-fi film, with the pure reflections displaying off how pure the Veyron’s design is. Past the bodywork, there are a selection of different particular touches. The entire grille mesh is polished, too, and the horsehoe grille has a particular sample with the proprietor’s initials (KAQ) repeating in a waterfall impact, a emblem additionally discovered on the gasoline caps and stitched into the headrests. The Carmine Purple inside appears to be like implausible; the designers have been proper concerning the vivid pink contrasting towards the aluminum.
This Vitesse has been within the care of its authentic proprietor since new, and it has solely coated 750 kilometers. No value is listed. If you need to ask, you actually can’t afford it.
