Les Légendes de Bugatti: World première of the “Rembrandt Bugatti”
Bugatti is continuing its six-part edition series, “Les Légendes de Bugatti”, at the Geneva International Motor Show to honour some of the more important people in the company’s history. Last year the long-established French brand successfully presented the first three Legends models. All nine vehicles of these model series have been sold. Now Bugatti is celebrating another high point with its fourth legend – named in honour of Rembrandt Bugatti, brother of company founder Ettore and one of the most important sculptors of the early 20th century. As with the other Legends models, only three will be manufactured.
The Legends edition
The “Rembrandt Bugatti” is the fourth Legend from the brand. To launch the “Les Légendes de Bugatti” edition last year, Bugatti presented “Jean-Pierre Wimille” at California’s Pebble Beach, “Jean Bugatti” at the IAA in Frankfurt and “Meo Costantini” at the Dubai Motor Show. All nine vehicles of these three Legends have been sold. “The Legends edition is a great success for Bugatti. The response from our customers is amazing,” said Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
“Rembrandt Bugatti”: outstanding performance and design
The “Rembrandt Bugatti” is based on the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse. Its 8 litre W16 engine achieves an unparalleled torque of 1,500 Nm from 1,200 PS at 3,000–5,000 rpm, and can accelerate from 0–100 km in 2.6 seconds. With a maximum speed of 408.84 km/h with the roof down, the Vitesse is the fastest production roadster ever built.
“Rembrandt Bugatti had a special talent for capturing the movement of animals at their most expressive moment,” explains Achim Anscheidt, Head Designer at Bugatti. “The patina, the soul and the crafted character of his bronze sculptures guided us to the colour and material choices in the Legend car that carries his name.” Anscheidt continues: “The result is a super sports car that fuses beauty and elegance with great dynamics and sporting appeal.”
The body of the “Rembrandt Bugatti” Legend Vitesse was designed in the “horizontal split”, and is largely composed of bronze-coloured clear-coated carbon as a gesture to the artist’s favoured material. The vehicle’s lower half is painted in an elegant light brown, “Noix”. The famous Bugatti horseshoe gleams in platinum from the front grille, with platinum also ringing the EB logo at the vehicle’s rear. The wheels are painted in dark “Firefinch” and light “Noix” browns, and these colours combine to complete the elegant appearance and set the super sports car off against the asphalt. In reference to the artist and Legends car’s namesake, Rembrandt Bugatti’s signature has been lasered onto the petrol and oil cap.
The elegant and harmonious appearance continues in the vehicle’s interior. The Vitesse is completely upholstered with leather in light brown “Cognac”. The rear centre box between the seats has a striking design. It proudly sports Rembrandt Bugatti’s famous elephant sculpture, the hood ornament of the Type 41 Royale and today is the symbol for both the brand and the Legends edition. The elephant was cast in bronze with great technical skill and worked as an insert into the cover. The cover is made of bronze-coloured clear-coated carbon. The door trim is impressive evidence of Bugatti’s reputation for working high-quality materials in a unique style, with braided leather in the softly contrasting colours of “Cognac” and “Coffee”. This elegant design was developed exclusively for this Legends car.
Platinum is also in evidence in the vehicle’s interior, on the EB logo on the steering wheel. Other interior details specific to this Legends Vitesse are the insert of bronze-coloured clear-coated carbon on the extended centre console with the lettering “Les Légendes de Bugatti” and Rembrandt Bugatti’s elephant, and the door sill plates displaying the sculptor’s portrait and signature.
In short, Rembrandt Bugatti is a super sports car that fuses beauty and elegance with great dynamics and sporting appeal. The “Rembrandt Bugatti” Vitesse costs €2.18 million Euro net and the three model series of the Legends edition have already been sold. Bugatti will present the fifth Legends model at the Auto China 2014 in Beijing taking place in April.
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