Bugatti used the Frankfurt Motor Show to unveil its latest Veyron model to honour Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore.
The the Grand Sport Vitesse “Jean Bugatti” uses styling cues similar to the Type 57SC designed by the founder's son, and like other “Legend” models the company has produced, the JB will be limited to just three vehicles at a cost of $2.28 million Euros. It is also the first Bugatti to be finished in sparkling platinum.
“Jean Bugatti is a Bugatti legend,” says Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. “Along with his father Ettore, Jean played a critical role in shaping our brand. Jean managed to combine the artistic roots of Bugatti with his father’s innovative automotive technology, and from that developed a design which is still reflected in the brand today, finding expression in our brand values of ‘Art, Forme, Technique’.
“Jean Bugatti was a gifted car designer who knew to mirror the 1930s style of avant-garde in the design of the Bugatti car bodies,” explains Achim Anscheidt, Chief Designer at Bugatti. “His jet black La Voiture Noire was more than just Jean’s ‘private’ car. It was also his most impressive work of art – breathtakingly sporty dimensions paired with fluid, elegant lines and the unmistakeably expressive Bugatti DNA.”
In developing the Jean Bugatti Legend Edition, the designers at Bugatti aimed to follow the concept of its historic predecessor, the Type 57SC Atlantic La Voiture Noire, of which just four were built. It belonged to Bugatti and was lost in transit amid the confusion of World War Two. The location and circumstances surrounding its disappearance are still shrouded in mystery.
