|
Price |
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-- |
Production |
|
1 |
|
Engine |
8
liter W16 |
Weight |
-- |
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Aspiration |
4
turbochargers |
Torque |
927
lb-ft |
|
HP |
987
hp |
HP/Weight |
-- |
|
HP/Liter |
123.4 hp per liter |
1/4 mile |
-- |
|
0-62 mph |
-- |
Top Speed |
-- |
(from Bugatti Press
Release) The Bugatti “L’Or Blanc”
• World debut of an
exceptional partnership between the Königliche
Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM) and Bugatti
• World’s first vehicle using porcelain elements for exterior
and interior design
Berlin/Molsheim, June
30, 2011 – With the partnership between Bugatti and the Königliche
Porzellan-Manufatur Berlin (KPM) the renowned manufacturer
emphasizes the ability in creating
pieces of automotive art. The “L’Or Blanc” celebrates its world
premiere with an exclusive
unveiling ceremony on June 30, 2011 at the KPM workshops in Berlin.
This unique version of a
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is the world’s first motor car to wear
the finest porcelain on its body,
as well as in its cabin. It captivates with an abstract exterior
design.
The security officer
nods, the door opens. Amidst pure white walls bright spotlights
illuminate a
Bugatti Grand Sport that is placed in the center of the spacious
room. We have entered the hidden
world of the Bugatti Design Studio. The team around Bugatti’s Head
of Design Achim Anscheidt
works in a quiet and focused atmosphere as they walk around their
latest object of desire. Several times they stop, take a step to the
left and to the right; they bend down and up again, looking
intensely at the Grand Sport from different angles. They analyse the
reflections of light on the car’s body before they step back for a
moment to get an overall impression of their work. Thin blue lines
flow over the bright white exterior of the fastest convertible in
the world. It feels like visiting the atelier of an American pop-art
artist.
The creation bears the
name “L’Or Blanc.” It represents an automobile that redefines the
art of design.
If you look at it through the eyes of a designer, you will recognize
that it is the reflection of the studio
lights on the body that attracts their interest. Positioned beneath
a special light, the car is set in an ideal environment that
provides an excellent image of the reflections. The studio light is
reflected on the invisible edges between the body shapes of the
Grand Sport. In numerous stages each reflection line is translated
by Bugatti’s designers onto the car body that has been pre-painted
in a vibrant white tone.
They use a precision
tape made of Japanese soft tissue that can be easily torn off by
hand. It adheres perfectly to sulphur-containing plasticine. By
stretching them to a certain degree, these tapes are “lined” in
pieces up to five meters long across the whole exterior of the car.
If the line does not
fully meet the intention of the designers, they place a correction
tape above the
original line. This process is repeated until the final line has the
right tension and character. Between
the styling steps, the team looks at the car from a distance to
evaluate the relation of the stripes to the white spaces. This is
also the best way to ensure that lines flow from one side of the
body across the roof and the rear to the opposite side. Even the
smallest imperfections are being revised meticulously, as the final
target is to achieve unrivalled perfection. Finally, the lines
stretch across the perfectly shaped Bugatti like a grid of light
reflections. Over the course of several weeks, the team of designers
develop the final composition of dynamic bends and delicate lines
that run over the automotive piece of art like the serpentines of
the Italian Stelvio Pass.
“The ‘L’Or Blanc’ is
evidence of the capabilities of the craftsmen at both brands. The
distinctive structure of lines does not only mirror the elaborate
hand painting on porcelain but also the process of
modelling in automotive design,” says Achim Anscheidt.
In the next step,
Bugatti’s paint specialists dedicate themselves to the further
completion of the masterpiece.
Over the course of three
weeks, each millimeter of the marked lines are being filled by hand
with the characteristic blue color. In addition, the whole body
receives five layers of clear lacquer. A
varying and powerful gradient of the two colors is generated because
the team had used a combination
of tapes with different widths. While the blue lines dominate over
the white spaces in the lower section
of the convertible, the relation of colors inverts on the way to the
roof so that the intense white appears
even stronger. Twelve elements, made of finest porcelain at the
Berlin based manufactory, complete the aesthetic approach of this
special Grand Sport.
Let us change the
location and visit the workshops of the Königliche
Porzellan-Manufaktur in the
heart of Berlin. Following a tradition of around 250 years, at this
location more than 170 craftsmen
and specialists produce precious items, as today’s expression of
porcelain art. Hand-made plaster
moulds are needed to craft the unique porcelain elements that appear
in the exterior and interior of
the “L’Or Blanc”, and with a tremendous attention to detail, each
mould is created and optimized in a
several-week-long process at the research and development
department. The team has to run a number of dedicated tests with the
raw material to check the impact of the natural shrinkage of around
16 percent during firing and drying. Finally, the porcelain elements
fit seamlessly to the Bugatti components.
“Porcelain is one of the
strongest materials but the grade of quality depends significantly
on the excellence of the manufacturing process. We had to assure
that the inlays perfectly fit to the filler caps, it has been a
challenge for us to exactly calculate the shrinkage of porcelain,”
explains Thomas Wenzel, Head of Design at KPM.
The “L’Or Blanc” is the
world’s first automobile to be equipped with porcelain, and the
development
team invested a lot of effort to guarantee that each item is capable
of performing in every driving situation in the most powerful car on
the market. Before their application to the car, the porcelain
elements were extensively examined in regard to automotive safety
and quality to optimally protect the passengers in case of an
accident.
As part of the exterior
design, porcelain is used for the inlays of the centre wheel badges,
the fuel filler
cap and the oil filler cap as well as the signature “EB” badge at
the rear. Their shiny white surface blends in with the brilliant
bright finish of the paint suggesting that the car would be coated
with a thin layer of porcelain, too.
“At first, it seems to
be an unusual idea to use porcelain in a car, especially in the
world’s fastest convertible,” comments Dr. Stefan Brungs, Director
of Sales and Marketing at Bugatti Automobiles. “But this is what
Bugatti stands for: the realization of exceptional ideas whilst
striving for the utmost in
quality and aesthetics. This allows us to continue Ettore Bugatti’s
heritage, who himself loved to experiment with new materials.”
Besides the signed
porcelain inlays on the sides of the centre console, an intarsia
made of finest porcelain is fixed to the rear panel between the
seats. Similar to the exterior porcelain elements this item carries
the relief of the famous elephant in an upright standing position
that has been created by sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti. His brother
Ettore had used the original draft to cast the radiator mascot for
the Bugatti Royale. This elephant is a synonym for the brand still
today. Embedded in the top of the centre console, there is a fine
porcelain dish with edges finished in an exclusive diamond polishing
- a technique that has been applied by the Königliche
Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin for the very first time.
The precious dish can be
removed and is part of a picnic set that was exclusively designed by
KPM for the Bugatti car.
“The impulse for that
partnership came from Rembrandt Bugatti’s renowned elephant,” tells
Jörg
Woltmann, owner of the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM)
and car aficionado. “At the
beginning, we wanted to integrate the sculpture in our product
range, then we thought about the potential for a comprehensive
service and finally the synthesis of ideas led us to this
outstanding Grand Sport.” Woltmann is enthusiastic about the “L’Or
Blanc”. “A number of superlatives are associated with porcelain from
the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin: one says it has the most
beautiful shapes and decors, it has the hardest weight and the
whitest tone. Now, it is also the fastest porcelain.”
The Bugatti Veyron Grand
Sport “L’Or Blanc” presented in Berlin, is a one-of-a-kind creation.
Nevertheless, the partnership is supposed to be continued, and
Bugatti’s designers received a lot of inspiration from porcelain
painting offering a variety of new opportunities for the design. The
price of the
Bugatti L’Or Blanc is 1.65 m EUR.
