Head of Design Hartmut Warkuss and his team were faced with a Herculean task:

they were to design a car that combined its classic heritage and state-of-the-art modernism in a unique and unmatched way. A serial production vehicle that continued a great tradition. A sports car worthy of the name Bugatti.

The designers created the Veyron 16.4, taking on a legend and mastering the challenge in one fell swoop: the final version of the serial production vehicle is almost identical to the first design draft. This indicates the high quality of the concept as well as the designer’s thoroughly responsible attitude and full intellectual grasp of the design objective. In order to transport the heritage of Ettore Bugatti to the present, the designers had to immerse themselves in the company’s history and to completely internalize the traditional brand values. That is the basis on which a feeling for the look and shape of the legendary brand can evolve.

The design sketch, however, is only the very first step. Turning a design into reality is by far the greater challenge. The challenge was taken, and the result is this automobile with its typical racecar mid-engine. A car that is made unique by its harmony, self-containment, and elegance. A car that exudes power, warmth, and charisma, taking an unchallenged position far beyond the mediocre. For the Veyron rises above any existing categories and classifications. It is not an Italian sports car, nor a British or French one. It is a Bugatti.