Following the launch of its “Les Légendes de Bugatti” (Bugatti Legends) series a few weeks ago in Pebble Beach in California, Bugatti has unveiled the second vehicle in the series, the “Jean Bugatti” Legend Edition. But if you want one, you need to act fast. Only three of the vehicles are being produced.
The Jean Bugatti Legend model pays homage to the eldest son of Bugatti founder, Ettore Bugatti. From the late 1920s onwards, Jean Bugatti used his own structural and design ideas to exert more and more influence over the development of the company located in Molsheim, Alsace. In 1936, he took over as head of the company at the age of 27. By the time of his tragic accidental death in 1939, Jean had secured his place in automotive history thanks to his pioneering engine and chassis designs and concepts for vehicle bodies.
“Jean Bugatti is a Bugatti legend,” says 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’.”
One of the most extraordinary designs created by Jean Bugatti was the Type 57SC Atlantic, one of the finest sport coupés ever built. The new Jean Bugatti Legend vehicle is a call back to La Voiture Noire (‘The Black Car’), an Atlantic model which was driven by Jean Bugatti himself and has been lost since the Second World War.
“The Bugatti 57SC Atlantic is an icon. For many, it is one of the most elegant and valuable sports cars in automotive history,” asserts Wolfgang Schreiber.
The Jean Bugatti Legend Edition is based on the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse. It has an 8-liter W16 engine that can go from 0 – 60 in a stunning 2.6 seconds.
The vehicle’s elegant, minimalist exterior is constructed entirely from jet black, clear-coated carbon fiber. The Bugatti horseshoe on the front grille and the EB logo on the rear are made of platinum. Bugatti is using this precious material for the very first time on the exterior of one of its modern models. The car’s wheels feature black diamond-cut rims.
In a final reference to the Legend Edition’s namesake, the signature of Jean Bugatti has been lasered onto the petrol and oil cap and painted Arctic grey.
The Jean Bugatti Legend Edition will sell for $3 million.
