The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2023 - Issue 34

in love with the idea.The implementation may sound quite straightforward, but achieving a perfect finish that would last the test of time took more patience and craftsmanship than you could ever imagine.” It captured the incomparable legacy of the French marque. On the passenger side, 26 hand-drawn sketches depicted icons like the Type 41 Royale, lauded as the most luxuri- ous car when revealed in 1926. The Type 57 SC Atlantic is regarded as the most beautiful car ever designed. On the driver’s side, 19 sketches portrayed Bugatti’s rebirth and enduring success since 1987, tracing from the EB110 through the Veyron and Chiron. It also represented the 3,712 com- ponents that created the legendaryW16 engine. A bespoke colour in a timeless and celebratory shade of gold named ‘Doré’ (meaning ‘gold’ in English) was created and applied to the car. It was combined with a gradient colour split into a particular metallic variant of ‘Nocturne Black’ to create the perfect base for the designers to begin the daunting process of sketching directly onto the car instead of doing it initially from paper. Through passion, an excess of 400 hours and a degree of trial and learning, the design team achieved the desired finish for exterior artwork. The vision for the ‘Golden Era’ required the drawings to be finished visually, resembling a pencil sketch on paper. Cre- ating the appearance of matte paper on a smooth, polished surface or ensuring the ink adheres appropriately so it does not fade out over time was an enormous challenge never done before. If any mistakes were made, the process would have to be repeated until flawless. It had to be imagined on a Concours d’Elegance lawn a century from now and still look immaculate. After contemplating several techniques and sketch pencils to achieve the desired visual effect, the paint team lightly sanded the panels to create gentle ridges and pits to allow the ink to seep in. Crystal-clear coats were applied to the sanded Chiron Super Sport four times to create a piece of art with real contrast and a three-dimensional sense of foreground and background. This unique project set a new benchmark in automotive couture commissions and a special tribute to Bugatti’s golden era. Inside the cabin, illustrations of the essential models were applied using a fine paintbrush and special paint onto a flat piece of leather before being stretched and curved to fit the door panels. A mixture of leather, suede, and further customised touches, including tread plates, mark the time periods on each side of the car. The flowing and elegant Bugatti handwriting forms ‘One-of-one’ gold script, and ‘Golden Era’ is stitched into the headrests and written underneath the rear wing. The ‘Golden Era’ took two years of innovative and bespoke craftsmanship featuring new techniques that elevated it from the world of automotive and pure artistry. As Bugatti founder Ettore Bugatti said, “Not only must a Bugatti be incomparable, but nothing is too beautiful.” The commis- sioned design embraces craftsmanship and beauty while paying homage to Bugatti creations, the man whose genius continues to inspire it and the customers who continu- ously inspire and challenge the teams with their passion and creativity. https://www.bugatti.com bitecars