Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport „Jean-Pierre Wimille“ Edition

Description

In the wider context of the 2013 Quail/Pebble Beach Weekend, Bugatti celebrated the world premiere of its first model to be dedicated to a legend of the brand, the limited-edition Jean-Pierre Wimille, of which only three were produced. The French luxury marque was honouring its former works driver, who scored a maiden victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937 and repeated the feat two years later. The vehicle is based on the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse and is styled after Wimille’s historic 1937 racing car, a Bugatti Type 57G Tank.

Bugatti legend "Jean-Pierre Wimille"

The Jean-Pierre Wimille is based on the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, the 8-litre W16 engine of which delivers an enormous 1,200 horsepower, an unprecedented 1,500 Nm of torque at 3,000 to 5,000 rpm and acceleration from zero to one hundred in 2.6 seconds. With a top speed of 408.84 km/h driven open-top in April 2013, the Vitesse holds the world speed record for open-top production sports cars.

Design

The exterior and interior design of the vehicle reveal the close links to its historical role model. The body of the legendary Vitesse Jean Pierre Wimille is made entirely of carbon fibre and is resplendent in the colour blue, which was characteristic of French racing cars of the time. The historic vehicle’s colour split of light and dark blue was implemented in the Vitesse with meticulous attention to detail.

The entire front section of the vehicle, the side doors and the areas behind the doors (the so-called ‘medallions’) are painted in ‘Bleu Wimille’. Only the upper part of the front wings remains in dark blue natural carbon fibre. The light blue paintwork can also be found on the underside of the striking rear wing, on which the historic silhouette of the famous race track has been painted in silver as a special eye-catcher and reference to Wimille’s first victory at Le Mans. As a further reference to Wimille, the racing driver’s signature was lasered into the dark blue painted fuel and oil caps. The headlining, footwell and seat centre panels are finished in ‘Bleu Wimille’, while the seat bolsters are dark blue. The ‘Lake Blue’ theme continues on the dashboard, on the centre console and in the doors.