Bugatti has unveiled the latest one-off build from Programme Solitaire, its bespoke commissions arm, which pays tribute to the car that propelled the term ‘hypercar’ into the world’s vocabulary.
Dubbed the Veyron F.K.P. Hommage, it pays tribute to the Veyron as it celebrates its 20th anniversary, along with honouring Dr Ferdinand Karl Piëch, the man who made it all possible.
While the original Veyron idea started out with an engine design sketch on the back of an envelope, penned by the then-CEO of Volkswagen aboard a Japanese bullet train, this unique creation is based on the more recent Mistral convertible.
Although the customer who commissioned the build is unknown, as is the likely incomprehensible price tag, many of the unique specifications they asked for are known.
Finished in a similar black and red colour scheme to the very first customer-delivered Veyron, chassis 001, the F.K.P. Hommage isn’t painted, but rather finished in exposed carbon fibre with a tinted clearcoat.
The distinctive red sections employ advanced layering techniques, utilising a silver aluminium-based coat beneath the red-tinted clearcoat. Meanwhile, the black-tinted sections incorporate a 10 percent black pigment into the clearcoat.
Its proportions are naturally a bit different to those of the original car, but with a more refined and modern twist. Indeed, the Mistral was chosen – rather than using the somewhat more plentiful Chiron as a basis – because it’s a convertible, allowing for the right roofline to be fitted.
The original 18.6-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels with notoriously costly ‘PAX’ tyre-mounting system have been replaced by 20- and 21-inch wheels with conventional Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
Inside, you’ll find a circular steering wheel like that of the original Veyron, rather than a flat-bottomed wheel as seen in other Bugatti models – along with a bespoke centre console cover machined from solid aluminium.
As an evolution of the leather-only interiors of the Veyron, Custom Car Couture fabrics woven in Paris – as offered on the upcoming Tourbillon – represent the brand’s latest advancement in interior personalisation.
Perhaps the most lavish option of all, however, is the incorporation of an incredible 41mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon watch atop the dashboard in place of a typical clock.
It’s positioned inside an ‘island’ finished in engine-turned polish, a technique borrowed from the finishing of Ettore Bugatti’s original straight-eight cylinder heads. It also features an ingenious self-winding mechanism to keep it ticking: a ‘gondola’ that rotates on a diagonal axis several times per hour, powered by the car itself without electrical connection.
While the original Veyron was known and renowned for its 1001PS quad-turbocharged W16 engine and 400km/h-plus top speed, the F.K.P. Hommage features the most extreme evolution of that engine available – the 1600PS version from the Chiron Super Sport.
“Prof Dr Ferdinand Karl Piëch was the ultimate engineer, always demanding that his cars had the very latest and most advanced technology,” explains Bugatti design director Frank Heyl.
“For the F.K.P. Hommage we honour his vision with the highest specification engine of 1600 horsepower, the reinforced double-clutch gearbox, the latest tire compounds and optimized thermo- and aerodynamics – all the latest developments across 20 years of W16 evolution, wrapped in the timeless shape of a Veyron.
“It was a tremendous honour to work directly with the client on this project, refining every detail through multiple iterations to create what I consider the ideal, definitive Veyron.”
The F.K.P. Hommage joins the Brouillard – revealed at last year’s Monterey Car Week – as the second creation from Programme Solitaire, Bugatti’s exclusive initiative creating only two bespoke masterpieces annually. As with all of the division’s projects, it completely reimagines the car’s bodywork and interior, along with offering virtually limitless customisation options to the most well-heeled customers.
