The Complete History of the Bugatti Veyron

Image via Complex Original

Year: 1998

Aside from the EB 110, a sports coupe that was produced in 1991 exactly 110 years after Ettore was born, Bugatti had been dormant for about 42 years from '55-'56 to '98. . Stacked with racing history and holding a strong name, Volkswagen AG wouldn't have it left to rest any longer and brought the company back to life in 1998, purchasing all trademarks and creating Bugatti Automobile S.A.S. a year later. VW quickly pushed strong out fo the gate and used long-time parters Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A to pump out a prototype immediately. That prototype was the EB118 that you see above, a 555hp coupe that debuted at the Paris Auto Salon. Though not directly related to the Veyron, it has a few subtle style cues that would show up in later models of Bugatti supercars.

Year: 1999

Shorty after the 118 was built, Italdesign stretched the car out a bit, added two doors and created the 218 sedan. It was the last time we'd seen a four-door bugatti before the concept of the 16C Galibier came into play. 

Year: 1999

The 18/3 Chiron was named after Louis Chiron, who won the 1927 Grand Prix of France in a Bugatti Type 35, and was designed by Italdesign's Fabrizio Giugiaro and VW design's Hartmut Warkuss. It's the first car that has a true resemblance of what the future Veyron would look like. It's got a much lower and wider profile, open air door scoops, a retractable rear wing, and shows off the engine in the rear. That engine was taken from the 118 and 218 and had 18 cylinders and three turbos, as indicated by the numbers in the name.

Year: 1999

The first Veyron, named after former Bugatti factory driver Pierre Veyron, debuted in Tokyo in 1999. The original concept's 6.3-liter, 18-cylinder engine put out 555 horsepower, had a top speed of 186.4 mph, and reached 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. Those numbers might seem like nothing compared to today's monster, but back then, this car was every bit powerful as its exterior, highlighted by the two protruding air intakes, was seductive. This was the fourth design study in a 15-month timeframe.

Year: 2001

The 2001 concept was much closer to being production-ready than the previous model. Rather than an 18-cylinder engine, the new car had a W16 that would set the standard for future Veyrons. The mid-engine is formed with two V8s each wîth a fifteen degree angle that join at the crankcase and sit 90 degrees to each other. It is aspirated by four turbochargers and is coupled with a seven-speed, double-clutch transmission, as opposed to a five-speed trans in the previous model. This powerhouse produced more than 400 more horsepower, reaching an output of 1,001.

Year: 2002

Before the final production Veyron debuted, two slightly-altered 2002 pre-production models toured the auto shows. Unveiled in an 'Art de Bugatti' party in Monaco, these cars were extended by 50 mm to improve cabin space and had a hi-fi system from Dieter Burmester.

Year: 2004

This was the final phase of testing. Bugatti built 11 prototypes that were extremely close to production maturity and tested them for a total of about 60,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) under the hardest of conditions. An example of testing was when engineers would see how the car would react to braking from 155 mph to 50 mph, then back to 155 five times in a row. The goal was to create a car that was as close to a street-legal racecar, while maintaing comfort and luxury, as possible.

Year: 2006

Finally, after a few delays and some angry customers, the production Veyron was finally ready for the public. Nearly 50 years after the company had shut down, the press was able to test the cars in October '05 on the Targa Florio track. The official numbers for the W16 car came out at 1,001 horsepower, 922 lb-ft of torque, a 253mph top speed, and a 0-62 time of 2.5 seconds.

Year: 2007

We can't 100 percent confirm, but we're pretty sure this was the earliest instance of a fully customized special edition Veyron. According to the forum where it was posted, a Ukrainian developer that already owned a Mercedes-Benz SLR and Pagani Zonda was shopping in Dubai with this red and cream beauty. The Pegaso Veyron, which was reportedly boosted to 1,200 horsepower, might be related to the Pegaso car manufacturer that produced the Z-102 and Z-103 ​​between 1951 and 1957.

Year: 2008

Inspired by the raw beauty of the components that made up the Veyron, Bugatti designers wanted to leave a model without any color coating. The result is this carbon and aluminium two-tone striker.

Year: 2008

Drawn from the Type 57S Atlantic, the Sang Noir features a black-piano lacquer working with black tinted carbon fiber that is offset by multiple chrome accents and blue brake calipers. A dark personality on the outside is washed away when you open up to a bright all-leather hand-stitched interior.

Year: 2008

On the occasion of the 78th Geneva Motor Show, the Bugatti design team partnered up with Hermés to further refine the already ultra-luxe vehicle. Designer Gabriele Pezzini took on the look, featuring eight-spoke wheels, a hood colorway that flowed through the interior and out the back lid, and a grille with interlocking Hs symbols.

Year: 2009

After debuting at Geneva earlier in the year with color schemes of ebony and toupe and ebony and brick, Bugatti wanted to refresh the line with four new colorways for the Quail Motorsport gathering. The new models included indigo blue and vermilion, indigo blue and lime green, black and garance red, and Prussian blue and blue jean.

Year: 2009

At this point the Bugatti Veyron had officially been a success. So much of a success that people wanted a convertible model. So, the Grand Sport was created. The main issue with this was maintaining safety and rigidity within the body. In order to do so, Bugatti reinforced the side skirts and transmission tunnel, used carbon fiber to cross-stiffen the B-pillars, and added a stronger beam within each carbon fiber door. The new model, which cost about $1.8 million when it debuted, suffered only a slight loss in power, dipping to 987 horses.

Year: 2009

The L'edition Centenaire is an homage to a car that dominated the raceways 100 years before: the Bugatti Type 35. Like this historic car, the new limited run features exposed brushed aluminum butted against a single color (of which you had four to choose from). The cars honored Jean-Pierre Wimille, Achille Varzi, Malcolm Campbell, and Hermann Zu Leiningen.

Year: 2009

The Bleu Centenaire also celebrated the 100-year history of the company, draped in the well-known Bugatti blue. Rather than the usual two-tone effort, however, a gloss finish worked with a matte finish of the same Sprint Blue to create a new effect. This, coupled with a new wheel design and polished, anodised aluminium ushered in a new era of design. From this car on, the Veyron would include LED lights, Park Distance Control and a rearview camera standard.

Year: 2009

It was only a matter of time before custom houses began to dip their feet into the new growing Bugatti money pool. "Vincerò! Vincerò! – I will win" was chanted by Nessun Dorma, a famous tenor aria from Giacomo Puccini´s opera Turandot. The exterior was redone with modified front wings, a shorter hood, a front apron, LED running lights, side skirts, larger side air outlets, and a new diffuser. Increased air cooling and an optimized exhaust system help bump the tuned machine to 1,109 horsepower.

Year: 2009

Finishing off the 100-year party at the Pebble Beach Concours, Bugatti released a one-off Grand Sport. The two-tone look does not use two paints, but rather a blue carbon fiber with polished aluminum. The wheels are spun with Midnight Blue and Diamond Cut, and the interior is draped in a Gaucho leather.

Year: 2010

The Nocturne is one of three special editions that were created specifically for the Middle East market. It again uses the polished aluminium upper to contrast with the gloss black paint. The interior is a standout at this point in the Veyron line, with a black nanocoated magnesium dashboard and a centre console in galvanized platinum.

Year: 2010

If you love supercars, you already know that the Middle East is prime for expensive autos. Hell, they got Nissan to build the Juke R pretty much specifically for them. Some of the key players over there are Al Habtoor Motors in the U.A.E., Al Zayani Trading Co. in Kuwait, Al Ghassan Motors in Saudi Arabia, and Dana Motors in Quatar. Bugatti recognized these partners with three limited runs, including the Sang d'Argent. This version uses a less vibrant method contrasting aluminum and silver. The guts finish off with a Havanna quilted leather.

Year: 2010

The third ME special edition came out with a completely new look. Rather than the two-tone coming in the typical body chunks, this polished aluminium and painted black blue metallic was split near the bottom of the car. The split is similar to that of the 1928 Bugatti Type 37A.

Year: 2010

Testing on the Volkswagen Group's Ehra-Lessien proving grounds, the Super Sport achieved an average top speed of 267.8 mph. The car was the new and improved model of the Veyron series, pushing 1,200 horsepower, 199 more than the regular 16/4, and 1,106 lb-ft of torque. The first five Super Sports off the line were configured just like the model that broke the production car speed record.

Year: 2010

Take the '09 Linea Vincero, swap in some special gold-coloured alloy, and you have the Linea Vincero d'Oro. Mansory also thread copper into the carbon fiber, giving it the whole car an overly shimmery shine.

Year: 2010

If you haven't noticed, Bugatti doesn't really like showing up to auto events without something new to proudly display to current and potential admirers. They're called auto SHOWs for a reason. At the Geneva Auto Show, the company came out strong with two striking new colorways. The first uses a royal blue carbon on the bonnet, monocoque, rear, intakes, and on the inlets of the rims. That is slated against arctic white side panels. This one-off was eventually sold for $2,263,100.

Year: 2010

The second takes a more sinister approach, incorporating a dark gray split over polished aluminum. The interior is pretty much entirely covered in leather, including the the dashboard and center console. The gavel hit a little less hard, selling this for $2,133,780.

Year: 2010

This classy one-off broad is dripping in Matte Pearlescent White. Except, it's a Bugatti, so they didn't call it that. They called it Bianco Canopus Matte. A black interior gives it a revers tuxedo appeal, matching the black front grille, roof rails, engine covers and exhuast. It was built for a special customer in the U.K.

Year: 2011

The Bijan Pakzad Edition Grand Sport was released, sadly, right after the Iranian fashion designer passed away. The project was completed in time, but did not see daylight until after tragedy struck. The car is dipped in his signature yellow and has a muralled Bocca della Verità ("mouth of truth") logo on the hood. The car has since become a landmark on Rodeo Drive, as it sits in front of his store, the most expensive designer shop in the world. 

Year: 2011

The Shanghai Auto Show presented two newly colored Grand Sports. The first was this chilly matte white beauty that was complemented by blue carbon accents and blue interior.

Year: 2011

The second Shanghai display car, this time a Super Sport was the Black Carbon. The dark exterior is outlined in polished and anodized aluminum. The usual two-tone is actually carried out in the cabin, with "Snow Beige" and "Beluga Black" battling for attention. The car was sold to a customer in China.

Year: 2011

Believe it or not, this isn't Birdman's car. That's obvious just from looking at the headlights (Birdman's had the three circular pieces). This model was the show center at Frankfurt, hoping to attract more buyers with a full red-on-red-on-red-on-red look. The red might actually work, considering we'd probably have to murder somebody to actually be able to get our hands on one of these.

Year: 2011

After the Soleil de Nuit, Sang d'Argent, and Nocturne; Bugatti knew that the market in the Middle East was truly a keg that would never pump air. At the Dubai Motor Show, three new special editions were created specifically for the overseas millionaires. The first highlighted Ettore Bugatti's favorite colors, yellow and black, split on the exterior and punctuated on the inside with reverse stitching.

Year: 2011

Number two also featured the split-car design, this time with blue carbon and polished aluminum. The interior wore tangerine leather, with dark indigo blue door panels, dashboard, steering wheel and console.

Year: 2011

The third of the new Middle East triplets got a color unseen on a Grand Sport before: green. That rarity was noticeable in the price tag at $2,250,168.

Year: 2011

Possibly the most visually eye-opening Veyron, the L'Or Blanc is the result of a partnership with the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM), a royal porcelain company. According to Bugatti, it is the the first vehicle that incorporates porcelain into both the exterior and interior design. In order to achieve such a complex piece of art, the design studio used the bright light (literally) to guide the lines. Based on the interpretations of the reflections, the designers put Japanese soft tissue tape over an already-white vehicle, finalizing each detail of each line. What you see above was the final result.

Year: 2011

If we get something for ourselves for our own birthday, it's usually a nice pair of Nikes, the new FIFA, or a sick seat to the next Bulls game. That's because we're average chumps. Simon, the Chinese buyer that created this one-off Super Sport, is no chump. Merveilleux, which translates to marvelous, means an unpainted carbon fiber body in car speak. It also means black alloy rims and an ostentatious bright blue interior. Cheers to Simon!

Year: 2012

The L'Or Blanc made a second appearance on the planet in a slightly altered coat, this time with a dark blue and light blue look, rather than blue and white. There is not a lot of information on this particular one-off, but it is believed to have been built for a special customer, like usual. 

Year: 2012

What the Super Sport is to the 16.4 Veyron, the Vitesse is to the Grand Sport. It takes on the 1,200 horsepower and 1,106 lb-ft of torque, making it, at the time, the fastest roadster in the world. Two colorways debuted, a tri-color that used exposed blue carbon, lake blue, and light blue sport; and a jet gray one that uses matte finishing.

Year: 2012

Bugatti wanted the 1,200hp convertible to make a smashing entrance in Asia at the Beijing Motor Show, so two one-offs were created. The split red and black livery was used for the first, with diamond-cut red rims. 

Year: 2012

The second, the Wei Long edition, incorporates "unique porcelain dragon relief parts" into the interior and exterior of the car. Developed with Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur Berlin, the same company that helped with the L'Or Blanc, the car has dragon symbols embossed in the headrest, as well as in the 100 percent silk floor mats.

Year: 2012

Although it wasn't a historical mark on the automotive timeline like most of the vehicles at the Quail Motorsports Gathering, the Special Edition Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse does have a bit of backstory in its blood, as the one-off color scheme is based on the iconic 1928 Bugatti Type 37A. The 7.9-liter 1,200hp 254mph W16 engine remained untouched, but the new look was enough to fetch a $2.5 million price tag, $300,000 higher than the base. Worth it?

Year: 2012

As it continued to make its way around the auto world circule, Bugatti also went around the color wheel, bringing out a new brown carbon fiber to the bunch for Geneva. The interior followed suit, with "gaucho" leather and "coffee" stitching.

Year: 2012

No better way to mark a debut than by also kicking out a special edition. That is just what Bugatti has done in Sao Paulo, introducing the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse to South America and offering the sleek Rafale edition. The special model has "Gris Rafale" finsih on the upper body an visible blue carbon on the roof, air scoops, and portions of the rear.

Year: 2012

This piece of work is the last and most recent Veyron that we've seen, as we wait for the new 1,600 hypercar that we've heard about. This "BUGARTI" was created by Ian Cook, AKA Pop Bang Color, using a vinyl wrap instead of actual paint.