Fuel to the fire

Since production of the Bugatti Veyron ended, speculation about its potential successor has been rife. The Chiron, as it’s thought to be called, was shown to lucky customers at Pebble Beach. Rather than confirm or deny any information, Bugatti has fuelled further speculation by announcing a new concept car to be shown at next week’s IAA in Frankfurt.

Created in collaboration with the makers of Gran Turismo, the famous computer racing game, the car is aimed at the rather less well-heeled fans of the brand. “The Bugatti design team normally works only for the exclusive and very distinguished circle of the brand’s customers. Now Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo has given us the opportunity, for the first time, to do something special for our fans as well,” commented Bugatti design chief, Achim Anscheidt.  “When the target group suddenly grows from 450 Veyron owners to several million fans, gamers and high-performance aficionados, it is a very exciting matter. We had a lot of fun with this project.”

For the (virtual) circuit

Racing Bugattis from the 1920s and 1930s, including the fabled Type 57 Tank, inspired the ‘Vision Gran Turismo’ and the aerodynamic elements such as the NACA duct on the roof are clearly designed for the virtual circuit. Certain aspects, though, could well hint at what’s to come from the Chiron – those narrow headlights, perhaps? The excitement builds…