Bugatti Grand Sport Venet edition (2012): a 253mph art car

This is the latest one-off Bugatti Veyron supercar: the Bernar Venet editon.

Partly inspired by the 1970s BMW art cars of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, French artist Bernar Venet's creation pays tribute to the eggheads responsible for the Veyron's conception, by covering the front panels in mathematical equations relating to the output of the car's enormous engine. It's certainly different to the sort of motoring artist's impressions we usually bring you on CAR Online...

Given the bare carbonfibre, gold-plated and even porcelain-flecked one-off Veyrons we've seen before, a special edition with a passing resemblance to a GCSE maths book is almost conservative. The reddish-brown colouring of the exterior and cabin upholstery rererences rusted metal, which Venet has used to create his signature sculptures over the past five decades.

What isn't conservative is the power those equations relate to: 987bhp of quad-turbocharged, 16-cylinder power that makes the Veyron Grand Sport the world's second-fastest convertible.

Of course, it's only beaten by its rarer brother, the 1183bhp, 267mph Bugatti Veyron Vitesse. Now hard-top Veyron production has ceased, your only option to buy a brand-new Bug is to spec one of the open-top variety. Still, it's a nice problem to have.

If you want to see for yourself the world's fastest maths lesson, the Veyron Venet will be exhibited in Miami at the Art Basel Miami Beach from 5-9 December 2012.

By Ollie Kew