Concept Car of the Week: Bugatti 18/3 Chiron (1999)

In 1998, Volkswagen AG acquired the French company Bugatti with the intention of restoring it to its former glory. After the luxurious EB112 and EB118 concepts, Ferdinand Piech commissioned Italdesign to work on another prototype: a Bugatti flagship supercar – the Chiron.

While its predecessor, the mighty EB110, was a fantastic and bold design, it lacked a real Bugatti character. The tiny horseshoe grill in the front air intake looked more like an afterthought.

Fabrizio Giugiaro worked alongside Hartmut Warkuss from Volkswagen to reinterpret many of Bugatti's signature elements such as the feature running along the center line. It was first seen on the riveted spine of the 57 SC Atlantic and was also beautifully integrated on the mirror design. Similarly, the 20-inch eight-spoke wheels were a nod to the ones found on the old T35 or T51.

Although the Chiron had a nice, classic silhouette, some elements were a bit clumsy, such as the heavy DLO, the rectangular rocker, or the large chromed grill that was so flat it looked like a sticker.
On the other hand, the pronounced rear arches stretched all the way to the elegant tail, where two big double exhaust pipes poked through a large air extractor designed as a downforce spoiler. At high speed a rear wing was deployed much like the EB110.

"18/3" refers to the 18 cylinders made of three blocks of six cylinders as used previously on the EB 118 and EB 218. The monstrous 6.3-liters W18 puts 555hp on all four wheels and was partially left in the open air for dramatic effect. The name Chiron honors Louis Alexandre Chiron, one of the most successful Bugatti pilots, who also holds the record for being the oldest driver to participate in a Formula 1 GP.

Built on a Lamborghini Diablo SV chassis and with a body made of carbon fiber, the Chiron was very lightweight, which made it capable of reaching speeds above 330km/h. In addition, the body was finished in racing blue, recalling the majestic cars that made the brand legendary.

There was no real luxury inside, a simple dashboard wraps around the two passengers and sits on a large straight console. The blend of reversed Sabbia leather and blue leather was neatly finished with contrasting aluminum trims and a removable chronograph watch.

The Chiron was obviously a study for what would become the Veyron and although Italdesign's proposal wasn't selected for the chosen theme, a few elements including the front end and the interior would have a strong influence over the final design. 

First seen IAA Frankfurt 1999
Designer Fabrizio Giugiaro, Hartmut Warkuss
Length 4,420mm
Height 1,150mm
Wheelbase 2,650mm
Engine W18, 6.3-Liters, 72 valves, 555bhp
Top speed 330km/h +

Your author, Flavien Dachet, is a UK-based, French-born car designer. You may know him as the purveyor of KarzNshit, a photo blog that if isn't already in your bookmarks, certainly should be.

By Flavien Dachet