Bugatti fans, petrol heads and gamers have reason to look forward to this year’s Frankfurt motor show. Specifically for the exhibition, Bugatti has transformed a virtual project into tangible reality.
The French super sports car brand has revealed it will be presenting a virtual concept developed in cooperation with Polyphony Digital Inc., creator of the Gran Turismo video game franchise, as a real show car.
Bugatti says the virtual racer serves as a tribute to the brand’s racing tradition of the 1920s and 1930s and its victories in Le Mans 24-hour races. The historical theme for the design was, in particular, the Type 57 Tank and its victories in the 24-hour Le Mans race in 1937 and 1939.
The designers are also keen to stress that the vehicle was developed in close cooperation with engineers and is based on “cutting-edge racing technology and precise aerodynamic analyses”.
“Under no circumstances did we want to create a retro-style race car in memory of the successes in Le Mans, but rather to transfer the feeling and mood of these special moments in Bugatti’s history to a modern vehicle,” says Sasha Selipanov, current head of exterior design at Bugatti.
The exterior form language is dominated by large convex surfaces in contrast to concave transitions and strong lines. The side view is characterised by the famous “Bugatti line”. And the virtual race car has also been furnished with the most recognisable symbol of a Bugatti, the horse shoe on the front grille. It is placed in the centre of the central front air intake and supports the structure between the wings and the front splitter. The horse shoe is flanked by the eight-eyed headlights, which were developed especially for the concept.
Another typical Bugatti design element is the centre fin, which originated on the Type 57 Atlantic from 1936. The designers employ two versions of the fin on the Vision GT: one on the front and rear wings, where they contribute to the appearance of the vehicle and the other running the length of the roof, where it is claimed to make a contribution to the car’s dynamic stability. An interesting detail on the roof is the NACA air intake, which, with its contrasting light blue finish, not only has a distinct shape but is also said to make a contribution to the control of the aerodynamic conditions on top of and at the rear of the car without compromising the effectiveness of the rear wing.
“We wanted to create a project as realistic as possible for our fans and put a real Bugatti in the virtual world of the PlayStation video game franchise,” explains Frank Heyl, head of exterior design for production development at Bugatti. “Every design characteristic is defined by its function.”
Designed under the overall supervision of Bugatti design boss Achim Anscheidt, the concept car also previews the design language of the Veyron’s successor, which is set to launch sometime in 2017.
Source: Bugatti
