A new Bugatti piece of art for Pebble Beach : The Sang Bleu to honour the 100th anniversary of the marque

Carmel, California, 14th August 2009. Continuing this years 100th anniversary celebrations Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. has chosen the prestigious Pebble Beach weekend to present a further highlight to pay tribute to this legendary brand : The company proudly unveils the Bugatti Sang Bleu - an exclusive, one-off Grand Sport, honouring the marques precious heritage.

Innovation and Harmony

The Sang Bleu has ventured into new areas. Instead of applying two paint colours or paint and material to highlight the two tone design the Sang Bleu exclusively concentrates on materials - carbon fibre and aluminum - an innovative combination never realised before. This unique approach opens a new dimension of Art Forme Technique , the companys core values.

The colour combination commissioned for the Pebble Beach car is blue carbon fibre with polished aluminum. The visual carbon fibre is tinted in royal blue to emphasize the refined volumes and surfaces of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. The rear airscoops are tinted in the same nightblue offering a dramatic view from above and thus fluidly integrate into the overall design philosophy of this unique model.

The rims are inspired by the Grand Sport Roadster and are highlighted in a Midnight Blue and Diamond Cut two tone finish. The interior, specially and tastefully selcted for the Pebble Beach event, is trimmed in a newly developed Gaucho leather which blends with the intriguing and pure exterior materials creating an elegant and harmonious overall appearance.

Featured Marque

In the year of its100th anniversary Bugatti has been selected to be one of the featured marques at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours dElegance. Ettore Bugatti started his business in the Alsacian town of Molsheim in 1909. The name of the company: Ettore Bugatti Automobiles i. Els.. In 1956 the company ceased its activities. Exactly 50 years later, in March 2006, the first Bugatti Veyron built by Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. was delivered after the Volkswagen Group had aquired the rights of the Bugatti marque in 1998 and started the re-launch of this famous brand. To date over 250 of the planned Bugatti Veyrons are sold, 215 of them have been delivered to customers worldwide. In June 2009 Bugatti started production of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, the open roadster. The sales results are encouraging over 20 Grand Sports have been sold, with first deliveries already started.

The Bugatti Sang Bleu is the latest in a line of centenary Bugatti models which have won worldwide acclaim in 2009. This unique car stands like the others - for the commitment of the Bugatti of today to carry the values and the philosophy of Ettore Bugatti, the founder of this unique marque, into a successful future.

by Bugatti

'Sang Bleu' to honour the 100th anniversary of the marque

European premiere of another unique Bugatti model

Continuing this year's 100th anniversary celebrations, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. will present another tribute to the marque's legendary heritage on the eve of the Frankfurt International Motor Show: the 'Sang Bleu', an exclusive one-off Grand Sport model.

Innovation and harmony

The 'Sang Bleu' represents a step into uncharted territory. Instead of using two paint colours or a combination of paint and bare material to achieve the two-tone design, the 'Sang Bleu' uses materials alone – in this case, carbon fibre and aluminium. This innovative combination has never been used before. It is a unique approach that represents a new interpretation of the company's core values of 'Art – Forme – Technique'.

The material combination for this unique car is carbon fibre with polished aluminium. The carbon fibre is coloured royal blue to emphasise the lines and surfaces of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. The rear airscoops are coloured the same royal blue. As such they look particularly dramatic from above, and integrate fluidly into the overall design of this unique model.

The rims are inspired by the Grand Sport Roadster and are highlighted in a royal blue/diamond cut two-tone finish. The interior is trimmed in new Gaucho leather which blends with the intriguing yet understated exterior materials to create an elegant and harmonious overall appearance.

A marque of distinction Ettore Bugatti started his business in the Alsatian town of Molsheim in 1909. The name of the company was 'Ettore Bugatti Automobiles i. Els'. The company ceased trading in 1956. Exactly 50 years later, in March 2006, the first Bugatti Veyron built by Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. was delivered, after the Volkswagen Group had acquired the rights to the Bugatti name in 1998 and relaunched this famous marque. To date, over 250 of the planned 300 Bugatti Veyrons have been sold, and 215 of them have been delivered to customers around the world. In June 2009 Bugatti started production of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport open-top roadster. Their production is limited to 150 units of which the first chassis numbers are reserved for existing Veyron owners. Sales are highly encouraging, with over 20 Grand Sports already ordered, and the first cars already having been delivered.

The Bugatti 'Sang Bleu' had previously only been exhibited at the Concours d'Elégance in Pebble Beach, California earlier this year, where it was immediately snapped up for 1.9 million euros (excluding taxes). It is the latest in a series of centenary Bugatti models which have won worldwide acclaim in 2009. Like the others, this unique car symbolises the modern Bugatti's commitment to building a successful future based on the values and philosophy of Ettore Bugatti, the founder of this unique marque.

by Bugatti

The trials of the fastest road sports car in the world have been successfully completed. One of the most ambitious projects in automobile history is entering its production phase. The first Bugatti Veyron 16.4 cars, built mainly by hand, are already being completed and will be delivered to customers this year.

The sports car, capable of more than 400 km/h, is driven by a 16-cylinder mid-engine, that at 710 mm long is no larger than a conventional V12 unit, and due to its lightweight construction weighs only about 400 kilos. Its compact dimensions are due to the unique arrangement of its cylinder banks in a W configuration. Two VR8 blocks, each with a fifteen degree bank angle, are joined in the crankcase to form one engine. Both eight cylinders are set at an angle of ninety degrees to each other and are aspirated by a total of four exhaust gas turbochargers. The engine delivers 1001 HP at 6,000 r.p.m. and provides a maximum torque of 1250 Newton metres at between 2,200 and 5,500 r.p.m.

To apply the power of the 64-valve unit to achieve satisfactory driving dynamics both in everyday traffic and on the racetrack, the Bugatti development team of Dr. Franz-Joseph Paefgen and Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber has realized a propulsion unit that is without parallel in its complexity. If the extreme engine power is a master stroke of genius, its conversion for road use is an equally tough challenge. As Dr. Schreiber says 'For 1000 HP propulsion power, the system demands approximately 2000 HP to be additionally generated as heat energy during combustion. Half in each case is dissipated in the exhaust gas and cooling water'.

To do this, the Bugatti engine has two water circuits. The larger of the two with 40 liters of cooling water has three coolers in the front section of the car, to keep the engine at operating temperature. The second circuit, called the low-temperature system, has a separate water pump and contains 15 liters of cooling water. These are used to cool, by up to 130 degrees, the charged air, heated during compression in the turbochargers, in two heat exchangers mounted on the engine. The cooled, charged air then passes through two 'air manifolds' into the combustion chamber, which it then leaves as exhaust gas at approximately 1,000 degrees. It then passes through the turbines of the exhaust gas turbochargers. This causes the exhaust gas to expand, so that it is cooled by up to about 150 degrees, is then cleaned in the catalyzer and exhausted.

In addition to its unique compactness, the high performance of the power unit is the centrepoint of the dvelopment. Lightweight materials are used that not only result in a low power-to-weight ratio but also particularly provide the spontaneous response of the moving engine-internal masses. In addition to piston rods of titanium, the so called 'easy runners', the eight-stage oil pump integrated into the crankcase for dry sump lubrication has light aluminum gears. Because the arrangement of the 16 cylinders ensures extremely quiet running, only a small flywheel is needed. The use of motor sport technology is evident not only from the plasma-coated running faces of the cylinders but also by the use of high-strength steel for the shafts and gears in the aluminum crankcase.

Unique in engine design is the integration of knock and misfiring detection in an ion current system. Because the multiplicity of cylinders means very quiet running and ensures that the velocity difference will be extremely small in the event of a cylinder misfire, cylinder-selective detection by measuring rough running is not reliable enough. Therefore, Bugatti Ion Current Sensing (BIS) is used. The ion current flowing at each spark plug at the timepoint of ignition is monitored by a separate evaluation sensor system. The data obtained is passed to both engine control units. If knocking combustion or a misfire is detected, the associated control unit immediately initiates countermeasures, such as retardation of the ignition timepoint, shutdown of the cylinder or reduction of the charge pressure. According to the head of Bugatti Unit Development Gregor Gries, 'The aim of our technology is

to generate the maximum performance from the engine in a stable, clean manner'.

The power generated in the engine is transferred to the flange-mounted direct manual gearbox (DSG). The torque and speed is then transmitted, through the gearing of seven forward and one reverse gear, via a universal drive to the front axle gearbox and via a second universal drive, along the right side of the engine to the rear axle gearbox. Both the DSG and both axle gearbox housings are of lightweight aluminum construction. The drive power is distributed to the front and rear axles by means of a Haldex coupling, an actively-controlled multi-disk, inter-axle lock directly connected to the front axle gearbox. The following front axle differential distributes the power to both front wheels. In the rear axle differential the power is distributed to the rear wheels via a bevel gear and a further differential. In addition, an actively-controlled, hydraulically-actuated, multi-disk differential lock is installed here. When necessary, it prevents speed differences between the rear wheels and ensures optimum directional stability when accelerating and when cornering under load. All load distribution functions are completely automatic and are undetected by the driver.

The Bugatti marque has since earliest times been regarded as a central force in the advancement of automobile development by innovative solutions. A position deservedly maintained by the first high-performance sports car of the modern Bugatti.

by Bugatti