With the partnership between Bugatti and the Königliche Porzellan-Manufatur Berlin (KPM) the renowned manufacturer emphasizes the ability in creating pieces of automotive art. The "L'Or Blanc" celebrates its world premiere with an exclusive unveiling ceremony on June 30, 2011 at the KPM workshops in Berlin. This unique version of a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is the world's first motor car to wear the finest porcelain on its body, as well as in its cabin. It captivates with an abstract exterior design. (more...)
The security officer nods, the door opens. Amidst pure white walls bright spotlights illuminate a Bugatti Grand Sport that is placed in the center of the spacious room. We have entered the hidden world of the Bugatti Design Studio. The team around Bugatti's Head of Design Achim Anscheidt works in a quiet and focused atmosphere as they walk around their latest object of desire. Several times they stop, take a step to the left and to the right; they bend down and up again, looking intensely at the Grand Sport from different angles. They analyse the reflections of light on the car's body before they step back for a moment to get an overall impression of their work. Thin blue lines flow over the bright white exterior of the fastest convertible in the world. It feels like visiting the atelier of an American pop-art artist.
The creation bears the name "L'Or Blanc." It represents an automobile that redefines the art of design. If you look at it through the eyes of a designer, you will recognize that it is the reflection of the studio lights on the body that attracts their interest. Positioned beneath a special light, the car is set in an ideal environment that provides an excellent image of the reflections. The studio light is reflected on the invisible edges between the body shapes of the Grand Sport. In numerous stages each reflection line is translated by Bugatti's designers onto the car body that has been pre-painted in a vibrant white tone. They use a precision tape made of Japanese soft tissue that can be easily torn off by hand. It adheres perfectly to sulphur-containing plasticine. By stretching them to a certain degree, these tapes are "lined" in pieces up to five meters long across the whole exterior of the car.
If the line does not fully meet the intention of the designers, they place a correction tape above the original line. This process is repeated until the final line has the right tension and character. Between the styling steps, the team looks at the car from a distance to evaluate the relation of the stripes to the white spaces. This is also the best way to ensure that lines flow from one side of the body across the roof and the rear to the opposite side. Even the smallest imperfections are being revised meticulously, as the final target is to achieve unrivalled perfection. Finally, the lines stretch across the perfectly shaped Bugatti like a grid of light reflections. Over the course of several weeks, the team of designers develop the final composition of dynamic bends and delicate lines that run over the automotive piece of art like the serpentines of the Italian Stelvio Pass.
"The 'L'Or Blanc' is evidence of the capabilities of the craftsmen at both brands. The distinctive structure of lines does not only mirror the elaborate hand painting on porcelain but also the process of modelling in automotive design," says Achim Anscheidt.
The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport "L'Or Blanc" presented in Berlin, is a one-of-a-kind creation. Nevertheless, the partnership is supposed to be continued, and Bugatti's designers received a lot of inspiration from porcelain painting offering a variety of new opportunities for the design. The price of the Bugatti L'Or Blanc is 1.65 million EUR. (less)
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