“We like to say this project is standing on the shoulders of giants,” Frank Heyl pronounces, his silhouette half-blocking one of the most revolutionary cars of the 21st century. With his Tourbillon glowering menacingly in the background, soaked in smoke, the director of design for Bugatti Rimac name-checks, of course, Ettore Bugatti, who founded his eponymous company more than 115 years ago. Then there’s Romano Artioli, who in the ’90s resurrected the mothballed marque with the EB 110. Lastly Ferdinand Piëch, who after another short nap awoke the Bugatti spirit once again, exhilarating the world with the company’s third swing at existence with the landmark Veyron.
Like the McLaren F1 and the LaFerrari, the tectonic shocks the Veyron quaked the automotive landscape with in 2006 cannot be overstated—the first production car ever to breach four-figure horsepower and surpass 250 mph. All thanks to its simply ludicrous W16 engine, outfitted with no less than four turbochargers and 10 radiators.
Then of course came its successor, the Chiron, a decade later. Updating its landmark W16 powerplant, the Chiron succeeded even further with its sleek visual makeover. While the Veyron suffered slings due to its computer
