Does the Bugatti Veyron count as a classic supercar yet? Certainly it seems almost quaint against the latest breed seen this month. Just internal combustion providing the power, without electric assistance (albeit four turbos and 16 cylinders), a regular old DSG (not pretending to be a manual), and no track aspirations whatsoever. Sounds almost simple against the current crop, even if a machine as advanced as the Veyron is probably a little way from the old-school supercar mantle just yet.
Either way, it has now been around for 20 years, and time will take its toll whether a car is stored or driven. So to mark the anniversary (and show off exactly what the factory is capable of) Bugatti has made this - the La Maison Pur Sang 20 Years. LMPS is Bugatti’s restoration service, actually launched back in 2020 but having taken a back seat of late with the wild Solitaire commissions seemingly taking precedence. Now, with the Veyron having hit its big milestone, expect a few more to enjoy the La Maison Pur Sang treatment. Which, to quote Bugatti, is to ‘preserve, restore, refine and, where designed, reimagine a Bugatti for the present day.’
Even this one hasn’t escaped a little of the latter. Maybe wheels and paint don’t quite count as a full-on reimagination, but using new techniques and materials to inject some contemporary attitude into something senior is certainly some of the way there. So while the wheels are the familiar ‘Machiavelli’ design, here they’re Chiron-sized: 20-inch front and 21-inch rears usefully beef up the stance. Or, to put it properly, ‘bring a more modern posture to the car while retaining a clear visual connection to the Veyron’s quintessential design language.’ Also upgraded are the intakes, with a new mesh, which makes it seem much more modern than expected from such a minor alteration.
The colours also weren’t available in the mid-'00s, and are again a feature that surely would have proved popular. Specifically, they are Rouge Rembrandt (which is coming for the Tourbillon) and Petrol Blue from the Chiron.
The interior is perhaps even more special, exquisitely redone in Magnolia; who wants boring old grey Alcantara when you could sit in this palace? Note as well the ‘Moccasion’ stitching on the wheel and gearlever, plus the anniversary emblem, then the pièce de résistance: the Côte de Genève finish for the dash, a technique usually reserved for watches and pretty much unprecedented on such a large scale. Don’t be surprised if one or two more La Maison Pur Sang Veyrons go for similar, the gorgeous metal working a treat with the light upholstery.
Bugatti’s Design Director Frank Heyl added: “With the La Maison Pur Sang program, we are preserving the essence of each Bugatti, while giving owners the opportunity to bring a new dimension of personal expression to their car and bring an automotive icon into new light. With this exquisite example of the Veyron, La Maison Pur Sang further elevates the exceptional opportunities that it offers”. So you’ll be wanting a blank canvas to be working with, then - and what better Veyron to send to La Maison Pur Sang than an actual Pur Sang? There was never any paint to begin with…
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