DAY 1:

MILANO – MONTECARLO

23 Bugatti Veyron and Chiron¹ on the road

A very special day for La Marque: the first stage of the Bugatti Grand Tour, celebrating its 110 years of existence. Starting in Milano was no accident – it is the native city of Ettore Bugatti, the brand’s creator. The Lombardic capital of northern Italy was the hometown of the Bugattis, a family of talented artists. A tradition continued by Ettore.

The start of the Grand Tour took place at the Palazzo del Senato and the convoy, formed by more than 20 Bugatti cars, crossed the city escorted by police through the most beautiful streets. After several hours of drive, the group arrived in Piemonte and took the Langhe roads, a wine region famous all over the world for its exquisite red wines. The latter belongs to the Unesco world cultural heritage, strikes with its beauty combining the work of Man and nature.

“It’s an almost idyllic voyage”, Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti declares. “It is very special to walk on Ettore’s steps, in his hometown. To see all those cars representing our craftsmanship, climbing up the Piemonte hills is an extraordinary sight.”

After a sunny lunch on the terraces of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato, the tour continued towards the Côte d’Azur, more precisely towards Monaco, a classic stop for any real Grand Tour, and the home of legendary Bugatti driver Louis Chiron.

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¹ Fuel consumption, l/100km: urban 35.2 / extra-urban 15.2 / combined 22.5; combined CO₂ emissions, g/km: 516; efficiency class: G

After having passed Italy and Monaco, the Bugatti Grand Tour enters France

After a memorable night in Monaco in the Salle Empire of the Hôtel de Paris in Monte-Carlo, the Grand Tour continues. Monaco has welcomed many prestigious events over the years, but the city being visited by over 20 Bugatti cars is something exceptional.

“A Bugatti embodies luxury, esthetics and exclusivity”, Hendrik Malinowski, Bugatti Director of Sales and Operations, declares. ”Our cars, new and old belong perfectly to the Monegasque scenery. Furthermore, several Bugatti factory drivers won the Monaco Grand Prix and coming back here feels like a journey that honors the great Bugatti figures.” Indeed, Louis Chiron won the Monaco Grand Prix 90 years ago driving a Type 35, and at the city harbor a statue honours his life achievements.

Later on, the parade took the direction of Aix-en-Provence. To get there, the Bugattis drove through the Luberon mountains, probably one of the most beautiful regions of France. Breathtaking views, typical Provence villages – there could not be any better surroundings for a Grand Tour.

“The Bugatti cars are very well taken care of by their owners and they perfectly showcase the quality of craftsmanship of our cars”, Malinowski says. “Moreover, the Veyron and Chiron¹ hyper sports cars at the Grand Tour climb the mountain roads with remarkable ease.”

For lunch, the great chef Alain Ducasse prepared a gourmet picnic just before the cars descended to Aix-en-Provence, at the Château La Coste where the convoy stopped for the night.

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¹ Fuel consumption, l/100km: urban 35.2 / extra-urban 15.2 / combined 22.5; combined CO₂ emissions, g/km: 516; efficiency class: G

The day started early. In the morning, the Bugatti 110 years convoy went to the military air base 701, training center for the Patrouille de France. The participants were welcomed with a breakfast and had the opportunity to meet the pilots after witnessing one of their impressive training sessions. Airfields are no uncharted territory for Bugatti. In fact, Ettore conceptualized several airplanes, the Bugatti 100P in 1938 amongst others, which was meant to become the fastest plane in the world.

After a dynamic visit of the Patrouille de France hangars, the Bugatti cars went back on the road, going through Salon-de-Provence before arriving in the Rhône region and having lunch at the Château la Gallée. It was a typical menu from Provence with a unique view on the vineyards.

The following stage took place on the roads of the Côte d’Or region in Bourgogne before arriving in Beaune. Dinner was served in the famous Hospices of Beaune, known for its typical burgundy architecture and its exceptional wines, amongst the best of the region. Ettore would have loved to drive through Provence and Bourgogne since he knew how to appreciate all the products that a cultural region could offer. And in the same way, the participants were able to taste variety of food and wines from Provence and Bourgogne.

The Grand Tour arrives at the French capital

After leaving Beaune and a short lunch in the typical French city of Ancy-le-Franc, the Bugatti parade arrived with great style in the French capital.

“Paris is the heart of France and is the capital of La Marque’s country”, Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti, recalls. “This city has played an essential role in Ettore’s life and has always been a place of opportunities for pioneers in both the industry and the art sector.”

The Bugatti family lived for many years in Paris – Carlo notably participated to the Universal Exposition, winning a silver medal for his furniture. Furthermore, some of the best customers of Ettore Bugatti came from Paris. This is why the city was an important stop for a Grand Tour celebrating the 110 years of Bugatti.

The chosen stopping place was the Place Vendôme, central square and address of the famous Hôtel Ritz of Paris. All the cars were parked on the square, offering an extraordinary sight for any modern hyper sports car enthusiast.

The participants continued to live a magical evening in Paris with a diner on a ship on the river Seine, a unique point of view on the capital. The city had indeed a lot to offer to Ettore.

Molsheim, 9 September 2019. What a sight. More than 40 historic Bugatti models from different eras standing in front of the Château in Molsheim, at the heart of Alsace, France. This is where Ettore Bugatti founded his famous company 110 years ago. At the Grande Fête – the major anniversary celebration at the weekend – modern-day Bugatti hyper sports cars are parked casually in between their predecessors: Chiron¹, Divo², La Voiture Noire², Centodieci² and a new model. The famous Schlumpf Collection of the Cité de l’Automobile – the largest Bugatti collection in the world – along with several private lenders are exhibiting a number of rare classics on the factory premises, including a Type 30 Torpedo, a Type 40 Roadster, a Type 46 Surprofilé, a Type 57 Galibier, a Type 57 S Corsica and the famous Type 35 racing car.

“It is fascinating to see these magnificent Bugatti vehicles on show here. My sincere thanks go to those Bugatti enthusiasts and staff who made this outstanding event possible to mark the 110th anniversary of Bugatti,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. “Even 110 years on, Bugatti remains a vibrant brand. We’re consistently able to demonstrate that we build the most sophisticated, luxurious and aesthetically appealing hyper sports cars in the world.” The Grande Fête is regarded as the crowning finale of the Grand Tour, a rally that takes in the most important stages in the life of Ettore Bugatti – from Milan via Monaco, Aix-en-Provence, Beaune and Paris to Molsheim in Alsace.

Numerous record-breaking Bugatti vehicles assembled

One focus of the festive exhibition in the park around the Château as well as the North Remise and the South Remise is therefore Bugatti’s world record vehicles. In addition to the historic Bugatti Type 35 – the most successful racing car of all time – there are several EB110 to be seen, such as the record car EB 110 SS Ice Speed Record, the record-breaking Veyron Super Sport of 2010 and the Veyron Vitesse WRC. In 2013, the Roadster set a new world speed record for open-top series-production sports cars with a speed of 408.84 km/h.

Just a few weeks ago, a pre-series version of the new Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+² was the first hyper sports car to break the magical 300-mile-per-hour barrier (482.80 km/h). Bugatti has thus set a new TÜV-certified speed record of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h). “Bugatti has once again demonstrated what our employees in the various departments are capable of. The name of Bugatti will go down in the history books as the first brand to pass the 300-mile-per-hour mark,” says Stephan Winkelmann.

A new interpretation of traditional coachbuilding

The second focus is on coachbuilding vehicles. The English word “coach” refers to a carriage or a car, and coachbuilding is equivalent to haute couture in the fashion sector: it is about creating unique specimens – custom-tailored cars to suit individual tastes. At the Grande Fête in Molsheim, the special small-series models Divo, La Voiture Noire, Centodieci and the Chiron Super Sport 300+ are to be seen on the grounds for the first time, as are some outstanding prototypes from Bugatti’s long history such as an EB110, the two Veyron pre-series vehicles 5.0 and Veyron 5.5, the concept studies Veyron 18.4, Chiron 18.3 and the Vision GT – a racing car concept based on the Chiron.

The new Chiron Super Sport 300+ is a special edition limited to 30 units. It is visually based on the record-breaking car. With an output of 1,176 kW/1,600 PS, the edition model Super Sport 300+ will be delivered to customers in mid-2021 at a net unit price of 3.5 million euros.

European premiere of the Centodieci

At the same time, the Centodieci celebrates its European premiere in Molsheim, France. This special edition is a tribute to the Bugatti EB110, the super sports car of the 1990s. The EB110 was the new model that catapulted Bugatti to the top of the automotive world once again after 1956. It is appears alongside a number of historic EB110 cars such as the last official Bugatti factory racing cars. With the 670 PS EB110, Bugatti took part in the American IMSA series including the 24-hour race of Daytona, and also the legendary 24-hour race of Le Mans.

While customers and journalists can take their time to view these fine Bugatti treasures of the past and present on the Saturday, the Sunday is reserved for all Bugatti employees and visitors. For safety reasons, however, only 700 tickets can be sold to the public. “We are delighted that Bugatti has met with such great interest among enthusiasts as well as neighbours. We would like to welcome even more visitors to our site in Molsheim, but unfortunately the safety regulations do not allow it,” says Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann.

But the Bugatti brand is also due to be celebrated a few kilometres down the road this weekend. Parallel to the Grand Fête, the Enthousiastes Bugatti Alsace (EBA) will hold be holding its major annual meeting at Jesuit Parc in Molsheim on Sunday. “Alsace celebrated Bugatti this week. Ettore would have been proud of this diversity,” says Stephan Winkelmann. Also on the scene: Bugatti vehicles from different eras parked close together. An unusual and very attractive sight. Perfect for the 110th Bugatti brand anniversary in Alsace.

¹ Fuel consumption, l/100km: urban 35.2 / extra-urban 15.2 / combined 22.5; combined CO₂ emissions, g/km: 516; efficiency class: G 

² Fuel consumption, l/100km: not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC since no general type approval has been issued to date.

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