For avid car enthusiasts, Château Saint Jean, the historic home of Bugatti, is a place of pilgrimage. It serves as the sole assembly site for modern Bugatti hyper sports cars and represents the brand’s history, providing a tangible link to Ettore Bugatti.
He purchased and refurbished the Château as a means of welcoming customers and introducing them to the Bugatti lifestyle. Even today, this unique venue welcomes a handful of fortunate individuals from around the world, including one loyal Bugatti customer who recently paid an extraordinary visit.
This particular Bugatti enthusiast had carefully curated an exclusive collection of rare vehicles from Molsheim, which included each of the World Record Cars. These included the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport World Record Edition, Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Edition, and the Chiron Super Sport 300+.
He dreamed of bringing them back to where they were born and reuniting them with the team who made it possible. This dream became a reality when these record-breaking hyper sports cars were carefully driven up to the Château Saint Jean and joined by other rarities from The Singh Collection, Punjab, India, including the Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang and the Divo.
Bugatti’s dedication to achieving incomparable speeds in the modern era can be traced back to June 2010, almost 13 years ago. On that day, at the Ehra-Lessien test track, a Veyron 16.4 Super Sport – powered by a development of the W16 engine with 1,200 PS – set a record of 431.07 km/h, smashing the previous holder’s speed.
Pierre-Henri Raphanel, Bugatti Pilote Officiel and former racing driver was the man behind the wheel that day. He welcomed the collector to Molsheim and shared with him the thrill of his own world record experience.
Three years after the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport set its record, Bugatti created another benchmark for the world’s fastest open-top car with the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, which reached 408.84 km/h with the roof down.
Both achievements were immortalized in Bugatti history with a very limited run of cars commemorating the world records. The passion of this collector goes beyond owning these record-breaking hyper sports cars; he nurtured a dream of gathering them at the place they were created. The experience was a great moment and a great emotion for the whole Bugatti team.
Bugatti’s President, Christophe Piochon, stated: “For one owner to curate his own collection of all three of these vehicles, alongside an additional limited edition Veyron Pur Sang and the coach-built Divo, shows an incomparable passion for the Bugatti brand, its history, and its achievements. But an owner with this level of dedication to our brand knows that Bugatti ownership is about much more than the vehicle itself. We were truly honoured to welcome him and his cars home to Molsheim and create an experience that he will never forget.”
To commemorate this extraordinary day, all of the collector’s cars were hand-signed by Bugatti Design Director, Achim Anscheidt, with a special note for the three world record cars that read: ‘In record-breaking friendship. Molsheim, 26/4/23.’
To immortalize this once-in-a-lifetime moment, record-breaking drivers Andy Wallace and Pierre-Henri Raphanel both signed the Chiron Super Sport 300+ and the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport World Record Edition.
As a token of appreciation, the collector gifted a special creation from his collection to Bugatti, which will be kept in Molsheim. In late 2022, Bugatti worked with Champagne Carbon to develop the unique La Bouteille Noire, a handcrafted carbon fibre case in the style of La Voiture Noire, which housed a 15-litre bottle of fine vintage Champagne in its leather-lined interior.
This one-of-a-kind creation, now adorned with a personalized inscription, was purchased by The Singh Collection, Punjab, India and will be temporarily housed at Château Saint Jean, where visitors can admire it.
“When I visit Molsheim, I don’t just feel like I’m part of the Bugatti family; I feel like I’m part of Bugatti’s history. With these cars reunited where they first came to life, I felt an even stronger connection to the brand’s incredible legacy. My cars returned home, but the team made me feel as if I had also returned home – it’s a truly incomparable feeling,” said the collector.
This unique customer experience at the home of Bugatti is a testament to the brand’s legacy, the passion of its customers and the exceptional service that Bugatti offers.
The brand’s history, combined with its record-breaking achievements, creates an unmatched ownership experience that continues to attract a devoted following. It’s no wonder that Bugatti remains one of the most exclusive and sought-after luxury car brands in the world.