Bugatti unveiled the latest iteration of its Veyron supercar, the Black Bess, at the Beijing Auto Show.
China is the most lucrative car market in the world and it seems that more and more of the country’s wealthy are willing to plunk down huge amounts of money on an expensive vehicle.
So it’s not exactly a big surprise that Bugatti, which rumor has it preparing a whole new supercar for sale later in the decade, has elected to bring a new version of the Veyron to the Beijing Auto Show to entice a few customers to take a look at the car.
The new version of the Veyron – dubbed Black Bess – is part of Bugatti’s Legends Series, and will be limited to three examples and is based on a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.
The Black Bess feature an exterior of painted carbon fiber with 24-carat gold accents across the hood, which looks rather garish to a western eye but may well appeal to China’s nouveau riche. It also has a special set of alloy wheels and the cabin is finished in different contrasting leathers and racing motifs are embossed on the door panels.
The car is named after one of the most famous historic Bugatti Type 18s owned by French aviator Roland Garros, who bought an example in 1912 hoping it would be as fast as his plane. The 18 was among the most powerful cars of its day with a 99-horspower, 5.0-liter four-cylinder engine pushing the car 100 mph.
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As with all Bugattis in the Legends Series, the car will boast an 8-liter W16 engine, 1184bhp and a top speed of 254mph, making it the fastest production convertible in the world. It will also come with a price tag of 2.2 million euros or about $3.1 million.
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On the interior, both door panels are upholstered in “Havanna” leather and bear scenes which depict the historic Type 18 Black Bess as well as Garros’ airplane, a Morane Saulnier Type H. These sketches have been hand-painted directly onto the leather – just as the components in luxury vehicles were hand-painted in the early 1920s.
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The Black Bess is the fifth of the six-part Legends Grand Sport Vitesse series, which includes a Jean Bugatti edition. All 12 of the previous Legends cars have already been sold. Bugatti reportedly has the making about 50 more versions of the Veyron, which will then go out of production for good and become a permanent collector’s car.