Top 15 best Bugatti concepts

When you see that red oval with its white emmental boarder adorning the front of a car, you know the vehicle in question is practically going to be made out of actual desire, and perfection. While the Bugatti range has only ever really consisted of a single car per generation, those lone wolfs have had a greater impact than so many.  

It's only natural that cars like the Veyron and Chiron should inspire some people with certain amounts of artistic flare to create their own Bugatti concept cars; albeit, ones that are imprisoned within the virtual world. And indeed, there is an abundance of Bugatti virtual concepts out there that people have created to embody their vision of the brand. 

This list will be about those cars – and some real Bugatti concepts, too. While everyone might not agree on the placings in this Top 15 list, hopefully everyone will enjoy the selection of metal that I've included. So, let's get on with it...  

No15: Renaissance

Credit: John Mark Vicente

Credit: John Mark Vicente

Designed in 2008 as a vision of what was then a relatively distant post-Veyron future, the Renaissance encapsulates certain Bugatti design traits – like the twin air-intakes that poke up from the engine in the middle – and combines them with...well...the looks of a trampled insect. It's not a particularly pretty one this – to say the very least – but you can't deny that if you were to ever see it coming down the street, you'd give it your undivided attention.  

No14: Type-60 

Credit: Vaughan Ling

Credit: Vaughan Ling

To my eyes, the Type-60 concept looks like the sort of thing that would result if Victoria's Secret suddenly decided to produce a supercar. It's long, sleek, and radiates sex appeal. I wouldn't be surprised if the starting procedure included the insertion of a glistening love rod instead of a key. The mind boggles! 

No13: 12.4 Atlantique 

Credit: Alan Guerzoni

Credit: Alan Guerzoni

If however Cruella DeVille was head of design at Bugatti, then they'd probably end up producing something like this – the 12.4 Atlantique. Said to have a 4L Twin-Turbo V12 and an electric motor to produce 850bhp, the Atlantique echoes the exuberance of Bugatti's distant past in a modern looking design. The result is something so menacing, it makes a Maybach Exelero look soft and fluffy.  

No12: 100P 

Credit: 100P Project Facebook

Credit: 100P Project Facebook

Okay, so out of everything, you could quite easily call this the odd one out. But I couldn't go through a list of great Bugatti concepts without bringing this awesome machine up.  The 100P was built by Ettore Bugatti to conquer the Deutsch de la Meurthe air race – but before he could complete it, World War 2 began. As to prevent the Germans from abducting the design for use as a fighter plane, Ettore disassembled the 100 and hid it. Sadly, Bugatti died in 1947, never having finished work on it.  

The 100P was said to be so light and aerodynamic that it was estimated to be capable of around 500mph. In more recent times, a replica version was built; however, on its 3rd test flight, it crashed, tragically killing its pilot. Perhaps then it is a plane best left on the poster, because my God, it's a handsome aircraft.  

No11: Type Zero

Credit: Mark Devauze

Credit: Mark Devauze

The Type Zero couldn't be further away from the anything we'd normally imagine with a Bugatti badge stuck on it, for it is a stripped-out track car. Beneath its silky-smooth skin, it's hiding a dirty – or should I say, clean – secret. It's not called the Type Zero for no good reason, for the name depicts the amount of Co2 that would come out of it, if it were made to the designer's specifications. While the electric powertrain might be a shame, it's still a rather nice thing. 

No10: EB 18.4 

Credit: Bugatti

Credit: Bugatti

A real concept from Bugatti themselves, and one that looks uncannily like a Veyron – albeit, one that's run into a lamppost. While it may have something of an unfortunate face, there's no doubting that this was the forerunner of the Veyron. This car however had a 6.3L 18-cylinder engine, revving to 8,000rpm, with 555bhp, connected to a manual gearbox. The spine tingles at the thought. 

No9: Venom

Credit: Volado Design

Credit: Volado Design

In the grand scheme of things, having a Bugatti called the "Venom" is akin to Ferrari calling their lightweight 488 the "Performante" - only much, much worse. Thankfully, this concept assuages that abject awkwardness by being rather interesting to behold – not to mention that it was designed before the Hennessey of the same name came in pursuit of Bugatti.  

No8: Type-57 GT 

Credit: Alexander Imnadze

Credit: Alexander Imnadze

The Type-57 GT was inspired by many icons from Bugatti's past and present – the Type-57SC Atlantic, the Type-57 Tank, the Type-35, and the modern-day Vision Gran Turismo. The classical nature of the past intertwines seamlessly with the breath-taking accoutrements of the present. From every angle, it gives your eyes another sumptuous detail to feast on.  

No7: Ettore

Credit: Jakusa

Credit: Jakusa

When you name your concept after the founder of the company, you've got to make sure it's pretty special – and thankfully, this Bugatti Ettore concept certainly was. Designed as a vision of what a Veyron replacement might look like, it's easy to see how it emulates the traditional Bugatti style in a way that makes you genuinely believe that this could've been sitting in the Chiron's shoes. It is a symbol of Bugatti's class and sophistication – only in a virtual package.  

No6: Type-6

Credit: Alexander Imnadze

Credit: Alexander Imnadze

The Type-6 resembles the Type-57 GT in many ways – which is no coincidence, since they were both designed by the same person. The Type-6 however seems more refined and well judged; more elegant in the absence of aero-components. With many design features that appear to echo the Chiron, the Type-6 was created in 2015, before the Chiron had been unveiled. From my perspective, it is a masterpiece of classical lines and curves, flowing blissfully from one to the other. I could definitely see this in Bugatti's range as a front-engined GT, perhaps powered by an engine of half the size of the Chiron's. 

No5: Chiron 18.3 

Credit: Bugatti

Credit: Bugatti

Before the Chiron we know today, Bugatti utilised the name for a pre-Veyron 1999 concept. Like the EB 18.4, the Chiron used a 6.3L, 555bhp 18 cylinder engine, connected to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The Chiron was a rare type of concept in that it was actually functional. If you were to unleash the power available, you'd find yourself getting you from 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds, and onwards to 205mph. It might not sound like much – especially next to Veyrons and modern Chirons – but it was still an impressive amount of performance. 

No4: SuperVeyron

View gallery image

The Bugatti SuperVeyron was the car that very nearly took the place of the Chiron. The brief was for a final version of the Veyron that would absolutely demolish anybody who dared challenge it. The primary mission with the SuperVeyron wasn't just to make the Veyron SuperSports massively more powerful, it was to remove a significant lump of lard from it too. They were looking into extreme technologies in order to reduce the weight of the SuperSports by an astonishing 550lbs (250kg), resulting in the weight plummeting from 4052lbs (1838kg), to 3502lbs (1588kg). 

The signature W16 was also in for a major overhaul, utilising larger turbos, and a bigger displacement of 9.6L. All in all, it was said to produce 1600 horsepower. While this may lead you to believe that the SuperVeyron would've been a better bet for Bugatti than the Chiron, a more powerful Veyron wasn't what Bugatti were aiming to achieve. What they wanted was a car that was comprehensively better than the perfection they'd previously created, and the only way to do that was to go back to the drawing board and start from scratch.

No3: 16C Galibier

Credit: Bugatti

Credit: Bugatti

The Bugatti 16C Galibier is a car that was set to make the likes of the Rolls Royce Phantom and Maybach 62 look just that little bit too common. With luxury to put a 7-star hotel to shame, it could've very well done just that. And with the Veyron's engine sitting in its nose, it had the potential to be unsocially fast. 

The bonnet unfolds like a butterfly's wings to reveal the signature 8L W16. In the Galibier however, the Veyron's Quad-Turbos were swapped in favour of Twin-Superchargers – still resulting in the same 1001 horsepower, but with more torque available low down, and less trouble dissipating the heat. While the exact performance has never been accurately specified, it has been said that the Galibier's top speed was in excess of 235mph – making it easily the fastest 4 door saloon in the world, had Bugatti released it. But some years after the Galibier's initial 2009 unveiling, Bugatti stated that they would not be making the car as doing so would confuse their customers.  

No2: Gangloff 

Credit: Paul Czyzewski

Credit: Paul Czyzewski

I remember saying once that the Bugatti Gangloff concept was by far a way the most beautiful thing I had ever seen – and I stick by that statement. Inside and out, the Gangloff is an automotive canvass that has been scattered with exquisite details that collaborate to make a jaw-dropping masterpiece.  

It may only be a virtual concept – but I find it quite easy to imagine as a sports car in Bugatti's range as an Aston Martin V8 Vantage rival. Every detail – from the headlights that look like petals blooming from a stem, to the interior that looks like it's melting and then colliding in a volcanic spillage - it's all phenomenally beautiful. But that said, I do think there is one Bugatti concept that outdoes it, and that award goes to...  

No1: Vision Gran Turismo

Credit: Bugatti

Credit: Bugatti

How could the VGT not take first place? With styling of the Chiron accoutred with some of the most mesmerising aerodynamic aids, it makes every other hypercar – whether they be made for the road, or exclusively for the track – look a bit shit.  

Looking at cars can often be a tough experience for one's jaw as it frequently finds itself bouncing off the ground. Never in my life has my jaw dropped with quite the vicious aplomb it did when I first laid eyes on the VGT. It is like nothing I have seen before or since, and if the rumours are to be believed, it's packing a punch even greater than that of the Chiron.  

While the 8L Quad-Turbo W16 power-plant has been the staple of Bugatti's almighty oomph since 2005, never has it produced as much power as it does in the VGT. For this insane looking concept hypercar produces an earth-shattering 1650bhp!!  

The horsepower however isn't the biggest number associated with the VGT – for that honour goes to the price-tag. While Bugatti have never specified exactly how much the car's worth, as it is a one-off, independent experts have estimated its value at between $5.2million, and $18MILLION!! Quite a wide range – but suffice it to say, it's worth rather a lot.  

Written by: Angelo Uccello

Twitter: @AngeloUccello

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