Frankfurt show: Bugatti teases Vision GT

BUGATTI has become the next car-maker to join a long list of marques that have showcased a concept in the computer game Gran Turismo, but unlike many of the virtual vehicles before it, Bugatti's teaser may herald a production car.

Just a mysterious single-piece shell at this stage, the Vision Gran Turismo is giving away few secrets, but the iconic Volkswagen-owned French car-maker says it “gives an outlook of the brand's new design language,” and could pave the way for the Veyron replacement.

More information will be revealed when the “project” is given some light at the Frankfurt motor show next month, but whether Bugatti will roll out a complete vehicle or just the component remains to be seen.

In a press release, Bugatti said “The NACA air inlet is both an essential aerodynamic element and iconic feature of the virtual Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.”

While some publications have interpreted the single image as a NACA vent that comprises a larger car, a closer look at the shell reveals features that suggest the blue object is the whole upper surface of a vehicle – not a small part.

Its surface appears to have a pair of fuel filler nozzles or charging ports, while a tall central fin and possible telemetry aerials or sensors are revealed in the vehicle's shadow.

With two protrusions that resemble the plenum chambers of the Veyron's mid-mounted V16, the panel is likely to cover the rear half of the car, with the antenna above the cabin.

The outline of the shell does resemble the so called NACA duct that is widely used in motorsport and aerospace engineering for its ability to draw air at high speeds without upsetting an airframe's aerodynamics.

Stability at high speed would be a prerequisite if the car was to set out to match or even break the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport's production-car speed record of 431km/h.

Bugatti Automobiles president Wolfgang Durheimer confirmed that the concept represents a new era of styling for the company.

“Bugatti’s design DNA has reached a new stage in its evolution,” he said. “Inview of the nature of the project, our concept car for Vision Gran Turismo will be exaggerated and extremely performance-oriented.

“Even so, the progressive design language will give an impressive demonstration of the path to be taken by Bugatti design over the next few years.”

The emergence of a new styling trend coincides with the sale of Bugatti's final Veyron, marking the end of the 450-car production run, but fans can rest assured that the tradition of producing some of the world's fastest and most expensive cars will go on.

While the Vision Gran Turismo is just made of pixels at this stage, Mr Durheimer said the concept had been designed with the real world in mind.

“We had the clear goal of developing a vehicle which could also be driven on a real race circuit if it left the virtual world,” he said. “Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo stands for authenticity.”

The company is renowned for making some of the most exclusive cars in the world, but Mr Durheimer explained that the appearance of the new concept in Polyphony Digital's computer game allowed fans a more affordable way to experience the brand.

“The Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo will make our brand available to them as well as to gamers and high-performance aficionados throughout the world, only very few of whom will be able to afford a real Bugatti,” he said. “They can all benefit from the success of our brand. This is a project for our fans.”

In the absence of even a complete vehicle, technical details are nonexistent, with powertrain, performance and construction information remaining firmly in the realm of speculation for now.

The mighty Veyron's replacement has already been spied under testing but as the vehicle is clearly a mule and appears to borrow the Veyron's exterior, nothing is known about how a production version will look.

All eyes will be on the Bugatti stage at this year's Frankfurt motor show which opens its doors to media on September 15.