Bugatti's vision gran Turismo

03.09.2015 11:30

Well, this is interesting. Now that Bugatti has delivered all 450 examples of the Veyron 16.4, attention has turned to what the French carmaker and its corporate parent, the Volkswagen Group, could possibly do to top this rolling assault on physics (and, sometimes, good taste).

This, we’re afraid, isn’t it. What you’re in fact looking at is the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo. It’s a (stunning) virtual creation you’ll be able to download and drive on the iconic PlayStation racing simulator. You know the formula by now: everyone from Aston Martin to BMW and VW plus many more have had a crack at concocting the wackiest concept car possible, safe in the knowledge that it’ll only be driven via a vibrating controller on someone’s telly.

This Bugatti is different, though. They’re going to build it. Really.

Okay, sort of. Bugatti will show off a full-size, one-off Vision GT model at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this month, but it’s not going to be dolling out test drives. This is still a flight of styling fantasy. Looks cool though, no?

The official bumpf claims the Bugatti styling team were inspired by the brand’s rich tapestry of historical designs, like the two-time Le Mans-winning Type 57 ‘Tank’. That inspiration seems to have got so far as the two-tone paint job, because from where we’re sitting, this is a Veyron on steroids. GT3 racing car flavour ones.

Eagle-eyed readers will have scrolled agog through the gallery above and spotted a very recognisable track map front’n’centre in the Vision GT’s 22nd Century interior. Yup, that’s the Circuit de la Sarthe. Le Mans. Forgive us for getting a tad excited, but what with the racey carbon seat and F1-style steering wheel already in place, is it too much to hope to see a Bugatti GT3 racer dicing with the new Ford GT at the Le Mans 24 Hours in June 2016?

Sadly, it almost certainly is. The Bugatti Vision GT is just a styling exercise – a canvas for Bugatti’s designers to go a little crazy, and perhaps throw us a few clues to how the difficult second album that is the Veyron MkII might look.

The stats are sure to be mighty, the top speed aircraft-spec. But is Bugatti’s next road car actually going to be, well, a looker? On this evidence, we might be in for more than just a new physics lesson. What do you reckon?

(BBC)