Bugatti has unveiled the FKP Hommage, a one-off hyper-GT that has been conceived as the “ultimate Veyron” in tribute to the groundbreaking model, says the company’s design chief.
The new car – named in honour of Ferdinand Karl Piëch, the former Volkswagen Group boss who was responsible for the transformational Veyron project – is based on the Chiron and uses the mighty W16 that powers both cars.
Although it has retro styling elements, it is designed to show what a modern-day Veyron would be like. The new GT is the second car (after the Mistral-based Brouillard) to be designed and built by Bugatti’s Solitaire division – created for bespoke one-off commissions.
Its iteration of the firm’s quad-turbo W16 is the 1578bhp unit that first appeared in the Chiron Super Sport, along with an upgraded cooling system,enhanced intercoolers and a reinforced gearbox.
The FKP takes many of its design cues from the 2005 record-breaking Veyron 16.4 (to signify its 16-cylinder engine and four turbochargers) hypercar, which was championed by Piëch.
But, according to Bugatti design boss Frank Heyl, Bugatti has “refined every surface” to enhance its streamlined silhouette. Heyl said: “Designing this car is a great honour but at the same time a great challenge, because if you are to lay hands on the design of an icon, you have to be very careful.
“I’m a judge for many concours of elegance around the world and we have a term called ‘period correct’. If something is ‘period correct’, then it becomes authentic.
“There are themes on the FKP that we sketched back in the day, and through that it becomes legitimate and authentic.”
Changes include the horseshoe grille, which is now three-dimensional and upright, and complemented by new L-shaped LED headlights to give the Hommage a more “concentrated stare”, according to Heyl.