Can’t get enough of cars you can never afford? Well, then this past weekend should have been a blast for you. The world’s most exquisite marques descended on the Monterey Peninsula for the prestigious Monterey Car Week, where a host of supercars and hypercars were unveiled. Bugatti, the godfather of the modern hypercar era, was there too with the Destrier.
Before you go ga-ga over it and start calling your Black Card issuer for pre-approval of an ultra-large purchase, you ought to know that this beautiful hypercar belongs to someone else. The third one-of-one creation from the marque’s Programme Solitaire, it was created for a single customer.
The Bugatti Destrier takes the carbon-fiber monocoque and complete powertrain from the track-only Bolide, then trades the latter’s aggressive aerodynamic attachments for something a lot more elegant. Think of it as a Bolide dressed for dinner, though its table manners remain questionable.
Its quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 produces, wait for it… a mind-bending 1,600 PS (1,578 hp), none of which comes from electric motors. It proves that a car packing four turbochargers does not have to be track-only and can still look breathtakingly beautiful. Bugatti has not disclosed acceleration or top-speed figures, but with the Bolide’s powertrain underneath, tardiness is unlikely to trouble its owner.
Standing just 1 meter (3.3 feet) tall, the Destrier is lower than any previous Bugatti. It rides on 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels, while a wider horseshoe grille, revised C-line, narrow waist, muscular rear haunches, and integrated rear wing shape its cleaner profile.
The body wears an exclusive Sapphire Celeste finish with diamond-like sparkle, complemented by polished aluminum and color-matched exposed carbon fiber. Inside, Ambre Voyageur leather and nubuck meet three-dimensional knitted fabric woven with copper yarns. Hammered metal trim references medieval armor, fitting for a car named after the strongest type of knight’s warhorse.
No price has been revealed. Then again, knowing it would only confirm what your bank account already suspects. Anyhoo, you continue to appreciate this beautiful automobile virtually over at Bugatti.com.
Images: Bugatti.
