TRIBUTE TO A LEGEND

Pole position, victory, and fastest lap in the first-ever Monaco Grand Prix; two overall wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans; five consecutive triumphs in the Targa Florio. Bugatti holds a glittering pre-war motorsport record. Little wonder that, while under the ownership of the Volkswagen Group, the marque saw fit to pay tribute to its racing greats. That was perhaps most apparent in Bugatti christening its flagship, top speed record-breaking hypercars ‘Veyron’ and ‘Chiron’ in recognition of team drivers Pierre Veyron and Louis Chiron.

However, Bugatti would more firmly entrench that historical connection with the introduction of its super limited production ‘Les Légendes de Bugatti’ cars. Six special-edition models based on the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse were commissioned, with just three examples of each produced. The first in this incredible lineage was the ‘Jean-Pierre Wimille’.

With the targa-roofed Grand Sport Vitesse providing the platform, the Super Sport-derived 8.0-litre, quad-turbocharged W16 engine developed a colossal 1,200 horsepower. To harness that considerable output, engineers strengthened the chassis to reduce body movement during hard acceleration, deceleration, and cornering, ensuring that the car’s performance would not be compromised due to its lack of a fixed roof. As a result, the Grand Sport Vitesse launched from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.6 seconds before hitting a top speed of 410 km/h. That made it the fastest production roadster that the world had ever seen.

Unveiled during Monterey Car Week in August 2013, the trio of ‘Jean-Pierre Wimille’ Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesses were built in honour of the Works racing driver who twice won at Le Mans. The three Veyrons took their inspiration from the two-tone Type 57G Tank that Wimille shared with French compatriot Robert Benoist in 1937, the year that Bugatti claimed its first-ever victory in the famous round-the-clock endurance race.

Just three Type 57Gs were built between 1936 and 1937. Developed by Jean Bugatti, son of company founder Ettore, to feature an incredibly low centre of gravity, they combined the Type 57S chassis with a 3.3-litre straight-eight engine producing circa 200 horsepower. Courtesy of the Tank’s aerodynamic body, Wimille surged into an early lead at Le Mans in 1937 to snare the spoils of glory at an average speed of some 137 km/h.

A WINNING SPECIFICATION

Honouring one of the great Molsheim creations, the full carbon fibre bodywork of this celebratory Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse blends specially developed Bleu Wimille light blue paint—worn on the front panels, doors, and medallions by the side air intakes—with dark blue exposed carbon fibre. The outline of the Circuit de la Sarthe sits prominently on the underside of the active rear wing, while Wimille’s signature is laser-engraved onto the petrol and oil filler caps.

The interior follows a similar theme, pairing Bleu Wimille with dark Lake Blue upholstery. Wimille’s signature is to be found again, embroidered into the headrests of the two-tone leather seats. Meanwhile, the steering wheel and gear selector are exquisitely decorated in the French national colours thanks to the delicate blue, white, and red cross stitching. The Le Mans track layout features once more in the form of a milled and polished aluminium relief inlaid into the dark blue carbon lid for the central storage compartment.

Additional Legends edition embellishments include exposed carbon inserts on the centre console bearing the ‘Les Légendes de Bugatti’ logo and the Bugatti elephant symbol; and the door sill plates are decorated with the portrait and signature of Wimille.

CHASSIS 795063

Of the three Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse 'Jean-Pierre Wimille' cars built, this example holds a 21 May 2014 date of delivery. It was collected by its first owner in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to the accompanying service book, the Veyron was serviced by Bugatti Dubai in May 2016 (then logged with 655 kilometres) and October 2017 (at 2,553 kilometres).

Previous registration documents show subsequent ownership history in Germany and Switzerland. Sparingly driven throughout its life, the car displayed just 3,766 kilometres on the odometer at the time of cataloguing. The Bugatti is further supplied with its owner’s guides.

Entering production in 2005, the original Veyron 16.4 is already a legend in its own right—Bugatti itself paying homage to the pioneering hypercar with the unveiling of the one-off FKP Homage earlier this year. In Grand Sport Vitesse form, it broke yet more new ground by becoming the world’s fastest roadster. Fantastically capable and significant, this exquisitely realised ‘Jean-Pierre Wimille’ tribute to a pre-war racing ace is, therefore, sure to be a headline attraction at any number of globally renowned concours events and performance car displays. The opportunity to acquire this car is not to be missed.