Porcelain on four wheels – LJM Bugatti Veyron L’or Blanc FEATURETTE
The debut of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport...
More than 12 years ago, in 2011, Bugatti announced its intention to produce a very special edition of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport in small series.
In June 2009, Bugatti started production of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport open-top roadster, of which a total of just 150 cars would be made.
Rare editions are a tradition at the manufacturer, which belongs to the Volkswagen Group.
The Veyron itself was produced between 2005 and 2015. The Grand Sport, the roadster version, was offered in 2009 from a base price of 1.4 million euros.
The special editions were just under the 2 million mark at the time.
With the polycarbonate roof element closed, the Veyron reached the then maximum speed of 400 km/h. With the roof open, only 360 km/h were possible. With the roof open, only 360 km/h was possible, but even these values at the time made the Veyron the fastest roadster model in the world. Between 2011 and 2015, several special editions were released, such as the Sang Bleu, Soleil de Nuit, Sang Blanc or the aforementioned L'or Blanc.
The unique Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is the first automobile in the world to be equipped with elements of high-quality patterned porcelain, both on the body and in the interior. In 2011, Bugatti presented its Veyron, created in collaboration with the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM), at the IAA in Frankfurt. The fastest convertible in the world was also distinguished by an artistically abstract exterior / and interior design. The blue lines on the glossy white paintwork were also applied by hand. In addition to the inlays in the centre tunnel, there is a striking porcelain inlay on the rear wall between the two seats.
Like the elements on the exterior, it is decorated with the upright elephant designed by the sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti and used by his brother Ettore as a radiator figure for the Bugatti Royale. The centre console also features a porcelain bowl with a diamond cut on the top edge. It can be removed and matches the KPM picnic case developed exclusively for the Bugatti L'Or Blanc. On the outside, the white gold was used for the wheel hub covers and the fuel filler cap, for example. What makes you think of striped toothpaste when you look at the "L'Or Blanc" are the stripes of lacquer that are supposed to be reminiscent of the art of porcelain painting. Their course is no coincidence. It is based on the light reflections that were visible when the lacquer was applied. This procedure took several weeks.
Fine Art by LJM
This is our first model of the LJM brand so far. Fortunately, the price of the model was not in the millions like the original, but also at a respectable 79 Euros, which is absolutely top level for a 1:64 scale model! So far we knew such prices from Ignition Model or PGM, but with the latter at least the bonnet and doors can be opened. Here everything is firmly screwed in place on a high platform, the roof element cannot be removed either. On the other hand, the rear spoiler is an extremely attractive element, especially in the extended position. It cannot be adjusted, but it shows a nice view of the inner engine elements. The paint stripes have been copied 1:1 in an absolutely impressively clean way, so that one is speechless just looking at them. Also the interior was copied in detail!
LJM took the name "L'or Blanc" ("White Gold") literally and released another limited version in white and gold. The blue paint stripes were replaced by golden stripes, and the number of pieces was limited to 199. The "regular" L'or Blanc was limited to 699 pieces. Although the golden interpretation by LJM was never made on a scale of 1:1 by Bugatti, the brand from Molsheim could be trusted to have an example somewhere in the United Arab Emirates. In any case, we are very impressed with what LJM has put together for collectors. Like the original: an absolute work of art!
