Bugatti Grande Fete part 1

Part I - The Bugatti Factory

2019 was the year of the 110th anniversary of the Bugatti brand. A number that is bound to be symbolic for all Bugatti EB110 enthusiasts. For the occasion, I was fortunate enough to be invited to this celebration, called the "Grande Fête", held in the heart of the Bugatti factory on the Château Saint Jean estate in Molsheim-Dorlisheim.
The Bugatti teams made it big, bringing together nearly a hundred Bugatti Classics, dozens of Veyron cars, and incredible line-ups from Chiron. The icing on the cake, the beautiful Italian diva were not forgotten with a magnificent display of EB110s, including an aluminum prototype.

For this first part, let's go and visit the estate of Château St Jean, with its different buildings. The Bugatti teams have given permission to visit the assembly hall to see how one of the world's most powerful cars, the Bugatti Chiron, is built. A great moment, of course.

The entrance to the Bugatti factory is not very demonstrative, with a visitor's car park, a gate and a guard post. It is a far cry from the emotion felt at the entrance to the Ferrari factory in Maranello or the art deco charm of the former Bugatti factory in Campogalliano. Bugatti today is very pure and contemporary. However, the arched building with the large Bugatti logo is impressive. It is in fact the assembly hall of the Bugatti cars, which we will visit later on.
The rest of the tour passes in front of the greenhouse, then we arrive at the back of the Chateau St Jean. In front of the Loundge, the latest one-offs of the brand are on display : the new CentoDieci, an hommage to the EB110 SS, the really first Divo, the La Voiture Noire or the Gran Turismo Concept.

The new Centodieci

La Voiture Noire, Gran Turismo Concept and Divo

The two last declinations of the Chiron : the 110 Edition and the Chiron 300+.

Let's continue to the facade of the famous Château Saint Jean, where a Bugatti T101 Antem is on display. Inside the castle, some nice drawings about the Bugatti lineage decorate the walls, as an invitation to the history of the brand.
In the former stables, behind a nice line up consisting of a Veyron Supersport WRE, a Veyron Vitesse, and the EB110 SS "Ice Speed Record", an exhibition is dedicated to the different periods of Bugatti's life.
Opposite the greenhouse, a presentation area is reserved for designers, in particular Achim Anscheidt, the boss of the Bugatti style, who displays the characteristics of the Centodieci.

We then have the privilege of entering the factory for a tour of the Bugatti Chiron various assembly stations. We can't talk about building a car, but rather about assembly, because all the components are subcontracted externally. However, the level of perfection and the surgical cleanliness of the hall are a reminder that we are dealing with cars of the very highest standard.
The Veyron and Chiron line up parked on the side of the factory is rather impressive but the interior is interesting too : the Chiron demo car (champagne/black) escorts the Veyron Super Sport of the World Record Edition, a factory tests Veyron and the beautiful concept car Chiron 18/3, now fully operational.
The visit begins with the exhibition of some machine tools used to manufacture parts, in particular by laser cutting.

The dimensions of the spare parts are proportional to the performance level of the car. All components must be robust enough to handle the 1500 hp of the Chiron engine: manifold, transmission parts, 3D-printed brake calipers, ceramic brake discs, turbochargers or suspension ball joints, everything is in adequation.

The assembly of a Chiron starts with the assembly of 2 structures: on one side the W16 engine (pre-assembled) and on the other the carbon monocoque with the passenger compartment. All the accessories are connected to the engine and the dressing of the passenger compartment begins, with the installation of the dashboard and leather trim.

The engine cradle is then attached to the carbon monocoque. The first body parts are then fitted in order to be adjusted. A trolley containing all the parts necessary for assembly accompanies the car, each part corresponding to the specifications chosen by the customer (material, colour, option...). Once the wheels have been fixed, some body panels are removed before going to the measurement bench. On the rollers, the Chiron under construction will be put to the test, with speeds of almost 300 km/h for several hours straight.

All parts are of course checked and once finished, this Chiron 110 will be scrupulously observed in a tunnel of light to spot any defects.

Part of the workshop is devoted to research and development. Different models with reduced proportions are used to study the best aerodynamic solutions in a mini wind tunnel.
A Veyron prototype, recognizable by the air intake between the front wheel and the door, used during tests in the Grand Canyon in the USA, is on display in the middle of the R&D hall.

The Chiron W18-3 is an essential historical element in the relaunch of Bugatti by the VW Group. This Supercar study was the first stylistic proposal that moved away from Giugiaro's EB112 derivatives (EB118 and EB218), to propose something radical in terms of silhouette, but also very Bugatti in its stylistic references. The W18-3 engine has recently been completed and tuned to make the Chiron 18/3 rolling.