Genuine exclusivity is rare, even in the luxury and supercar market, but ultimate bragging rights can be found in the world of one-offs. The Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, Lamborghini SC18 Alston, Ferrari SP38 and others all showcase a desire for bespoke commissions for the most wealthy of clients.
In recent years Bugatti has continued its coachbuilding heritage with models like the La Voiture Noire of 2019, but the launch of its new Solitaire programme ensures ultra-exclusivity with bespoke one-offs.
The first product of the programme, which has a capacity of two cars per year, is also the first to emerge from the new Bugatti Design Studio in the former E-Werk techno rave club in Berlin. The Brouillard is named after Ettore Bugatti’s favourite horse and epitomises the strategy of Solitaire to deliver the highest level of customisation.
It’s a one-off inspired by Ettore’s fascination with horses but it also takes inspiration from the Veyron, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025. Frank Heyl, Bugatti design director, explained to Magneto at a preview of the model in Berlin that Brouillard is all about telling a story, one that he hopes will still be relevant in a hundred years time, just as the story of the iconic Type 57 SC Atlantic is today.
If you’re expecting the term coachbuilding to mean a return to truly unique models, such as the creations of Carrosserie Bugatti, and for that matter the Atlantic concept of 2015, then you might be disappointed. Named after Ettore Bugatti’s beloved horse, the Brouillard uses the Mistral for its underpinnings, although both the exterior and interior designs have been extensively reworked.
The customer, a well known Bugatti collector, chose a satin green for the Brouillard, which receives its official unveiling at Monterey Car Week. Exterior design highlights include variations on the core Bugatti DNA elements, including the horseshoe grille and the Bugatti line in the side profile. The two air intakes on the roof are hewn from solid aluminium, providing cooling to the W16 engine and the roof itself is bespoke glass to add more light to the interior. Front and rear lighting features slight design tweaks over the Mistral and at the rear is an integrated ducktail wing that channels air both above and below. The link to horses can be seen in the muscular rear haunches and then the equestrian theme continues in the interior.
The most obvious connections are the horse motifs embroidered into the seats and door cards, as well as a crystal horse head in the gear lever. Unique tartan fabrics were sourced from Paris and the carbon fibre has been cleverly infused with coordinated green. Then there’s the fabric itself, the least obvious but most direct link to the equestrian world, because it is actual horse hair, a material that was also offered to customers of the Tourbillon.
Not surprisingly there’s no official mention of cost, with Heyl only saying that the company needs to recover the costs of making each one-off model from the customer. It’s probably not outrageous to speculate a figure close to $20-million, but in the world of bespoke one-off hypercars, especially ones wearing the desirable Bugatti name, ultimate exclusivity is priceless.
The Brouillard to be unveiled in Monterey will be a model; the completed car will be delivered to the customer in 2027.
