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Editor: Jaap Horst


Volume 18, Issue 2

A visit to the Bugatti Atelier in Molsheim

Jaap Horst

On the Sunday of this year's Molsheim Festival, it was possible to visit the Atelier, where the famous Veyron is being assembled. Though beforehand it was announced that taking photographs inside would be forbidden, once inside, everybody was taking photographs, so I followed the crowd.

To start with: outside the Atelier, with a new Veyron, and also an original Bugatti, which came out of a factory about 1km away!

One Veyron was about to be put together, front, center section and engine already mounted on the stands where they can be carefully slided into place.
Seen from the notice on the cupboard with the various parts, the car is intended for delivery to China, number two.
The VR16 engine is impressive, as always.

A glass wall contains many Veyron miniatures, for some reason. It may be that there is one for each Veyron delivered, though if that is the case, these do not have the same colours as the real Veyrons.

Veyron ready, with no body panels yet.

Another Veyron, almost at the same stage.

At this stage, the Veyron goes to the test bench. Safe behind glass, in case a wheel breaks of or so. Special air blowers at the front, and air is sucked off from behind the car.
The Veyron can not be tested to it's full potential though, as there are simply no test benches available that can cope with all the power!

Two more cars, one almost ready, on the other the body panels are being mounted.

Some spare parts. Painting of the body parts, as well as the visible parts of the chassis, is done at another company.

One apparently ready Veyron was standing in the "Light stand", with a load of lights, to see imperfections and raise internal temperature?

Details of the front suspension.

Outside the different sidebuildings to the Chateau St. Jean, the Atelier, and the Chateau St. Jean itself. All owned by Bugatti SAS.
Surprisingly, the Bugatti EB110 which raced at Le Mans in 1994 (From the Manoir de L'Automobile at Lohéac, Bretagne) was also on show!


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