News: H is for Haute
June 1, 2008
Bugatti called upon Hermès, the famed French fashion house, to imbue in its 16-cylinder supercar a certain Parisian je ne sais quoi. No mere exercise in cross-branding, the Veyron Fbg par Hermès (Fbg refers to the palatial corporate headquarters of Hermès at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré) has a precedent that dates to 1929, when Ettore Bugatti enlisted saddler Émile Hermès to fabricate an extraordinary travel trunk, perfectly fitted to the rear of the first Bugatti Royale.
Therefore, it’s appropriate that much of what is sheathed in metal or faux suede in the standard Veyron’s cockpit—the gleaming aluminum dash panel and the carbon-fiber wall behind the seats, for instance—is in the Hermès edition wrapped in hide: supple, saddle-stitched bull-calfskin, unblemished by age and unstretched by maternity.
Among its signature touches are luggage-style leather pulls on the doors, a bespoke suitcase in the trunk, and a selection of travel accessories, including a Hermès wallet, in the glovebox. Outside, eight-spoke polished aluminum wheels bearing the Hermès H emblem brighten an ebony and étoupe (seen here) or ebony and brick two-tone paint scheme.
Bugatti will offer approximately 12 examples of the Veyron Fbg
par Hermès, priced at €1.55 million (about $2.5 million); one
car per month is the limit for the talented hands at Hermès—proof, perhaps, that
even when it comes to a machine capable of
253 mph, patience is a virtue.
Bugatti, www.bugatti.com
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