The Bugatti Chiron Golden Era made its official public debut today at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, and we had a chance to catch up with the company’s Director of Design Frank Heyl to discuss the latest project. Built by Bugatti’s Sur Mesure customization arm, the Golden Era is a celebration of the company’s most significant automobiles, sketched directly onto the paint in pen.
The Chiron's color scheme, by the way, is a custom gold called Doré, fading in an ombre away from the front end’s Nocturne Black. The two-tone bodywork and attention-grabbing sketches overshadow one of the Golden Era’s most outré details, however.
"This is the first time it’s got an actual gold emblem," said Heyl, speaking to Motor1.com Senior Editor Jeff Perez.
For the first time in the modern era, a Bugatti has genuine gold accents, starting with the leaf found on the red enamel grille badge and extending to the Chiron Super Sport script on the bodysides. If that doesn’t gild the lily enough, the stylized EB logo on the rear deck is also gold-plated.
Gallery: Bugatti Chiron Super Sport Golden Era Car
And although the Chiron and its variants are approaching the end of their 500-unit run, the brand might have a bit more up its sleeve before sunsetting the supercar and its W16 engine.
“Well, we’ll see,” Heyl said in response to a question of whether the Golden Era would be the last special Chiron. “The message here is that the Sur Mesure program, the individualization program, we’re getting that to the next level. We are seeing that there’s real demand for this kind of vehicle.”
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Part of the appeal, in Heyl’s mind, is that custom projects like the Golden Era become heirlooms for car collectors, potentially staying in the family for generations.
“They need to be timeless,” Heyl says.