LIAISON ROYALE
It was originally intended to be a unique combination of two great brands, with the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin producing a limited edition of the Bugatti radiator mascot. This dancing elephant in Art Deco style, designed by Ettore Bugatti's brother Rembrandt, already adorned a Bugatti in 1926. The collaboration between the design teams on both sides inspired the process so much that the end result was an automotive work of art crowned with white gold. See the result for yourself!
The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport “L’Or Blanc” is like a dancing elephant in its own right. In 2012, this special collaboration continued with the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport “Wei Long,” featuring a dragon motif. Incidentally, the motif was inspired by the Chinese zodiac, as 2012 was the Year of the Dragon, a symbol of good fortune in the Far East.
"Originally, it was supposed to be a unique combination of my two greatest passions. But then the meeting of a unique automobile and royal porcelain resulted in something deeply moving for me." - Jörg Woltmann
A KITE WITH 1001 HP
Like the 2011 L’Or Blanc, the 2012 Wei Long is also truly one of a kind. The Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Berlin developed porcelain elements featuring dragon motifs for both the interior and exterior. The car is designed entirely in white and red—an exceptionally elegant color combination: the crimson interior resembles a precious lacquered carving from the Ming Dynasty. Subtle red accents on the exterior (wheel rims, taillights) make the white paintwork of the body and the porcelain elements shine all the more brilliantly.
The oil and fuel filler caps feature a porcelain medallion on which the relief of a dragon's head stands out. The wheel hub cover takes up the theme in the form of the ancient Chinese character for dragon - lóng. The magnificent highlight of the red carriage interior is a 24 x 19 cm porcelain plate with a dragon's head, which is embedded in the rear wall between the seat shells.
For Thomas Wenzel, responsible for product development at the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur, the biggest challenge was the design of the dragon: "Designing a dragon not from a European perspective, but internalizing the iconography of Chinese and Asian motifs, was crucial for this project."
The Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin is proud of this model, which Bugatti rightly calls the "dragon of the automotive industry". The car costs 1.58 million euros.
