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 itself like a dancing elephant. In 2012, this special liaison was continued with the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport "Wei Long" with a dragon motif. Incidentally, the reason for the motif was the Chinese horoscope, as 2012 was dominated by the Far Eastern symbol of luck, the dragon.
"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 L'Or Blanc 2011, the Wei Long 2012 is also truly unique. Porcelain elements with dragon motifs were developed at the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin for both the interior and exterior. The carriage is designed entirely in white and red - an extremely elegant color combination: the crimson interior looks like a precious lacquer carving from the Ming period. Discreet red accents on the exterior (wheel rims, tail lights) 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.
