KPM x BUGATTI
 
When the design teams at KPM Berlin and sports car manufacturer Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. collaborate to adorn a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with elements made of high-quality porcelain, the result is automotive works of art. In the case of the “L’Or Blanc,” the car was adorned in 2011 with a relief of the famous dancing elephant by Rembrandt Bugatti—the sculptor and brother of automotive designer Ettore Bugatti.
One year later, the Chinese Year of the Dragon was the theme for the design of the "Wei Long". KPM developed porcelain elements with corresponding motifs for both the bodywork and the interior of this precious one-off.
"The biggest challenge for us was designing the dragon," says KPM head designer Thomas Wenzel. "Not to design it from a European perspective, but to internalize the iconography of Chinese and Asian motifs was crucial for this project."
The crimson interior of the "Wei Long" looks like a 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 brilliantly.
The oil and fuel filler caps feature a porcelain medallion from which the relief of a dragon's head emerges. The wheel hub cover takes up the theme in the form of the ancient Chinese character for dragon - lóng. The magnificent highlight of the 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.