Cars possess a unique position; they are built to appeal to and fulfil consumer desires, but the operation and functionality of a the motor car has stayed a constant for the last seventy years. A car remains useful long after it is new – people are still driving cars that are twenty or thirty years old – or even older that that – every day due to means or preference.
As such, we see these older vehicles far more frequently then we would a cathode ray television being used, or someone using a personal computer from the 1990s. The other curious thing about cars is that whilst modern vehicles are more capable and safe compared to their older counterparts, they are not necessarily better, not in objective terms but in spirit and character – those attributes that are so hard to define.
Yet, we can say whether cars have aged well or poorly. Does a car look a product of its age or could it pass for a more modern vehicle? Today, we’ll be analysing the design of the car of a generation: the Bugatti Veyron.
What has not been said about the Veyron? Very little it turns out, but here we go anyway.
We all know the story; conceived as technical tour de force by new owners Volkswagen, the Veyron – named after Bugatti test driver, racer and 1939 Le Mans winner, Pierre Veyron – was designed to be this untouchable shot across the bow of the entire motoring world: this is what the Volkswagen group can achieve when it really puts its resources to work.
It is pleasing that the Veyron has aged so well, as it would be a huge shame to see such a significant car hamstrung by some wonky design work. That being said, the Veyron was not and is not what could ever be considered beautiful. Instead the car has immense presence and a sort of indescribable aura that surrounds the car. Just looking at pictures of the Veyron conveys this; the way the car sits, the shape of the car. You could know nothing about cars and the Veyron would still have an effect on you. At around four and a half metres long and just under two metres wide, the Veyron cuts an intimidating shape. The Veyron is a machine that simultaneously has the an unimaginable weight of expectation on its shoulders whilst also being perhaps the only car to ever successfully carry the weight of those expectations.
Perhaps the new ways in which we have consumed motoring media; the sheer volume of sources and the instancy of it all takes the rug right out from under even the most amazing machines. Both the Aston Martin Valkyrie and GMA T.50 were released this year, both touted as cars like which have never been seen before, and yet both seemed already consigned to the past. The conversation has moved on the BMW M3 Touring and whatever other performance cars are due to arrive.
The Veyron is from a different era and isn’t a victim of this. Its’ uniqueness as the only modern Bugatti back in 2005 meant it was not hamstrung by a wider design language. Designer Jozef Kaban was free to create as daring a design as he wished, and the Veyron’s scarab-like shape makes it instantly recognisable and unique.
Some aspects of the design are a little awkward, such as the headlights, that give the impression they are being sucked inwards to the central front bodywork element, giving the Veyron a whiff of Morgan Aero 8. The front wheel arch design offsets this with a crease that begins just above the outer edges of the headlights that rises and trails all the way to beginning of the air vents on the Veyron’s haunches, adding tension to the front bodywork.
From the cabin back, there is a huge amount of bodywork, that gives the Veyron this very elongated appearance, particularly when the rear wing is retracted. The sheer amount of bodywork can make the Veyron look a little panel van-like from certain angles, but the sloping design motif concludes neatly across the rear fascia of the Veyron as the design is rounded both vertically and horizontally.
The rear lights are again, simple in design and whilst a more cynical person than I may say they look a bit too much Nissan GTR, the rear light design prevents the design from aging. The roof mounted air intakes give the roofline a bit of visual punch, and the lack of a fussy glass or carbon fibre engine cover creates a void space that tightens the rear design. The rear arches are massively swollen, not only to accommodate the famous abundance of radiators, but also to ensure the Veyron’s huge 365mm rear tyres remain tucked away at maximum speed.
The absolute masterstroke of the Veyron’s design is the straightness of the side skirts and the lower edge of the front bumper. This visual cue is so effective as it creates an absolute ‘pens down’ hard stop for the car’s design. The straight side skirts tidy the car’s profile and the front bumper is clean and simple and as far divorced from modern supercars with their canards, diffusers and venturis as possible. This does create a heaviness to the design, but a design that sucks the Veyron closer to the ground, making it seem impossibly flat and low.
In terms of colours, the Veyron wears both bright and dark colours well, although monotone colours allow the shape to breath whereas the two-tone options can exacerbate the awkward looking front from certain angles.
That being said, I think the Veyron definitely succeeds in bringing a modernised take on what a supercar from the 1930s could have looked like. Unlike more modern and less bespoke £1 million plus hypercars, the Veyron stands effortlessly alone.
A timeless legend.
Kerbside 