That Noire nameplate rings a bell, doesn't it...?
Yes, in fact it should ring a couple of bells. One from earlier this year when Bugatti unveiled its prototype 'La Voiture Noire 2' at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este - a one-off prototype which reputedly sold for $18.68m. That machine was created by design director Achim Anscheidt to 'be an interpretation of the ultimate GT for Bugatti enthusiasts, a coupé with the comfort of a luxury limousine and the power of a hyper-sports car', which company president Stephan Winkelmann further described as 'the spearhead of automotive engineering - a sculptural beauty'.
Then there is the original 'La Voiture Noire' from the 1930s, which was one of four drop-dead gorgeous Type-57SC Atlantics built - a stunning machine which inspired the Villa d'Este sequel. After being used for promotional work, 'La Voiture Noire' became the personal car of Ettore's son and heir, Jean Bugatti, who was also the company's designer. These Atlantics were built between 1936 and 1938, and whilst the whereabouts of three are known, Jean's former car disappeared at the beginning of WWII after the Nazi invasion of France.
So we're looking at two all-black limited editions?
Named the Chiron Noire Élégance and the Chiron Noire Sportive, both may be similarly limited with their colour palette, but each Noire adopts a very different approach to its style. Broadly speaking, the Élégance embraces a sort of Steinway in Manhattan type of chic, while the Sportive adopts a meaner, more aggressive style, making it resemble Darth Vader's Pitbull Terrier.
Let's talk specifics.
Starting with the Élégance, its black leather interior comes with alloy highlights which complement its exterior. The bodywork is covered with gloss-finish carbon-fibre, which is broken up by aluminium details such as a solid-milled, matte-finished, C-shaped Bugatti signature line, new alloys, door mirrors, and engine cover detailing. There is also a bespoke Bugatti 'macaron' badge made from solid silver and finished with black enamel. As for the colour of the brake callipers, you can probably guess that for yourself. Finishing off the exterior details are a few 'Noire' legends, the typeface of which somehow invokes the decals from a dealer-special Peugeot 106.
Moving over to the Chiron Noire Sportive, this model increases the dark moodiness by doing away with the Élégance's subtle highlights and sparkle. Its carbon-fibre body is matte-finished, and its exterior trim is all matte black too - even down to its four exhaust pipes. The same goes for all the interior fixtures and fittings, which come in any colour you like as long as it's... yes, you've guessed it: black. Very, very black. Black, like the clouds of death that follow me into the Forest of Doom...
How much, how fast and when?
Sorry. Right, prices for the Chiron Noire editions start from a mere €3m for the basic version. Alternatively, Chiron Sport customers can upgrade their order for just €100,000. In the case of the former, power comes from the Chiron's 8.0-litre W16 which is capable of 1,500hp and 1,600Nm of torque. Planned deliveries start in the second quarter of 2020.
Simon Charlesworth - 9 Dec 2019