Bugatti Debuts the One-Off Destrier Hypercar. Here’s What to Know.

Unlike many of the finest automakers that are waiting to reveal their latest adventures in engineering and design during Northern California’s Monterey Car Week, Bugatti has not left us in suspense. Prior to showcasing its new W16-powered marvel in the carbon-fiber flesh in Carmel Valley on August 14, the marque has just given it’s Bugatti Destrier an online launch.

The breathtakingly styled hypercar is the third one-off from Bugatti’s Programme Solitaire, the French automaker’s division established to offer clients the opportunity to basically create their own model variant based on an existing platform. Previous examples comprise the Brouillard and F.K.P. Hommage, debuted last august and at the start of this year, respectively.

The Destrier is built on the chassis of the Bugatti Bolide, but without all of that track car’s motorsport-inspired trappings required for blistering lap performance. The result is a car that tames the Bolide beast with a more refined aesthetic throughout, yet without lacking any of its sibling’s muscle—sharing the Bolide’s 1,578 hp, quad-turbo W16 power plant.

The Bolide and the Destrier also share an ancestral relationship with Bugatti’s Type 57C “Tank” and Type 57SC Atlantic of the 1930s. Though built on the same chassis, the brutish “Tank” was an innovative tour de force on circuits, winning the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans. In striking contrast, the Type 57SC Atlantic is, in the minds of many, nothing short of ethereal, the automotive ideal when it comes to form—regardless of function—though its road prowess was also noteworthy for the era.

According to Bugatti, the singular model’s moniker references the “the finest and strongest Medieval knight’s horse,” and when viewed at the flanks, the Destrier presents the latent energy visible in equine haunches and overall musculature. It even emits a sheen from its custom Sapphire Celeste color scheme that evokes the glistening body of a thoroughbred after a full gallop. Bugatti’s hallmark styling cues are ever present, specifically its overt C-line and horseshoe grille, the latter being larger than that of the Bolide.

The Destrier’s visual dynamism is also expressed in its dimensions and stance. Though the French marque claims that, at only 3 feet in height, the Destrier is “dramatically lower than any other Bugatti model,” it rides on 20- and 21-inch wheels forward and back, respectively, while the Bolide sits on ones measuring 18 inches. Carrying on the namesake theme, the press release notes that, “in the engine bay, brightwork components carry a hammered surface finish—a subtle nod to the hand-beaten armor of the medieval knight.”

The Destrier’s cockpit is dressed in two types of leather presented in a brown hue called “Ambre Voyageur,” and what  Bugatti refers to as “an advanced 3-D knitted textile” that’s interwoven with copper. “Nothing shouts,” stated Sabine Consolini, Bugatti’s head of color and trim, in the press release. “Every surface is measured, tactile, and made for one person alone.” And that is the raison d’être of Bugatti’s Programme Solitaire.

“These Solitaire programs allow us to really deep dive into one particular subject,” stated Frank Heyl, Bugatti’s director of design, during an invitation-only virtual preview of the F.K.P Hommage back in January, one which included Robb Report.

As for the Destrier, Heyl states in today’s official announcement: “The Bolide gave us the most extreme proportions we have ever created, and by freeing them from the Bolide’s relentless pursuit of downforce, we let them speak as pure sculpture . . . I believe Destrier will be gracing concours lawns 50 years from now.” Whether or not that prediction comes to fruition, the Destrier will certainly be a magnate for hypercar cognoscenti attending both the Quail, a Motorsport’s Gathering and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance next week.

Click here for more photos of the Bugatti Destrier hypercar.