Tag Archive for: visionary

JEAN BUGATTI – a creative visionary ahead of his time

JEAN BUGATTI – A CREATIVE VISIONARY AHEAD OF HIS TIME

The Bugatti family worldwide will on Sunday celebrate 114 years to the day that Jean Bugatti was born. As a freethinking engineer and designer, his automobile creations were exceptional, daring to break norms and conventions. Today, his work continues to inspire the team at the home of Bugatti in Molsheim.

FUEL CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS

  • 1 LA VOITURE NOIRE: WLTP FUEL CONSUMPTION, L/100 KM: LOW PHASE 43,33 / MEDIUM PHASE 22,15 / HIGH PHASE 17,99 / EXTRA HIGH PHASE 18,28 / COMBINED 22,32; CO2 EMISSIONS COMBINED, G/KM: 505,61; EFFICIENCY CLASS: G
  • 2 CHIRON: WLTP FUEL CONSUMPTION, L/100 KM: LOW PHASE 44.56 / MEDIUM PHASE 24.80 / HIGH PHASE 21.29 / EXTRA HIGH PHASE 21.57 / COMBINED 25.19; CO2 EMISSIONS COMBINED, G/KM: 571.64; EFFICIENCY CLASS: G

Ettore Bugatti’s first son, Gianoberto Carlo Maria Bugatti, was born in Cologne, Germany, on January 15, 1909. In Molsheim, he became known as Jean, the French equivalent to “Gian”.

Having grown up surrounded by a family of visionary artists, Jean benefited from an upbringing that would allow him to flourish as an automotive engineer. It quickly became evident to many that his mind was free from the usual set of norms and design conventions.

“Jean Bugatti was an artist of the highest order that so happened to craft his work in the automotive sphere,” says Christophe Piochon, President of Bugatti Automobiles. “And for that, we can all be thankful, because Jean’s work was extraordinary; his conceptions at the time weren’t just forward-looking, they were otherworldly.”

As a young man, he ambitiously added a new dimension to the Type 41 Royale his father presented to the world in 1926, designing the Type 41 Royale Roadster Esders, an elegant two-seater convertible. And the Esders marked the start of not only Jean’s design journey but the beginning of the Jean Bugatti era of the business, guided by his beautiful designs and ingenious creations. By 1936 Ettore passed the baton onto his son, giving him full responsibility of the company at the tender age of 27.

It’s a clear sign of his confidence and attitude that in the same year he was entrusted to run Bugatti, Jean created a car renowned today as one of the most beautiful ever: the Type 57 SC Atlantic. This car quickly became an iconic reference point that went beyond automotive, taking its place as part of a collective French design movement that was at the vanguard of interpretation: Art Deco.

His legendary creation would even come to inspire the one-of-one La Voiture Noire1, a modern homage to the Type 57 SC Atlantic. Jean’s legacy, however, would extend far beyond this one car. His daring work and artistry has echoes throughout the ages, influencing the shape and style of Bugatti in the modern age.

Jean’s acclaimed C-line design – visible in models such as the Type 50 and Type 57 – has been carried throughout the decades, visible on both the Veyron and Chiron2, becoming a core part of Bugatti’s design identity. Jean’s design work also centered on the use of perfect proportions, the bold center line accentuation and the dropping beltline, used to great effect in the Atalante and Atlantic. His use of duotone colors and the creation of shapely forms designed to reflect light in interesting ways is consistently referenced in the modern world of Bugatti design. There is no doubt that today’s modern line-up of Molsheim’s hyper sports cars is deeply connected to Jean’s visionary ideas.

Jascha Straub, Sales and Design Executive at Bugatti, said: “While working on a car with a customer, as I play with new colors, textures and designs, I always have in my mind Jean’s legacy and his groundbreaking vision for the brand and his way of treating cars as sculptures and setting motion into action even when the design is static. Many of our customers value the heritage of our brand and its visionary custodians so we often seek to accentuate the center line and create combinations of colors that best showcase Jean’s approach.”

While Jean’s light shone brightly, sadly its arc was destined to be short. On August 11, 1939, at the age of 30, Jean tragically died in a car accident not far from the Bugatti factory. But Jean’s light will forever shine upon Bugatti, helping to guide the brand as the future plays out. Even on the company’s latest creation – a unique Chiron model called the Profilée, which goes on auction in Paris on February 1 – Jean’s character and body of work is apparent, gracefully shaping the automotive solitaire with a design that is elegant and timeless.

Project MAYBACH with Virgil Abloh: an installation in homage to a visionary, trusted partner and collaborator.

Following the wishes of Virgil’s family, Mercedes-Benz is honoured to reveal Project MAYBACH: a collaborative electric show car designed to inspire the next generation, and forever question the status quo.

Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach und Virgl Abloh 2021 // Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh, 2021

Miami / Stuttgart.  On 1 December 2021, in lieu of an intimate press event, Mercedes-Benz pays tribute to Virgil Abloh by opening the doors of the Rubell Museum to showcase Project MAYBACH to the public between December 1st – December 2nd, with access offered exclusively to students from local design schools from 11:30am to 12:30pm on December 1st.  A humble contribution to Virgil’s vast legacy, the Mercedes-Maybach show car exemplifies the possibilities of future design and is the result of an on-going co-operation with the polymath artist, architect, creative director, fashion designer and philanthropist; driven by a shared passion to enrich the conversation around luxury design.

“Mercedes-Benz is devastated to hear of the passing of Virgil Abloh. Our sincere thoughts are with Virgil’s family and teams.  Now opening the world of our collaboration, and Virgil’s unique vision, to the public we want to respectfully celebrate the work of a truly unique design talent, who created endless possibilities for collaboration through his unbridled imagination and inspired all that knew his work.”  Mercedes-Benz AG.

Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach und Virgl Abloh 2021 // Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh, 2021

Introducing Project MAYBACH

A design unlike anything that has been developed by Mercedes-Benz, every element of Project MAYBACH has been built from scratch. Abloh, collaboratively with Gorden Wagener, has interpreted Mercedes-Maybach’s luxury identity with a new design language and pushed the boundaries of function, style, and collaborative creativity.  Inspired by the great outdoors and recontextualizing a traditionally urban brand within a distinctly off-road environment, the 2-seater, battery-electric off-road coupé combines huge Gran Turismo proportions, large off-road wheels and distinctive attachments.

Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach und Virgl Abloh 2021 // Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh, 2021

Key for both Abloh and Wagener was a responsible vision of future design.  Complete creative freedom – untethered by production requirements – enabled the design teams to conceptualize what the future of electric travel could look like. Under the transparent surface of the show cars front hood for instance are solar cells that increase the imagined range of the Project MAYBACH.

Never afraid to spark conversation through provocative design, Project MAYBACH channels Abloh’s passion to challenge the status quo and re-write the rulebook of aspirational design. The X-Factor nature of Project MAYBACH results not only from its breathtaking size – almost six meters long – and characteristics, but above all from its unique contrasts; most notably through how naturally authentic Mercedes-Maybach design elements are harmoniously combined with a new Outdoor Adventure design motif.

Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach und Virgl Abloh 2021 // Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh, 2021

The power of Abloh’s work is not only from the product design, but also the exploratory conversations that his work ignited.  Whilst the Project MAYBACH show car was inspired by how one could explore nature within a uniquely luxury context with Maybach, the Mercedes-Benz teams thank Virgil Abloh for the inspiration to explore every day the power of cross-industry dialogue to imagine a better, more inclusive future.

Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach und Virgl Abloh 2021 // Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh, 2021

Further details on design-specific elements are available on request.