French high-performance car manufacturer Bugatti has revealed that it has successfully restored the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport prototype to its 2008 condition. The company launched its in-house authenticity certification and restoration program called ‘La Maison Pur Sang’, loosely translated to purebred or pureblood house, last year. The Veyron was the first project that it took under its wings.
The Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport prototype made its debut in 2008 at Pebble Beach car show. The unregistered demo car was dubbed 'Grand Sport 2.1' and featured white silver metallic paint with a Cognac leather interior. Following the debut, it travelled across the globe from North America, Europe and the Middle East.
In 2020, the vehicle was reacquired by Bugatti and became the first vehicle to be a part of its 'La Maison Pur Sang' program where the car maker spent four months to restore it to its original condition. To restore it, a complete strip-down of the vehicle was undertaken and its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) was confirmed via inspection. The vehicle's paint, metalwork and leather, all were restored.
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The external body panels were removed, then prepared again and repainted. Its cabin was completely refurbished with new leather trim and a refresh of all leather and aluminium parts. It was also fitted with a new centre console to match the one from the car's original configuration 1.0. "Following this official confirmation of the car’s status as an important historic model, the car rapidly attracted attention from a number of captivated collectors," said Luigi Galli, Head of the program.
Bugatti says that awarding an authenticity certificate and restoring a car of historic value provides a much-needed reassurance to owners and collectors of classic and vintage vehicles. This also significantly increases the value of the exclusive hyper sports cars from the car maker and makes them attract a better price.
