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News

Mate Rimac Takes Bugatti

After almost three decades under Volkswagen Group ownership, Bugatti has officially entered a new chapter. Porsche has completed the sale of its stake in Bugatti Rimac and the Rimac Group, formally ending the Volkswagen Group’s ownership connection with the legendary French hypercar manufacturer.

The transaction marks the end of one of the most significant chapters in modern Bugatti history. Volkswagen Group acquired the rights to the Bugatti name in 1998, and under its ownership the French marque evolved from a historic automotive name into one of the most recognizable and technologically ambitious hypercar manufacturers in the world.

Now, with Porsche completely out of Bugatti Rimac, Mate Rimac is taking a much more prominent role in the future of Bugatti.

Volkswagen Revived Bugatti in the 1990s

Bugatti’s modern revival began in 1998, when the Volkswagen Group, under then-CEO Ferdinand Piëch, acquired the rights to the historic French brand.

Piëch had ambitious plans for Bugatti. Volkswagen subsequently presented several dramatic concept cars as it explored how to return the marque to the top of the automotive world.

The result was the Bugatti Veyron.

When it arrived, the Veyron fundamentally changed expectations for what a production road car could achieve. Its quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine, enormous power output and extraordinary engineering made it one of the defining performance cars of the 21st century.

The Veyron was eventually followed by the Bugatti Chiron, which pushed the formula even further and established Bugatti as one of the world’s ultimate hypercar manufacturers.

For Volkswagen, Bugatti had become much more than a historic name. It had become a technological showcase for the group.

The Birth of Bugatti Rimac

The next major change came in 2021.

Volkswagen Group decided to restructure its ownership of Bugatti, bringing Rimac into the picture. The resulting joint venture, Bugatti Rimac, gave Rimac a 55 percent stake, while Porsche retained the remaining 45 percent.

It was an unusual but potentially powerful combination.

On one side was Bugatti, a brand synonymous with extreme luxury, mechanical engineering and record-breaking internal-combustion engines. On the other was Rimac, a company that had established itself as a leader in high-performance electric powertrains, batteries and advanced vehicle technology.

Porsche played a central role in the arrangement through its ownership position in the Volkswagen Group structure.

Five years later, that relationship has now come to an end.

Porsche Completes Its Exit From Bugatti Rimac

In April 2026, Porsche announced that a consortium led by HOF Capital had agreed to acquire its stake in Bugatti Rimac. Following the necessary regulatory approvals, the transaction has now been completed.

Porsche has sold both its stake in Bugatti Rimac and its 21 percent stake in the Rimac Group.

According to Porsche, the transactions will generate proceeds of approximately €1 billion. Around €250 million of that amount will be used to further finance pension obligations and improve the company’s net cash flow margin.

While Porsche is now leaving the ownership structure, the relationship with Rimac has already produced tangible technology for one of its most important products.

The Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid uses a battery supplied by Rimac, demonstrating that the collaboration was about more than simply ownership structures and corporate transactions.

Mate Rimac Takes Over as Bugatti President

The completion of the deal also brings significant changes to Bugatti’s management structure.

Mate Rimac, founder of Rimac, will become President of Bugatti Automobiles. He replaces Christophe Piochon, who is stepping down from his positions as President of Bugatti Automobiles and Chief Operating Officer of Bugatti Rimac.

The move gives Rimac even greater influence over the future direction of Bugatti.

Marko Brkljacic, formerly Chief Operating Officer of Rimac Technology, will join the Bugatti Rimac management team as Chief Operating Officer.

Meanwhile, current Bugatti Automobiles CEO Hendrik Malinowski will move into the role of Chief Commercial Officer.

The changes suggest that Bugatti and Rimac are entering a new phase in which the relationship between the two companies will become increasingly integrated, while Bugatti itself remains focused on maintaining its unique identity.

The Bugatti Tourbillon Is the First Car of the Rimac Era

The first major product to emerge from the Bugatti Rimac era is the Bugatti Tourbillon.

It is an important car for the brand for several reasons.

The Tourbillon represents Bugatti’s first electrified production model, combining a high-performance internal-combustion engine with an electric powertrain. It is therefore a significant technological departure from the Veyron and Chiron, while still following Bugatti’s traditional philosophy of combining extreme performance with luxury and engineering sophistication.

Before the Tourbillon was revealed, there was considerable speculation that the successor to the Chiron could become a fully electric hypercar.

Given Rimac’s expertise in electric vehicles, the assumption seemed logical.

But Mate Rimac and his team took a different approach.

Rather than turning Bugatti into another electric-only hypercar manufacturer, the company chose a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The decision allowed Bugatti to embrace electrification without abandoning the combustion engine that has been central to the brand’s identity for decades.

That strategy was not entirely unexpected.

When the Bugatti Rimac joint venture was created in 2021, Mate Rimac identified a plug-in hybrid hypercar as one of the objectives within his ten-year vision for Bugatti.

The Tourbillon is the result of that philosophy.

Bugatti Refuses to Abandon the Combustion Engine

The Tourbillon is particularly significant because it demonstrates that electrification does not necessarily mean the end of the internal-combustion engine at the highest level of performance.

Instead, Bugatti has used hybrid technology to enhance its traditional formula.

That distinction matters.

Rimac has demonstrated what is possible with fully electric hypercars, but Bugatti occupies a different position in the automotive world. Its customers expect not only breathtaking acceleration but also mechanical theatre, craftsmanship, exclusivity and a sense of occasion.

The Tourbillon attempts to combine those characteristics with modern electrification.

It is effectively Bugatti’s answer to the question of how a hypercar brand built around enormous combustion engines can move into the electric age without losing its identity.

A New Home for the Tourbillon in Molsheim

The Tourbillon also represents an important milestone for Bugatti’s manufacturing operation.

The brand’s new La Manufacture production facility in Molsheim was created specifically to support the next generation of Bugatti vehicles.

The facility represents a significant investment in the future of the brand and reinforces Bugatti’s commitment to producing its cars in Molsheim, the historic home of the company.

For Bugatti, this is about more than constructing a new factory. It is about combining traditional French craftsmanship with the increasingly sophisticated technology required to build modern hybrid hypercars.

That combination is central to Bugatti’s identity.

What Happens to Bugatti Now?

The end of Volkswagen Group ownership does not mean Bugatti is becoming a conventional Rimac product.

In fact, the opposite may be true.

Bugatti and Rimac have always represented two very different approaches to performance. Rimac’s expertise lies heavily in electric propulsion, batteries, software and advanced vehicle technology, while Bugatti’s appeal is built around luxury, exclusivity, craftsmanship and mechanical engineering.

The challenge for Mate Rimac will be maintaining that distinction while taking advantage of the technology and expertise available through the wider Rimac organization.

The Tourbillon suggests that the company already has a clear philosophy.

Bugatti will embrace electrification, but it will do so on its own terms.

The End of a 28-Year Volkswagen Chapter

Volkswagen’s involvement with Bugatti began in 1998 with Ferdinand Piëch’s ambitious plan to revive one of the world’s greatest automotive names.

It produced the Veyron, one of the most influential performance cars ever built, followed by the Chiron and an entire generation of Bugatti models that transformed the brand into a symbol of automotive excess and engineering ambition.

The 2021 creation of Bugatti Rimac represented another turning point.

Now, with Porsche’s stake sold and the transaction completed, the Volkswagen era has officially ended.

Bugatti is entering its next chapter under much stronger Rimac influence, with Mate Rimac moving into the role of President of Bugatti Automobiles.

The Tourbillon is the first major statement of that new era. It combines a combustion engine with electric assistance, traditional Bugatti craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, and the heritage of Molsheim with the engineering expertise of Rimac.

The biggest question now is not whether Bugatti will change.

It is how far Mate Rimac will take it.

For a company that has already produced the Veyron and Chiron, expectations could hardly be higher.

Source: Bugatti

NEW CARS

Bugatti Veyron Celebrates 20 Years With an Extraordinary One-Off Creation

Twenty years after the Bugatti Veyron redefined what was possible from a production car, Bugatti is opening a new chapter for its legendary hypercar. Through its exclusive certification and restoration division, La Maison Pur Sang, the French marque has created a one-of-one Veyron that combines the car’s historic character with modern materials, contemporary design touches and an extraordinary level of personalization.

Unveiled at Pebble Beach, the La Maison Pur Sang Veyron 20 Years celebrates two decades of the Veyron while demonstrating how Bugatti intends to preserve one of the most important cars in its history. Rather than simply restoring the Veyron to its original specification, Bugatti has explored what is possible when meticulous preservation meets bespoke craftsmanship.

The result is a unique Veyron developed in collaboration with its owner, showcasing new materials, redesigned components and details that would have been unimaginable when the original hypercar arrived two decades ago.

A New Chapter for the Bugatti Veyron

When Bugatti introduced the Veyron 16.4, it changed the definition of automotive performance. Its combination of an 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine, all-wheel drive and extraordinary engineering made it one of the most technologically ambitious road cars ever produced.

Two decades later, the Veyron remains one of the defining automobiles of the modern hypercar era.

La Maison Pur Sang was established to ensure that cars like the Veyron can continue to be preserved at the highest possible level. The program, introduced at Rétromobile in Paris in 2020, provides Bugatti owners with a dedicated pathway for maintenance, certification, restoration and, where appropriate, highly personalized reinterpretation.

The Veyron 20 Years represents perhaps the most ambitious expression of that philosophy so far.

Restoration Meets Personalization

La Maison Pur Sang is not limited to returning an older Bugatti to factory condition. The program allows owners to decide how far they want to take the process.

For some collectors, that means preserving a vehicle exactly as it left the factory, with meticulous mechanical work, certification and historically accurate restoration. For others, the process offers an opportunity to introduce bespoke materials, colors, finishes and details while respecting the identity of the original car.

That distinction is particularly important with the Veyron.

Rather than turning the hypercar into something unrecognizable, Bugatti has concentrated on carefully considered modifications that enhance its presence while maintaining the proportions and design language that made the Veyron an icon.

A Unique Color Combination

One of the most striking aspects of the La Maison Pur Sang Veyron 20 Years is its exterior color combination.

The body is finished in Rouge Rembrandt, a newly developed color associated with the latest Bugatti Tourbillon, combined with Petrol Blue, a signature color strongly associated with the Chiron.

Inside, the cabin receives a Magnolia finish, creating a sophisticated contrast with the exterior.

The combination gives the Veyron a distinctly contemporary appearance without compromising its unmistakable silhouette. The basic shape remains instantly recognizable, but the updated color palette and carefully selected details give the 20-year-old design a fresh visual identity.

New Wheels Bring Modern Proportions

Perhaps the most significant exterior modification is the new wheel design.

Bugatti has reinterpreted the Machiavelli wheel concept and enlarged it to accommodate tires using the dimensions associated with the Chiron. The result is a 20-inch front wheel and a 21-inch rear wheel.

The larger wheels give the Veyron a more modern stance while maintaining a direct visual connection to its original design language.

It is a subtle but important change. The Veyron’s proportions remain intact, yet the larger wheels visually anchor the car and give it a more contemporary road presence.

The project demonstrates how carefully selected technical changes can transform the character of an iconic car without erasing its history.

Modern Details for a Legendary Hypercar

Bugatti has also introduced new three-dimensional mesh elements across the front, side and rear air intakes.

These components provide a more contemporary technical appearance while reinforcing one of the Veyron’s defining characteristics: its relentless focus on aerodynamic and thermal management.

Inside the cabin, the level of craftsmanship becomes even more apparent.

The steering wheel and gear selector feature bespoke Mocassin stitching, hand-crafted specifically for this project. Between the seats sits a special “20 Years of Veyron” emblem, providing a discreet reminder of the car’s historical significance.

But the most remarkable interior detail may be the Côte de Genève finish applied to the center console.

Watchmaking Craftsmanship Inside the Veyron

Côte de Genève is traditionally associated with high-end mechanical watchmaking, where the decorative pattern is applied to the surfaces of precision watch movements.

Bugatti has transferred the motif to the Veyron’s center console, turning a traditionally horological detail into a large, three-dimensional automotive surface.

The result is more than decorative. It demonstrates the level of technical craftsmanship required to translate a technique normally associated with fine watches into an automotive environment.

It is exactly the type of detail that defines La Maison Pur Sang: subtle at first glance, but exceptionally complex when examined closely.

Preserving the Veyron’s Legacy

Bugatti Design Director Frank Heyl describes the Veyron as one of the most important cars in the company’s history, emphasizing that any changes to its original formula must begin with respect.

That philosophy is central to the La Maison Pur Sang program.

The objective is not simply to make an old Bugatti look new. It is to protect the car’s authenticity and character while allowing its owner to create something uniquely personal.

Bugatti’s specialists in Molsheim can therefore work across a broad spectrum, from factory-correct restoration and certification to highly customized projects.

In the case of the Veyron 20 Years, that philosophy reaches its most elaborate expression.

Bugatti’s Expertise Goes Beyond Performance

The project also highlights an increasingly important part of the modern Bugatti business: preserving the company’s automotive heritage.

As the Veyron becomes a collectible classic, maintaining its mechanical integrity, authenticity and provenance becomes just as important as its original performance.

According to Bugatti’s After Sales and Customer Service division, everything from new wheel and tire technology to interior refinements and detailed maintenance work contributes to preserving the Veyron’s performance, character and excellence.

That approach recognizes an important reality of the modern collector-car market. A historically significant automobile is valuable not only because of its specification, but also because of its condition, history and authenticity.

A Personalized Future for the Veyron

Bugatti also launched a dedicated Veyron configurator during the unveiling of the La Maison Pur Sang Veyron 20 Years at Pebble Beach.

The configurator gives customers access to selected features and provides a glimpse into the possibilities available through La Maison Pur Sang.

For Veyron owners, this could mark the beginning of a new relationship with a car that is already regarded as one of the defining hypercars of the 21st century.

Instead of treating the Veyron as a finished chapter, Bugatti is demonstrating that the model can evolve while retaining the qualities that made it special.

The Bugatti Veyron Enters Its Collector Era

The La Maison Pur Sang Veyron 20 Years is significant because it represents more than a bespoke Bugatti.

It is a statement about how the company views the future of its heritage.

The Veyron may have been engineered to push the boundaries of speed and performance, but its importance today extends far beyond its original specifications. It represents the moment when the modern hypercar entered a new technological age.

Twenty years later, Bugatti is treating that legacy with the same attention to detail that defined the original car.

The one-off Veyron combines contemporary colors, larger wheels, advanced materials, handcrafted details and watch-inspired craftsmanship, yet the fundamental identity of the original Veyron remains untouched.

That balance may ultimately be the most impressive achievement of La Maison Pur Sang.

For collectors, it offers a way to preserve a piece of automotive history without freezing it in time. And for Bugatti, it provides an opportunity to demonstrate that the Veyron still has a place at the forefront of automotive craftsmanship two decades after it changed the industry.

The La Maison Pur Sang Veyron 20 Years is therefore not simply a restoration. It is a carefully controlled evolution of an automotive icon — and a reminder that, at Bugatti, the smallest details can be just as important as the biggest numbers.

Source: Bugatti

News

Bugatti Destrier Debuts in California

Bugatti has officially presented the Destrier in physical form for the first time, bringing its latest one-off masterpiece to California during Monterey Car Week. Created exclusively for a single customer through Bugatti’s ultra-exclusive Programme Solitaire, the Destrier transforms the technical foundations of the radical Bolide into something altogether different: a road-going sculpture defined by elegance, proportion and aerodynamic purpose.

First revealed digitally earlier in August, the Bugatti Destrier made its public physical debut at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, before appearing on the Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. For Bugatti, however, the California debut was about more than simply displaying another exotic hypercar. It represented the latest chapter in the brand’s return to the traditional art of coachbuilding.

Bugatti Destrier: From Bolide Engineering to Automotive Sculpture

At the heart of the Destrier is one of the most extreme technical foundations Bugatti has ever developed: the Bolide.

While the Bolide was conceived primarily as an uncompromising track-focused machine, the Destrier takes that engineering philosophy in a radically more elegant direction. Instead of emphasizing aggression alone, Bugatti’s designers have created a vehicle intended to appear as though its bodywork has been shaped continuously by aerodynamic forces.

The result is a Bugatti that seeks to balance extreme performance with timeless beauty.

The Destrier introduces a new interpretation of Bugatti design, combining dramatic proportions with flowing surfaces and carefully controlled aerodynamic forms. Every element has been designed around the idea that performance and elegance do not have to exist at opposite ends of the automotive spectrum.

Rather than simply dressing the Bolide’s engineering in different bodywork, Bugatti has treated the Destrier as an entirely individual creation with its own character and identity.

A Private Premiere at Maison BUGATTI

Before the public unveiling, the Destrier was presented privately to its owner and family at Maison BUGATTI in Pebble Beach.

The intimate event brought together the customer behind the project and members of the Bugatti team responsible for turning the original vision into reality. Among those present were Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti Rimac; Hendrik Malinowski, Managing Director of Bugatti; Frank Heyl, Bugatti’s Director of Design; Sascha Doering, COO of Bugatti of the Americas; and representatives from Bugatti Greenwich.

The private presentation highlighted one of the defining characteristics of Programme Solitaire: the relationship between the customer and the manufacturer.

Unlike a conventional limited-production automobile, the Destrier exists because a specific customer imagined something that could not simply be ordered from a catalog. Bugatti’s designers, engineers and craftspeople then worked around that vision to create a vehicle that exists nowhere else.

The Bugatti Destrier Takes on California

Bugatti also gave the Destrier an appropriately spectacular setting for its first journey.

During a private Bugatti Petit Tour, the one-off hypercar traveled across California’s Monterey Peninsula and along the Pacific coastline. The route took the Destrier from Spanish Bay toward Big Sur before returning to Maison BUGATTI in Pebble Beach.

The dramatic California landscape provided a fitting backdrop for a car designed around movement and aerodynamic performance.

For Bugatti owners participating in the tour, the event also offered an opportunity to experience the Destrier outside the static environment of an exhibition. The car was able to become part of the landscape it was designed to conquer, surrounded by some of North America’s most celebrated driving roads and coastal scenery.

Public Debut at The Quail

The biggest moment came at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, where Bugatti introduced the Destrier to international media, collectors and automotive enthusiasts.

Mate Rimac and Frank Heyl led the presentation, explaining the philosophy behind the car before it took its place on the event’s Concept Lawn.

The unveiling provided a first opportunity for a wider audience to study the Destrier’s proportions and design details in person.

For Bugatti, the car demonstrates how the company can take an extreme engineering package and reinterpret it through the traditional principles of coachbuilding.

The result is not simply another hypercar.

It is a bespoke automotive object created around the idea that an automobile can simultaneously function as a technical achievement, a work of art and a personal expression of its owner.

Programme Solitaire: Bugatti’s Most Exclusive Coachbuilding Program

The Destrier is the third major creation associated with Bugatti’s Programme Solitaire, following the Brouillard and F.K.P. Hommage.

The program represents an even more exclusive level of customization than Bugatti Sur Mesure. Instead of adapting an existing Bugatti to an individual customer’s tastes, Programme Solitaire is intended for the creation of genuinely unique automobiles.

Each project is effectively a blank canvas.

Customers work closely with Bugatti to develop a vehicle with its own design identity, character and story. The objective is not simply exclusivity through limited production numbers, but exclusivity through individuality.

In that respect, the Destrier embodies the original spirit of coachbuilding that helped establish Bugatti’s reputation more than a century ago.

A New Direction for Bugatti Design

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Destrier is what it says about the future direction of Bugatti design.

The car introduces a philosophy based on graceful proportions, aerodynamic efficiency and long-lasting visual appeal rather than temporary styling trends.

Bugatti describes the approach as a fusion of grace, dignity and style. The goal is to create an automobile that remains visually compelling not just when it is new, but for generations.

That philosophy is particularly important for a one-of-one automobile.

A vehicle created for a single customer must have enough personality to be unmistakable while retaining the fundamental characteristics that make it recognizably Bugatti. The Destrier attempts to achieve exactly that balance.

Bugatti Destrier Represents the Essence of Coachbuilding

The modern automotive industry is dominated by standardized platforms, shared components and increasingly sophisticated manufacturing processes. The Destrier represents almost the complete opposite philosophy.

It is an automobile created around an individual vision.

Its development brings together engineering, design, craftsmanship and customer collaboration in a process that recalls the golden age of coachbuilt automobiles.

That makes the Destrier particularly significant within Bugatti’s modern history. It demonstrates that even as the company develops increasingly advanced performance technology, it remains committed to the idea that an automobile can be something more personal than a machine.

Hendrik Malinowski, Managing Director of Bugatti, described the Destrier as a deeply meaningful moment for both Bugatti and Programme Solitaire, emphasizing the combination of heritage, craftsmanship, engineering and personal vision behind the project.

That combination is ultimately what defines the Destrier.

The Destrier’s Place in Bugatti History

The Bugatti Destrier may be one of the rarest modern Bugattis, but its importance extends beyond its exclusivity.

It represents Bugatti’s attempt to revive the traditional coachbuilding philosophy for a new generation of ultra-high-performance automobiles. The Destrier takes the engineering intensity of the Bolide and transforms it into a machine intended to be appreciated not only for what it can do, but for what it represents.

With its physical debut in California, the Destrier has now moved from a digital reveal to a tangible piece of Bugatti history.

Created for one customer, built as a singular expression of design and engineering, and developed through Programme Solitaire, the Destrier occupies a category of its own.

For Bugatti, that may be the ultimate achievement: creating a car that does not simply join the brand’s history, but creates a new chapter within it.

Source: Bugatti