For any Bugatti connoisseur, to own a hyper sports car hand-crafted in the French luxury marque’s Molsheim Atelier is a lifelong wish. For some, this is not enough, and they have more than one Bugatti model to admire in their collection. They take their dedication to the legendary automobiles even further, and come to Bugatti with visions for their very personalized hyper sports car – in reference to Bugatti’s coachbuilding past of the Type 57 models, where Bugatti’s individualization options were a major USP. The ‘Chiron habillé par Hermès’, created for a customer in the USA – the entrepreneur and real estate investor Manny Khoshbin – revives the relationship of the two French brands, whose owners Ettore Bugatti and Émile-Maurice Hermès laid the base for a new form of luxury which France stands for up to this very day. The phenomenal result brings dreams to reality.
“I am a true Bugatti aficionado – I wanted to name my son ‘Ettore’ but my wife disagreed,” explains Mr. Khoshbin. “When I saw the Chiron1 for the first time in 2015, I was one of the first customers in the world to reserve a build slot, yet one of the later to take delivery of one, but the reason for that was down to me.” It was Mr. Khoshbin’s vision and his devotion to the Bugatti marque to inspire others by defying the limits of custom automotive design.
After years of collaborating closely through the creative process, Mr. Khoshbin took delivery of his unique ‘Chiron habillé par Hermès’. The evolution of this elegant and extraordinary Chiron would bring on board the French luxury brand, Hermès, to leave its mark on the hyper sports car with intricate and special application of colors, fabrics and finishes to complete the unique look that Mr. Khoshbin had been striving for. The result is a remarkable example of the Chiron that will always stand out, and examplary of how Bugatti can make anything happen.
Custom detail on every level
Take a closer look at the ‘Chiron habillé par Hermès’ by Bugatti it is clear that the hyper sports car is individual in almost every single aspect. The exterior colour, the interior design, the unique details: the teams in Molsheim and Paris have worked with great passion to make the application of custom colors, fabrics and materials a reality.
The overall color scheme of this extraordinary Chiron, which is adorned in the distinguishable leather shade of ‘Craie’ made famous by the legendary handbags and other luxury goods to come from Hermès. The off-white, chalk-derived hue envelopes the complete outside of this Chiron; making for one exterior color, when most Bugatti Chrion models consist of two main colors for contrast.
Further to the main exterior color, the rear bumper, all mesh covers, trim parts and Bugatti ‘Classique’ alloy wheels are all finished in ‘Craie’. There are also a number of unique design traits on the exterior of the ‘Chiron habillé par Hermès’ by Bugatti, with the horseshoe grille on the front customized with the Parisian brand’s signature ‘H’ monogram, while its classic ‘Courbettes’ motif, graces the underside of the rear wing. The ‘Courbettes’ design features sketches of rearing horses and was especially chosen by Mr Khoshbin to emphasize the immense power output of 1,500 PS in the Chiron.
Mr. Khoshbin chose the optional ‘Sky View’ glass roof, adding two fixed glass panels above the driver and passenger seats, while the exposed engine bay that hugs the top-side of the hyper sports car is the only exterior item not finished in ‘Craie’, save for the ‘Italian Red’ brake callipers and the aluminum-finish door sills.
Inside the ‘Chiron habillé par Hermès’, the theme of individuality is taken to another level yet again. Almost all material used for the interior is crafted by Hermès, with the ‘Craie’ share representing leather of the seats, middle console, inner signature line, roof and rear panel plus the doors’ clasps. The ‘Ecru’ leather around the centre console, dashboard and other parts of the interior, developed by Bugatti, combines with the shade of ‘Craie’ in the hyper sports car, while the carpets are finished in the color ‘Beige’. The Bugatti materials involve extensive safety testing to ensure they meet the highest quality regulations,
The use of an original Hermès material, adorned by the ‘Courbettes’ design is reflected inside the Chiron, too – on the middle console plate, the centre console tray and door cards.
An immersive order experience
From the point that Mr. Khoshbin reserved a build slot for his Chiron, through to the delivery of the one-of-a-kind hyper sports car, the customer was fully involved in the order process. That was, at his own election – Mr. Khoshbin is, after all, a true Bugatti enthusiast and collector. He adds: “The order of this special Chiron involved two visits to Hermès in Paris to discuss design, the realization of the interior and see progress being made. Between myself, the team at Hermès and designers at Bugatti, we exchanged hundreds of emails. I took my time to draft the car and that was very much a conscious decision – this is a car that I will one day hand down to my son, it will live for generations”.
“I’m truly thankful to the teams at Bugatti and Hermès for making this happen. I came to Bugatti with the idea, and it’s not something that they’d usually do but they were open to the notion of making something special. Now I have three Bugatti models in my collection, and there is soon to be a fourth. There’s this one, and two Veyrons, one a Grand Sport Vitesse “Les Légendes de Bugatti” Rembrandt Bugatti, that I love just to look at, they are so beautiful.” The Rembrandt Bugatti is one out of three Vitesse in this unique configuration with extremely rare exposed brown carbon fibre finish. “Then we’re about to take delivery of a Bugatti Baby II for my son,” Mr. Khoshbin conitinues, “he is Bugatti mad, and gets excited every time he hears the name! I like the ‘Chiron habillé par Hermès’ the most out of them all – I drive it almost every day. It’s a real driver’s car and I still get excited every time I get into the driver’s seat.”
This application of Hermès design with automobiles hand-made by Bugatti is not the first time the two French luxury houses have worked together. Before the First World War, Ettore Bugatti commissioned saddles and other leather tack from Émile-Maurice Hermès – grandson of founder Thierry Hermès – and the company’s leather later appeared in racing cars by Bugatti in the 1920s. In 2008, Bugatti paid tribute to the enduring relationship with the ‘Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès‘, associating Bugatti’s technical performance with the expertise of Hermès and its craftsmen.
