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The Bugatti Chiron is a masterpiece of engineering and design, yet the supercar company is constantly finding ways to wow us with charming inserts and additions. And this time, Bugatti is showing us the amazing specifications of a number of dedicated models.
Bugatti Chiron Libby
One of the latest of these supermodels is the Chiron Libby, the adorable homage to Ettore Bugatti's only daughter, which was revealed among three Chiron Libby models earlier this month as a way to commemorate the end of production for the European-spec Chiron models.
The three Chiron Libby models are given a carbon fiber blue finish and are decorated with gold accents. What we didn't know at the time is that these highlights, as Bugatti just revealed, are real 24 karat gold.
This is the first time Bugatti has applied such finishing touches to a car and “it is also the first time that the iconic Bugatti emblem 'known as Macron' has shimmered in high-quality gold on the horseshoe grille. Bugatti has partnered with the Bavarian mint and engraving company Boilath, and surprisingly, Macron's gold emblem took a full five years to develop.
This precious metal is extremely soft and difficult to work with, so it is understood that “extensive research, laboratory testing, numerous experiments, and extreme attention to detail were required to achieve this. This gold emblem is based on the sterling 970 sterling silver macaron typically applied to Chiron models, and is nickel-plated over a long process, with the nickel serving as the base and corrosion protection for the gold plating that is subsequently applied.”
A thin layer of gold (measuring three to four micrometers) is expertly applied and polished to a mirror, this manual process often taking over ten hours to complete.
In addition, the front horseshoe trim and EB emblems on the gas and oil caps and the rear of the car have been finished in gold. Bugatti says the sheer size of the horseshoe was the biggest challenge, but as you can see, pure 24 karat gold was used flawlessly.