Bugatti 18/3 Chiron

The Bugatti 18/3 Chiron is a 1999 concept car developed by Bugatti Automobiles and designed by Fabrizio Giugiaro of Italdesign, a two-seat mid-engine coupe with a 6.3 litre W18 engine. It was the last of three Italdesign concepts after the 1998 EB 118 coupe and the 1999 EB 218 saloon, and premiered at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1999. The name honours Bugatti race driver Louis Chiron, and 18/3 refers to the engine's 18 cylinders in three banks of six. To build a working prototype Bugatti took the chassis and four-wheel drive system from the Lamborghini Diablo VT and used the Volkswagen W18 of the EB 118 and EB 218, producing 414 kilowatts. The body was carbon fibre, with a retractable rear wing like the EB 110's and wheels recalling those on Louis Chiron's Type 35B. Design elements such as the horseshoe grille, inset front lights and exposed intake plenum were later carried into the production Veyron EB 16.4, and the Chiron name returned on the 2016 successor to the Veyron.