Bugatti has unveiled the FKP Hommage, a one-off hyper-GT that has been conceived as the “ultimate Veyron” in tribute to the groundbreaking model, says the company’s design chief.

The new car – named in honour of Ferdinand Karl Piëch, the former Volkswagen Group boss who was responsible for the transformational Veyron project – is based on the Chiron and uses the mighty W16 that powers both cars.

Although it has retro styling elements, it is designed to show what a modern-day Veyron would be like. The new GT is the second car (after the Mistral-based Brouillard) to be designed and built by Bugatti’s Solitaire division – created for bespoke one-off commissions. 

Its iteration of the firm’s quad-turbo W16 is the 1578bhp unit that first appeared in the Chiron Super Sport, along with an upgraded cooling system,enhanced intercoolers and a reinforced gearbox.

The FKP takes many of its design cues from the 2005 record-breaking Veyron 16.4 (to signify its 16-cylinder engine and four turbochargers) hypercar, which was championed by Piëch. 

But, according to Bugatti design boss Frank Heyl, Bugatti has "refined every surface” to enhance its streamlined silhouette. Heyl said: “Designing this car is a great honour but at the same time a great challenge, because if you are to lay hands on the design of an icon, you have to be very careful.

“I’m a judge for many concours of elegance around the world and we have a term called ‘period correct’. If something is ‘period correct’, then it becomes authentic.

“There are themes on the FKP that we sketched back in the day, and through that it becomes legitimate and authentic.”

Changes include the horseshoe grille, which is now three-dimensional and upright, and complemented by new L-shaped LED headlights to give the Hommage a more “concentrated stare”, according to Heyl. 

The front cooling apertures are also much wider than the Veyron’s to feed extra air into the more powerful W16. Heyl also pointed out that the FKP is fitted with staggered wheel sizes, 20in at the front and 21in at the rear – a design change that was planned for the Veyron but eventually appeared on the Chiron.

As with the Veyron, there’s a two-tone colour split, with the rich red paint finish achieved using advanced layering techniques, while the rear panel is made from exposed carbonfibre.

The unnamed owner of the one-off chose red and black to match their own Veyron, but the bespoke nature of the Hommage is best emphasised by the interior, which, Heyl said, the team is most proud of.

The cabin features a centre console formed using a single machined piece of aluminium, fabrics woven by a company in Paris, and a 43mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon watch.

Heyl explained that because it’s an automatic watch, you can’t wind it, so it maintains power by revolving several times per hour, even though it has no mechanical connection. 

Bugatti wouldn’t reveal a price for the FKP, but a spokesperson did confirm that it will cost its owner in excess of €10 million (£8.8m), putting it in a similar region to the £11.3m La Voiture Noire that was created in 2019.