Bugatti, keen to squeeze more sales from its Veyron, releases Constantini ‘Legend’ edition

By Stephen Edelstein November 5, 2013

The Bugatti Veyron is already a very special car, but even being the fastest production car in the world isn’t enough to hold people’s attention forever.

That’s why Bugatti has built several special edition Veyrons, the latest of which is the Legend Meo Constantini.

The Constantini is the third in a series of “Legend” cars, which pay tribute to prominent figures from Bugatti’s history. The first two honored Jean-Pierre Wimille – a test driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in Bugattis – and Jean Bugatti, son of company founder Ettore Bugatti and designer of the legendary Type 57SC Atlantic.

Never heard of Meo Constantini? He was a close friend of Ettore Bugatti, and managed the factory race team. He also won the Targa Florio twice in a Bugatti Type 35.

Like the other two Legend editions, the Constantini is based on the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse roadster, currently the fastest open-topped production car in the world. It features the same 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 engine as the Veyron Super Sport, with a staggering 1,200 horsepower.

The Vitesse can do 0-62 mph in 2.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 253 mph. If only we could all be memorialized in such a way.

What sets the Constantini apart is its color scheme. The carbon fiber body parts are painted French Racing Blue, while the aluminum bits are left exposed. The overall look is that of a spaceship from a 1950s sci-fi serial.

A map of the Targa Florio is painted on the underside of the rear wing, perfect for informing the peons behind of the car’s pedigree. The map is also stitched into the headrests, and there are racing scenes laser-etched into other leather interior surfaces.

The Constantini was unveiled at the Dubai Motor Show, and will sell for around $2.8 million. For that price, maybe Bugatti should include a pamphlet to help owners explain exactly what makes this blue-and-silver streak different from other Veyrons.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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