Bugatti has come up with a new way of turning numbers into art

Unlike most modern cars in its lineup, the latest one-off Bugatti Chiron Super Sport hypercar is not just about performance — it’s about paying tribute and doing it in good taste.

The entire reason the French automaker decided to create this ‘art project’ was to honor the first-ever Type 55.

There’s no doubt that the original Type 55, which dates back almost a century, was a car made for the history books.

Why is that, you ask?

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It’s because the car was ahead of its time and inspired all future models from the automaker.

Even the modern-day Chiron and Veyron carry elements that first appeared in the original Type 55.

Which is why it was also the first-ever Super Sport variant.

If a car made in 1932 that could reach top speeds of 112 mph (180 km/h) isn’t remarkable, then what is?

And this is what brings us to the star of today’s show — the Chiron Super Sport ’55 1 of 1′ — paying homage to the original Super Sport.

It has an oddly similar (and very loud) paint job as the old Type 55, covered in black and yellow.

Apparently, Ettore Bugatti himself had a thing for this duotone color scheme, and it shows all over.

Of course, it’s a one-off car, which the automaker handed off to Sur Mesure.

If you are wondering, Sur Mesure is the company’s ‘star kid’ department that handles special customization projects.

The most significant part of this special hypercar is probably the intricate details, which also give a nod to its inspiration.

Here, the number ’55’ is in a pattern all over the car, and it’s so seamless that you might not even notice it from far away.

The Sur Mesure team’s designers integrated the pattern perfectly with the color scheme.

That makes it worthy of being called art.

The pattern spans from the headlights over the fenders and further covers all the lower areas.

This pattern recalls the same fuselage shape of its predecessor, and it does that seamlessly.

“From a distance, the ‘55’ pattern ensures that the fender appears to be black like on the original car,” Jasha Straub, Manager of Sur Mesure, said.

Even better, the ’55’ pattern, with the chosen font, also looks like ‘SS’ — for Super Sport.

Now, that’s certainly something.

Further, you can also see the pattern on the inside — the interior designers, too, decided to put in a custom embroidery, but this time, in yellow.

To top it all off, the pattern — on the exterior as well as the interior — was created by hand.

All things considered, the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport ’55 1 of 1′ is no joke.

Sure, the car is in its own league when it comes to performance, housing an 8.0 liter W-16 engine.

It can bash out 1,578 horses, but it does all that while being elegant.

Unfortunately, the Chiron’s playtime is now over, and a successor should be out anytime soon.

Regardless, the French automaker was rather proud of this project and posted a showcase video, all to glorify the very loud and subtle design.