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Bugatti + Hermès = Double the Exclusivity

How do you make Bugatti's Veyron even more expensive? Have upscale French fashion house Hermès design a new version

Bugatti + Hermès = Double the Exclusivity

By Stuart Schwartzapfel

At this year's Geneva Motor Show, the Volkswagen-owned, (VLKPY) ultra-luxury manufacturer Bugatti and French fashion house Hermès (HESAF) revealed an extravagant version of the company's flagship, $1.6 million, 1,001 hp Bugatti Veyron supercar. At $2.4 million, the Veyron Fbg Par Hermès is even more upscale, with sartorial flourishes inside and out designed by Hermès.

Hermès designer Gabriele Pezzini created a two-tone, ebony-and-brick exterior color scheme that extends to the interior dash and re-emerges at the rear wing. The new, eight-spoke wheels, a tribute to the 1924 Bugatti Type 35, are adorned with the letter "H" at the center. Air vents surrounding the car's rims are meant to reproduce the look of Hermès' trademark saddle stitching on its leather products. Interlocking H's, the fashion house's signature logo, also make their way onto the radiator grille.

The vehicle was shown in Geneva as a concept but it will be available at the end of 2008.

The Verdict: Opulent? Yes. Outlandish? Yes. But Bugatti will likely sell every one they make.

Stuart Schwartzapfel is a regular contributor to BusinessWeek.com. He has studied the automotive marketplace and works as an advertising and marketing strategist for major manufacturers. He does not write about any car brands for which he currently works.