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Original Bugatti Veyron concept to be displayed for first time since 1999

With all of the special editions and differing variants of the Bugatti Veyron being produced year after year, perhaps now is a good time to reflect back on the machine that started it all. Bugatti has announced that it will put the original EB 18/4 Veyron design study on display at the Salon Rétromobile in Paris. This is the first time the concept car will be publicly shown since it debuted at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show.
Taking a new look at the images of Bugatti's seminal Veyron in concept form reminds us how closely the boutique automaker followed its initial design when crafting the 1,001-horsepower production model in 2005. Have a look for yourself in the high-res image gallery above, and feel free to compare that car's sensuous curves with the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, an updated topless model with 1,200 horsepower and a 255-mile-per-hour top speed.

People on Elysium drive Bugattis

Product placement in movies is a big business, but is it always necessary? This is the question we asked ourselves when watching the movie trailer for Sony Picture's new film due out this fall called Elysium - a 22nd Century story about the privileged and elite who live in their own separate dwelling while Earth rots away. Toward the end of the trailer, a flying car flashes across the screen, and what familiar logo do we see on this car's rump? Yup, Bugatti.
Now, we're not saying that it's hard to imagine that in a future world - with a private inhabitance for the rich and cancer-curing machines - people would pilot flying Bugattis. It does seem like a questionable move on Bugatti's part, however, since it seems that the people of Elysium aren't exactly painted in a flattering light. We'll hold our official judgment about the movie and Bugatti's role in it, until we've watched the thing. Until then you can check out the official trailer below in which you'll also catch a glimpse of a post-apocalyptic Nissan GT-R (if you have especially sharp eyes).

Delivering a one-off Bugatti Veyron Vitesse

The Veyron is nearing the end of its production run, at the end of which Bugatti will have built only 450 examples. Of those, only 150 will be roadsters, and of those roadsters, even fewer will be the Vitesse version that combines the best attributes of the Grand Sport and Super Sport models. And with a virtually endless array of color choices, no two ever need be alike (safe for the Legend editions, each of which Bugatti will only build three examples). Yet certain examples have received extra-special treatments, and that's just what we have here.
Called the L'Or Style edition, this Vitesse roadster features a similar treatment to the L'Or Blanc edition, but in red and black instead of blue and white. Which is all well and fine, but what we're really interested in here is how it's being delivered. Because while it may seem like Bugatti's created another "one of a kind" Veyron every other day, it's not every day that you see how the logistics of delivering a $3 million supercar are handled.
Fortunately, the Symbolic Motors group that includes in its portfolio the Bugatti San Diego franchise and which handled the sale of this particular Veyron, captured the delivery process on video. We'll let you watch for yourself to see just how painstaking the process (even just that part caught on video) is - complete with wood-floored transporter truck, intake-perforated protective wrap and wheel spoke guards - but suffice it to say it's a bit more coddling than your average dealership delivery.