So, I stumbled upon this secret number game happening between the bumpers of Bugatti and dared to ask a Bugatti official about it. What followed was a mix of relief and disappointment!
There is an undeniable advantage of having Maths as your favourite subject in school. The fascination for numbers stays with you forever. And then, if you are someone who believes everything is connected; nothing is a coincidence; and the cosmos is a bigger number game than the big lotto, then stories reveal themselves like elves hiding in roses. Like the one that sprung on me during the reveal of Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport in Dubai.
Bugatti seems to have a number game going between its pistons and cylinders; under its wing and on it; and even on the central console. It’s not exactly the Fibonacci sequence but a pretty simple pattern evolving around the number four (4). I haven’t heard anyone talk about it and a quick search on Google & YouTube revealed nothing about Bugatti having a secret code or a lucky number – except plenty of stories to do with lucky number plates of course! Eventually, I was left wondering if all this were too silly for a serious auto journalist to ponder or too trivial for the world’s most powerful and prestigious marque: 1500 horses and millions of dollars mean serious business after all, very serious business!
Ironically, while no one seemed to have noticed anything, this time it was writ large on the face of Bugatti’s brand new model. The black mesh grille of the Chiron Pur Sport had a 16 painted on it. Now, that was a sign that there was some sort of number game going on – 16 after all is a multiple of 4! I took it as a sign from the skies (where the greatest number game keeps taking place ad infinitum) and it convinced me that I was not going to be laughed at if I dared to share my ‘discovery’ with someone – especially someone from Bugatti. Amidst all the media hustle on stage around the Chiron Pur Sport, Frank Heyl, the Deputy Design Director of Bugatti was standing close enough to me and more importantly, looked kind enough to stifle a laugh.
What happened next was relief and disappointment rolled into one. Frank started with a hum and a pregnant pause before he conceded I was right. Yes, Bugatti had something of a lucky number and it was indeed FOUR. So it was neither silly nor absurd – greatly relieved! But Bugatti already knew about my ‘discovery’ and had even planned it that way – hugely disappointed! Anyway, the good that came out is this – Frank was kind enough to take me on a tour showing me all the ‘fours” I had encountered and a few others I had missed. So, for all car enthusiasts, math-obsessed and conspiracy theorists, here is what we unravelled between us!
Bugatti’s lucky number
The 16 boldly showing on the grille of Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport refers to the number of cylinders in its engine – arranged in four rows of four. The massive heart of a Bugatti is an 8.0L W16 engine, initially making just over 1000 hp in a Veyron and now generating 1600 hp in the Chiron Super Sport. So, while 8 and 16 are multiples of 4, everything else seems to be turning up in fours, exactly. 4 turbochargers; 4 tail pipes inside the titanium-crafted dual central exhaust outlets; 4 ‘aerofences’ on the wide rear wing (aerodynamic elements); and the 4 design lines next to the engine. Plus, the car is a permanent 4-wheel drive and the number of LED cubes that form the daytime running lamps are 4. Inside too, the one too many dials on the console that control the climate are not one or two, but four. If you remember, the Bugatti Veyron had attached this very code to its name – Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4, where EB refers to Ettore Bugatti, the founder, while 16 and 4 are the number of cylinders and turbochargers respectively.
If you like cracking a code or a play of numbers, hope you enjoyed this story. I have also uploaded a short video of my ‘tour of four’ on YouTube/Drivemeonline. I have a feeling you’ll like it. (Hope you subscribe too!) Have you come across any other automotive model with its very own lucky number or letter? Share in the comments please. It is never too silly, you know!
Sketch: Frank Heyl, Deputy Design Director, Bugatti
Photos: Bugatti Media Newsroom
