Monterey Car Week is upon us, and we already have a surprise announcement from Bugatti. The French brand took to social media Monday morning with a simple-yet-tantalizing teaser video promising to "unlock an icon" on Friday at The Quail. Specifically, it will take place at 10:20 AM PDT.
As of right now, we only have the video that Bugatti shared online, embedded below for your viewing pleasure. The rumor mill has been pretty silent regarding the goings on with the supercar brand, so we're pretty much in the dark on this one. We emphasize pretty much, as there's one rumor that's worth mentioning. So let's don our investigative hats and go in for a close look.
Per the video, we clearly see an up-close view of a segmented white light surrounded by black body panels. As the camera pans left, a sharply contrasting body line comes into view. We're almost certainly looking at a headlight and close-up view of the front clip, reaching across the hood, but it doesn't resemble anything currently in the Chiron family. If anything, the vertically oriented light is reminiscent of the La Voiture Noire but the design is different. Could that indicate there's some other version of this extremely special car in the works?
Gallery: Bugatti La Voiture Noire final version
The contrasting body line on the hood suggests otherwise. The angle is much sharper than what we see on the La Voiture Noire, resembling what we see on the standard Chiron. That could be significant, because there is a rumor that Bugatti could offer a Chiron Roadster to buyers. TheSupercarBlog recently claimed such a machine is in the works, with a planned production run of 99 vehicles and a debut slated for Pebble Beach. As with other Bugatti models using the Chiron's bones, this version would have different exterior bodywork to go along with the familiar quad-turbo W16 belting out 1,600 horsepower.
Bugatti has stated it won't build a roofless Chiron, so if this rumor is true, the car will likely feature a different name with its special bodywork. It would also bring some competition at the prestigious event to Hennessey, which will debut its new Venom F5 Roadster on August 19. Coincidentally, that's the same day Bugatti plans to reveal the subject of this teaser. Isn't that interesting.
Get a preview of Monterey Car Week and more in the Rambling About Cars podcast, available below.
