b500 magazine
ETIENNE SALOMÉ “The French Pursuit of Perfection”
After working for 12 years on the design of Bugatti Automobiles, Berlinbased Etienne Salomé decided to create his own company: ‘Salome Yachts and Design’, He officially launched with his team the ‘Atlantic Project’ in September 2019 during the Monaco Yacht Show, a 12 meter sport tender, immediately recognisable on the water, a true head-turner. He keeps one foot in the automotive industry as a consultant for various car manufacturers including the supercar/hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg.
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t was in 2007 that I decided to join the famous automobile manufacturer Bugatti.
At that time it had just finished the development of it’s latest model, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 and the production had just started. Everyone knows the mighty 1001PS power from the w16, the Hypercar that started it all!
engineering office employed around 80 engineers each dedicated to make this unique masterpiece the flagship from the VW group. From the 7 speed DSG gearbox, to the run flat Michelin PAX tyres, the complete carbon monocoque, titanium bolts with EB emblems; everything had to be the best on the planet.
The Veyron is the first model produced under the VW group, and which resulted from numerous prototypes first using 18 cylinder engines and later on 16 cylinders. The design of the Bugatti Veyron 18.4 concept is created by Harmut Warkuß and his team and is the car that led to the styling of the production car. The final version of the engine is a W16 8,0 litre with four turbos, delivering over 1001 PS and 1250Nm torque, which allows the car to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and reach a top speed of over 406 km/h! The car has 10 radiators in order to keep the heat down at high speed, and the thermic control inside the engine bay has always been crucial throughout the design evolution. A Bugatti is an authentic piece of engineering, nothing is fake, everything has a function.
One of my first jobs was to define the various editions of the Veyron, in order to support the sales, and then later to draw the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Supersport exterior, which went on to break the speed record at 431,072 km/h. I also managed the relationship with the company Hermes and created the limited edition Bugatti veyron FBG (Faubourg). The numerous modifications made to this coupe were outstanding, from the overall design, to new door openers and even modification of the steering wheel, as well as creation of a complete luggage set located in the trunk and matching the interior leather, entirely manufactured at Hermes in France.
Even though the cars were assembled in Alsace, France, at the brand new atelier, my office was located in Wolfsburg in Germany, so I was traveling every day 250 km from Berlin in to reach the office, using the fast ICE train connection. The
I had the chance to meet Dr. Ferdinand Karl Piëch numerous times and also discussed with him his vision for the brand. He always said he wanted over 1000PS, drive over 400km/h and be able to drive to the opera! With this
I think that those cars represented the brand’s very best unique DNA, a hyper GT.
