Jean Bugatti – the visionary designer and engineer who imbued the entire automotive world with his pioneering creations – lay not only in his engineering prowess but the unmatched aesthetic proportions of his designs.
The Type 55 Super Sport – a marvel of motorsport inspiration – boasted a 2.3-liter straight-eight engine derived from the formidable Type 51 racer. What set it apart, however, was the sought-after two-seater roadster body of Jean Bugatti’s design.
As Bugatti’s inaugural Super Sport, the Type 55 not only marked the foundation of a new category but it also served as the blueprint for all modern-day Super Sport models, redefining grand touring – seamlessly blending comfort with a remarkable top speed of 180 km/h.
Yet, Jean Bugatti’s ingenuity extended beyond engineering – introducing the then groundbreaking duotone paint scheme that would eventually inspire Bugatti’s iconic contemporary A/B color split. And today, the most revered Type 55 model wears the timeless combination of black and yellow.
The Type 55 Super Sport is a rare gem, with only 38 units ever crafted. Its scarcity only adds to its status as a coveted collectors’ piece. Its legacy, as the pioneer of the Grand Prix car for the
road segment, captured the imagination of a Chiron Super Sport customer and the Sur Mesure team.
For the customer and for Jascha Straub, Manager of Sur Mesure and Individualization at Bugatti, the ‘55 1 of 1’ commission was an opportunity to pay tribute to Jean Bugatti’s groundbreaking creations that, in blending elegance and engineering prowess, impacted the modern-day Bugatti brand. “Even 100 years after his time, we have remained totally connected to Jean and his designs” noted Straub. “And inspiration for us today still comes from Jean because he understood proportions better than anybody else and was the first to offer cars combining comfort and sheer performance. Imagine, almost 100 years ago, the Type 55 was able to reach 180 km/h.”
In capturing the essence of the historic car, the Sur Mesure team focused on the now famous duotone paint scheme introduced by Jean with the Type 55, utilizing the black and yellow combination so favored by Ettore Bugatti. On the Chiron Super Sport, the colors not only serve to portray dynamism but also as a means to visually break up the expansive surfaces of the
hyper sports car. 
The ‘55 1 of 1‘ draws on an approach that involved deploying a meticulously hand-applied fading ‘55’ pattern above the headlights and over the fenders, to center attention to the horseshoe grill and narrow the appearance of the front end – recalling the distinctive fuselage shape of its predecessor, imparting a feeling of elegance, but also one of strength and
speed. “From a distance, the ‘55’ pattern ensures that the fender appears to be black like on the original car,” said Jascha. “On the original historic car, where you have some parts that end at a certain point, you can just paint until the shut line. But with the Chiron Super Sport, it had to fade into zero. It was a long and intricate process, but it was the right approach.”
The ‘55 1 of 1’ commission balances its bold styling with minimalist black 10-spoke wheels. A yellow ‘EB’ emblem in the center delicately connects the alloy design to the Chiron Super Sport’s bodywork. The underside of the rear wing meanwhile provides a distinct link to the design’s roots – ‘55 1 of 1’ written in cursive nods to the masterpiece that inspired this artistic creation.
Read the full art. on ”newsroom.bugatti.com”
Related art.:
– Bugatti Chiron Honors Type 55 Super Sport Designed by Jean Bugatti – ”caranddriver.com” (en)
– Exemplar unicat Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, inspirat de modelul Type 55 Super Sport din anii ’30 – ”automarket.ro”
