Bugatti F.K.P. Hommage is a One-Off Tribute to Veyron and Its Father
The 2026 edition of Rétromobile Paris (Jan. 29-Feb. 1) will feature the Bugatti F.K.P. Hommage, a one-off build that honors both the revolutionary spirit of the original Veyron and the engineer who made it possible: Ferdinand Karl Piëch.
Remember, the Bugatti Veyron made history twenty years ago with its 1,001 horsepower, a top speed exceeding 400 km/h, and an elegance never before seen in such a high-performance car. Some view it as the world's first hyper GT. Produced from 2005 to 2015, it originally made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1999.
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However, the story of the Veyron does not begin in Molsheim with a young designer named Jozef Kabaň under the direction of Hartmut Warkuß, but rather on a bullet train in Japan where Piëch (then president of the Volkswagen Group) sketched the revolutionary W16 engine configuration that would become the beating heart of Bugatti’s renaissance.
“Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Karl Piëch was a man who saw the impossible not as a roadblock but as a challenge. His vision for Bugatti was absolute: 1,000 horsepower, 400 km/h top speed, all-wheel drive, and refined enough to arrive at the opera in a tuxedo or a ball gown,” said Hendrik Malinowski, managing director of Bugatti. “The F.K.P. Hommage celebrates this uncompromising pursuit of excellence, combining the timeless proportions of the original Veyron with two decades of engineering evolution.”
The new model is equipped with the latest evolution of the W16 engine, which generates 1,578 horsepower and is the one that fulfilled Piëch's speed ambitions by exceeding 300 mph (483 km/h) in the Chiron Super Sport.
The three-dimensional horseshoe grille, machined from a solid block of aluminum, now flows organically into surrounding bodywork, rather than its original, more two-dimensional design. Larger air intakes up front feed the more powerful engine, while the signature air ducts are maintained right behind the occupants’ heads. Updated wheel sizes (20-inch front, 21-inch rear) combine with the latest Michelin tire technology to improve both performance and visual balance.
A distinctive red exterior finish employs advanced layering techniques: a silver aluminum-based coat beneath a red-tinted clear coat, creating extraordinary depth and three-dimensionality that reveals itself as one moves around the car. Black-tinted exposed carbon fiber, as opposed to standard black paint, provides contrast.
Meanwhile, the interior of the F.K.P. Hommage stands out from every other recent W16-equipped Bugatti model, including the Chiron and Mistral, with a circular, Bauhaus-style steering wheel inspired by the original Veyron’s, as well as a completely bespoke centre console and tunnel cover machined from solid aluminum blocks. Custom Car Couture fabrics, woven exclusively in Paris and introduced with the Tourbillon, represent Bugatti's latest advancement in interior personalization and an evolution of the leather-only interiors of the Veyron.
A particular detail we want to highlight is the 41mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon timepiece that was integrated into the dashboard at the request of the future owner of F.K.P. Hommage. It features an ingenious self-winding mechanism: a gondola that rotates on a diagonal axis several times per hour, powered by the car itself without electrical connection.
The F.K.P. Hommage joins Brouillard as the second creation of Bugatti's new Programme Solitaire, which aims to build up to two bespoke creations annually. Now, go back to the top of the page to marvel at the car from every angle in our photo gallery.
