The concept of carbon fibres goes back over 150 years but it was not till the 1960s that the unique properties of carbonfibre – high strength and rigidity but light in weight among them – came to be used in parts for aircraft first and then other machinery, including cars.
Abundant material in a Bugatti
Bugatti was one of the companies that has maximised the use of carbonfibre in its hypercars, to the extent that it is the most abundant material used. Not only is it used in the monocoque, but the bodyshell is also shaped from this advanced, lightweight and incredibly strong substance.
Ever since the EB110, one of the world’s first production cars fitted with a carbonfibre monocoque, this material has formed a core part of the Bugatti ‘Form Follows Performance’ design philosophy. The natural beauty of the fibres was evident when a special edition Veyron Pur Sang was presented with a clear coating in 2007.
One-tenth width of human hair
Today, Bugatti offers its customers 9 different tints and various levels of visible carbonfibre – but the process of creating a material that is both beautiful and strong is one of intricate craft and complexity. Carbonfibre body panels are made from sheets of overlapping woven fibres that are extremely thin, at around a tenth of the width of a strand of human hair. But the way these fibres are arranged is absolutely crucial to the strength of the sheets, most rigid in the direction that the fibers are pointing.
Bugatti was one of the companies that has maximised the use of carbonfibre in its hypercars, to the extent that it is the most abundant material used. Not only is it used in the monocoque, but the bodyshell is also shaped from this advanced, lightweight and incredibly strong substance.
And although the process of aligning them may be difficult and time-consuming, the benefits speak for themselves; body components made of carbonfibre weigh 20 – 30% less than a corresponding element made of aluminium, or 50% less in the case of steel, while still being very resistant.
Just as Bugatti did with the Veyron Pur Sang in 2007, today it offers customers a wide range of nine visible tinted carbonfibre colors for the body, where the weave of the fibres is on full display – covered only with transparent lacquer, which can also be tinted in one of nine different finishes.
Months-long process of perfection
The process of creating this finish takes months to perfect, requiring the skill of experienced craftspeople that understand both the visual and structural importance of carbonfibre. The largest part – a side panel which is around 2 metres long – takes nearly a week to produce, culminating in the raw materials being placed into a mold and then ‘baked’ in an autoclave at 120°C under high pressure and for around 2 hours.
For these panels, Bugatti engineers will have worked with materials experts to dictate exactly which direction the carbonfibres should flow to give the car the necessary rigidity. But for those customers that opt for a visible carbonfibre finish, it is the design team that decides the direction of the fibres in the first layer. The desire is to create a flowing pattern across the whole surface of the car, visually strengthening its lines while also lining up perfectly between panels.
The design team requires the carbonfibres to be aligned at a 45° angle, with a perfect fishbone in the middle. Anything more than 1° or 2° out and the panel will have to be made from scratch. Any fibres out of position, any fraying or any bumps or kinks in the material and the panel will have to be made again. The materials experts and the design team work vigorously to ensure every single millimetre of the surface is free from imperfection.
“Creating the perfect visible carbonfibre finish takes our expert craftspeople months to complete, and we strive to offer one of the widest ranges of tints and finishes in the industry. The precision necessary to ensure thousands of fibres, perfectly created, to flow without interruption and at the ideal angle all across the car takes an enormous level of expertise, patience and talent. The body is the most visible part of a Bugatti hyper sportscar, and we want it to project the attention to detail that we apply to every single piece of engineering and design on one of our cars,” said Christophe Piochon, Bugatti’s President.
Complex engineering jigsaw puzzle
But even once these panels reach the impeccable standards of Bugatti, the pieces must all come together in perfect harmony as part of one of the most complex engineering jigsaw puzzles in the world.
The process to perfectly align the flow of the carbon weave – whilst ensuring there is an optimum ‘flushed gap’ between all parts and components – is one that is meticulous, time-consuming and highly detailed-driven. But it’s a process that Bugatti has refined over many years, ensuring each and every automobile is flawless.
Once the puzzle is complete, the panels can be finished. Paint technicians apply a clearcoat to them individually, which is sanded and polished before being applied again to create a rich sheen that emphasizes the weave. If a customer wishes, a subtle tint can be applied in the next layer to give the weave a colour that ensures the beauty of the carbonfibre remains visible. And then depending on the finish, up to 3 further layers of clearcoat are applied again, entirely by-hand and then polished into its final form.
