Destrier, the third Programme Solitaire one-off, on Bolide technical underpinnings. Photo source: Bugatti

What Frank Heyl says about Destrier after the Monterey presentation

Frank Heyl, Bugatti’s design director, presented Destrier in public, alongside Mate Rimac, at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, in California. The 14 August 2026 release says the one-off first had a private showing at Maison BUGATTI in Pebble Beach, for the owner and family, then the unveiling for press and guests. It was also displayed on the Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

It is not a series Bolide with different paint. It is the third car in Programme Solitaire: a body and interior made for a single client, on the technical foundation of Bolide. The basic figures — a W16 of 1,600 PS, one metre in height, a single example — are in the presentation article. What matters here is what the design team said after the car left the press pack and stood on the grass.

What Heyl said about proportions

In the 6 August 2026 release, Heyl put the project this way: “Destrier is not a car you understand with your head, it is a car you feel with your heart.” Bolide, he says, gave the brand “the most extreme proportions we have ever created”; taken out from under the “relentless pursuit of downforce”, those same volumes “speak as pure sculpture”. His comparison is with the Type 57: the same chassis produced both a Le Mans winner and the Type 57SC Atlantic.

On Instagram, at the Pebble Beach presentation, Heyl returned to the theme, according to SuperCarBlondie (17 August 2026): “It is based on a Bolide, and it has proportions to die for.” The relationship between the wheels and the roof is, for him, the main instrument. The Bolide package, he said, is 39 inches high from the start — about 99 cm, rounded by the brand to one metre — so “you don’t need any linework to break up the volumes”. What he likes most: “how over-exaggerated it is”.

That is the designer talking, not a type-approval sheet. Bugatti has not published mass, 0–100 km/h, top speed or a consumption cycle for Destrier.

What was seen at Monterey, and what remains unsaid

At Maison BUGATTI in Pebble Beach, besides Heyl and Rimac, there were Hendrik Malinowski, Bugatti managing director, Sascha Doering, COO of Bugatti of the Americas, and representatives of Bugatti Greenwich. A Petit Tour on the peninsula followed, from Spanish Bay towards Big Sur, with the Destrier owner and other Bugatti clients. The client’s identity is not in the release.

Malinowski said Destrier shows “the breadth of what Programme Solitaire can achieve” and that the private moment, Quail and Concept Lawn are, together, “the full emotion of coachbuilding brought to life”. The wording is the brand’s, at the delivery event. It is not a production figure and it is not a price.

Bolide, in the consumption note of the same press pack, does not fall under Directive 1999/94/EC, because it is a competition vehicle, not intended for public roads. For Destrier, Bugatti has not written whether it has or will have road type approval. Bolide’s performance figures do not transfer automatically onto a body without the track wings.

One metre, 20 and 21 inches, no high wing

The brand describes Destrier as the lowest Bugatti: one metre. The wheels are 20 inches at the front and 21 at the rear, versus 18 on Bolide. The horseshoe grille is wider than on the track car. The C-line “breathes”: it breaks before the front wheelarch, leaves the panel visible, then resumes towards the grille. At the rear, the spoiler is integrated, with a nod to the Chiron Profilée, not the tall wing on Bolide.

The Sapphire Celeste paint was made for this example. The interior, says Sabine Consolini, head of Color and Trim, was chosen “the way a tailor selects cloth”: Ambre Voyageur leather and nubuck, plus 3D knit with copper threads. Hand-beaten aluminium from medieval armour returns on the steering-wheel hub, handles, air vents and sill.

Above the windscreen, a laser-engraved plate links the Type 57G Tank and Type 57SC Atlantic. The oil filler cap carries the Destrier emblem and 1/1.

What Programme Solitaire means

At the programme’s launch, Bugatti wrote that Solitaire sits beyond Sur Mesure and that it makes at most two one-offs a year, on existing chassis and engines. The first was Brouillard, the second F.K.P. Hommage. Destrier is the third. A Veyron restored at Molsheim is another workshop: La Maison Pur Sang, not a new body on Bolide.

In Bugatti listings in Romania, when they appear, they are collection cars already built. Destrier is not for sale at a dealer. Service, parts and any work at this level remain at Molsheim.

Frequently asked questions

Who presented Destrier at Monterey?

Mate Rimac and Frank Heyl, at The Quail. The car was also shown privately to the owner at Maison BUGATTI in Pebble Beach, and on the Concept Lawn at the concours.

Why is it one metre high?

Bugatti says it is the brand’s lowest model. Heyl ties the silhouette to the Bolide package: once the height is that small, there is little need for lines that break up the volumes.

Is it the same engine as Bolide?

Yes, an 8.0-litre W16, four turbos, 1,600 PS. The brand has not given mass, acceleration or top speed for Destrier.

Can it be driven on public roads?

It is not confirmed. Bolide is classified as a circuit car. Destrier has a different body; type approval is missing from the releases.

How much does it cost?

The price has not been announced. Nor has the client’s identity.

Sources