Destinations: The Molsheim Experience
04/01/2006
If taking one of the world’s finest gastronomic tours is not reason enough to visit the quaint Alsace region of France, an opportunity to visit Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.–Volkswagen’s 20-acre acquisition in Molsheim–provides a new incentive.The entirely new Bugatti atelier and restructured 19th-century outlying buildings were officially completed late last year, when the monolithic gray logistics hall opened. Of course, VW easily could have built all new Bugattis at its factory in Dresden or Leipzig, both of which are closer to its Wolfsburg headquarters and more accessible to the civilized world. But–and VW chairman Ferdinand Piëch will swear to this–such a move would have placed a curse upon every Veyron 16.4 produced. A proper Bugatti requires the sort of mojo found only in the soil around Molsheim. (Civic note: The original establishment and the new one are technically a hairbreadth outside the southern Molsheim town limits, so they often are legitimately claimed by the small neighboring village of Dorlisheim.)
Besides the gated iron and stone fence running the length of the old estate’s rue St. Jean property line, other remaining structures with their original patina include one dark ivy-covered stone archway just inside the front gates, some pieces of the southern wall, and a particularly curious building called the orangerie.
The now gutted and weather-beaten cement-frame orangerie, commissioned by Ettore Bugatti to house his vast collection of Mediterranean plants when he purchased the estate in 1928, had no specific purpose in the renovation plans and was to be renovated–at a cost of up to $500,000–or else torn down. “We fought hard to convince everyone to just keep it as a piece of Bugatti heritage,” says Julius Kruta, Bugatti’s head of tradition.
“When Volkswagen purchased the château and estate lands in 2000,” Kruta continues, “all of the existing buildings were as badly off as the orangerie.” The Germans had the dilapidated structures dismantled and rebuilt using as much of the original material as was salvageable.
This new chapter in the Bugatti adventure, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, started in April 1998 when Volkswagen purchased the rights to the Bugatti name from Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli. Manufacturing of the first preproduction Veyrons finally began in April 2005 in the new 53,000-square-foot atelier designed by Gunter Henn, the same man who created VW’s Glass Factory (die Gläserne Manufaktur) in Dresden, Germany. There is a small shakedown track out back of the atelier and tests are sometimes also performed at the nearby Anneau du Rhin (Rhine Ring) circuit.
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Ettore Bugatti’s orangerie (left photo) remains in unrestored condition, and is clearly visible from inside the customer center (center photo), where buyers select their favorite leather and paint combinations before their custom-colored Veyron is assembled by hand in the atelier (right photo). (Click images to enlarge)
While walking the floor of the atelier, I see that things are humming as Bugatti tries to satisfy the first 40 orders as quickly as possible, the first delivery having been made late last year to an American customer. At the time of my visit, total personnel in the assembly area numbers 30 and is about 50-50 German and Alsatian. The intent is to have nearly 100 percent local Alsatian artisans doing the work by the end of 2006.On the older part of the property, beside the unrestored remnants of the stone archway in front of the château, two large former horse stables have been fully restructured. The stable building to the south of the château now acts as the customer center and is where clients consider paint schemes and interior options for their cars. In the central atrium of this building sits an exquisite 1926 example of the all-conquering Type 35 in perfect Bugatti blue.
The stable house on the north flank contains the quality control area where all suppliers make their initial deliveries, as well as three nicely appointed guest apartments where Bugatti clients can stay when they visit the facility for initial consultations, delivery, or maintenance.
This brings us back to the all-important food and lodging aspects of any visit to the heart of Alsace. If it’s your first visit, put all of the postcard images of Paris and the Côte d’Azur out of your mind. There are parts of France that are quite mysterious, including this remote, historically war-torn northeast corner.
The Alsace has a complex personality. It is technically in France, but much of its history occurred while it was part of Germany. The local people prefer being part of France and speak French, but you can feel, see, and taste the German influence everywhere you go. The important wines are the flavorful Riesling, Muscat d’Alsace, and Gewürztraminer. Gamy meats are eaten in abundance all year long, and the best local meal to warm someone in the winter is a hearty choucroute garnie–sauerkraut with a variety of meats. An even more typical dish is bäckeoffe, with equal parts pork shoulder, lamb, and lean beef and sliced potatoes, onions, garlic, a full bottle of dry Riesling, and spices, mixed together and baked in a crust in a large round ceramic or copper pan. And the foie gras overfloweth.
Thus, the impression I get as I drive the Bugatti Veyron around its home turf is of an international melding of cultures. This complex bouquet of a car could only be created here, even though the 1,001 hp engine produces about 800 hp more than I need to drive on the tight and heavily regulated roads of the Alsace.
A favorite regional dining venue is Le Caveau de Gail in the fairy-tale medieval village of Obernai, about 15 minutes from the Bugatti campus. This Alsatian culinary hot spot is located in a charming place to stay, the Hôtel à la Cour d’Alsace (www.cour-alsace.com), at the end of the narrow rue de Gail. This was the former manor house and wine cellars of the barons de Gail, and it is the perfect waiting area for any self-respecting Veyron buyer. Should the inn be fully booked, the nearby Hôtel Le Parc (www.hotel-du-parc.com) offers excellent accommodations and dining. Another choice is the Hôtel Le Clos Saint Vincent in Ribeauvillé, which is farther south and closer to the Black Forest.
Upon taking factory delivery of their million-dollar baby, Bugatti buyers receive a 10-minute send-off stint behind the wheel. Here is where they can take a short detour along the spectacular Route des Vins (Wine Route). This two-lane road winds for 120 miles north-south through the most famous vineyards along the lower eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains to the west of the river Rhine and not far from Molsheim. Think Napa Valley, only dotted with medieval castles.A bite at the drive-through is also an option. About the time in 2000 that renovations started on the estate and planning was fully under way for the new Bugatti facilities, McDonald’s secured zoning rights for a new restaurant directly across from Bugatti on rue St. Jean. Local government attempted to rescind the deed, but it was too late, and in its defense, Mickey D’s does provide several jobs for the locals. As a partial compromise, the Molsheim and Dorlisheim town councils agreed to construct a hillock down the center of rue St. Jean that effectively blocks the view of the shopping mall across the street from the château buildings. All passing street traffic must drive over this new 15-foot mound. In Molsheim, there is a thin line between proletariat and potentate.
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Over the next few years, planning should ramp up for the next Bugatti, which is rumored to be called Rembrandt for Ettore’s younger artist brother who committed suicide in 1916. It is a front mid-engine 2+2 GT that may use either a version of the W16 engine or, more likely, an adapted version of the VW W8 design. That means that at a possible 2,000 units per year, the next phase of construction will surely take up all or most of the currently empty space around the atelier, providing more work for the locals.
The comparatively mass-produced Bugatti will also provide more reasons to visit this humble eastern outpost near the old Maginot Line and to enjoy the superb cross-cultural comfort food and wine. Some of the local restaurants will even let you supersize your meals, for a nominal fee.
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., www.bugatti-cars.de
BUGATTI COCKTAIL TRIVIA
Ettore Bugatti first left Milan, Italy, in 1902 to live in the present-day département of Bas-Rhin (Lower Rhine) in the Alsace, when the area was still part of Germany. With the backing of local financier Pierre de Vizcaya, in 1909 Bugatti set up shop in an old dyeing works just to the south in Molsheim and there built his first series of 10 cars.
Signor/Monsieur/Herr Bugatti never lived on the grounds of Château St. Jean, where the reborn company is located.
Bugatti’s father, Carlo, lived his final few years in the château, until his passing in April 1940.
Previously, no Bugatti car was ever built here. Instead, the maestro and his workshops were about 1,500 feet closer to Molsheim along rue St. Jean, where today the firm of Messier-Bugatti builds cutting-edge landing gear for modern jet aircraft.
In 1928, Bugatti bought the estate of Château St. Jean, which was built in 1857. He used it to house two stables of horses, to keep his exotic plants in the orangerie he added, and to receive clients and hold gatherings in the main building.