Sur Mesure is the ultimate personalization program by Bugatti, offering automotive couture limited only by the imagination of customers. It is a truly incomparable personal process of co-creation; a journey of months and years of collaboration between the Bugatti specialists and the customer to deliver a precise execution of their vision. At the core of this process is Jascha Straub: Lead Designer of Sur Mesure at Bugatti.
In Molsheim, Jascha is key to helping bring customers’ bespoke creations to life. To deliver the recently unveiled ‘Golden Era’ Chiron Super Sport he worked hand-in-hand with the owner over more than two years to transform an idea into a timeless piece of art. With Sur Mesure each step is a journey into the unknown; each commission is formed through conversation and exchange of thoughts between the customer, designers and engineers. During this exploration, he ensures that the customer’s needs and requests have been answered while respecting the DNA of Bugatti and the meticulous aerodynamic and thermodynamic design of the hyper sports car, as well as the stringent quality standards of any car produced in Molsheim.
“Throughout the course of a Sur Mesure project, I will be in constant contact with the customer”, said Jascha. “Clients who share my passion for Bugatti will call to discuss their latest idea for their car and ask for my feedback. This collaborative process, in which the customer actively brings their own creative ideas to the project builds an environment in which we both seek to push the boundaries to develop the most inventive ideas. Then, my role is to discuss with my colleagues from design and engineering to find solutions to deliver those ideas that will fit both the design and technical briefs.”
There is a good reason why Jascha is perfect for this unmatched role, a very unique responsibility in the automotive industry. He began his journey with Bugatti in the design department, heavily involved with the exterior design of two recent flagship hyper sports cars from Bugatti – the Divo, revealed in 2018, and the Centodieci. Both are already seen as modern-day classics, among others due to their bespoke body designs that were applied to the Chiron powertrain and chassis, which required in-depth knowledge of the intricate engineering requirements of a 400km/h hyper sports car. Now, Jascha brings all of his design expertise into the bespoke world of Sur Mesure, working closely with customers to guide them through a process of near-infinite possibilities, allowing them to exceed their own expectations of what a bespoke commission can be when creating their very own and unique Bugatti masterpiece. His commitment to fulfill a customer’s dreams is limitless, whether travelling across countries to find the exact shade of blue a customer has asked for or sketching through the night for a very special commission.
But more than simply a facilitator of customers’ automotive couture ambitions, Jascha is guardian of the brand and guide. With his passion for Bugatti, his knowledge of the impeccable history, and his deep appreciation for the work of the Bugatti family, he offers inspiration to customers who want to celebrate this heritage, and a leading hand on what is appropriate to the Bugatti brand for those that want to explore new ideas.
“Sometimes customers come with a clear vision of what they want, which could be an homage to a certain racing car for example. Then we work together to figure out how we can transport the essence of that car into the present. We look at certain splits and color combinations and little Easter eggs and details, but always done in an extremely authentic way. With a recent commission, we even went as far as to visit the original car that inspired this customer with a color sample to check that it was completely correct. We also developed a new horseshoe grille only for that car, which is a huge feat when you consider the many implications for aerodynamics and cooling,” added Jascha.
Jascha not only helps customers with the configuration of their Sur Mesure project, he is also involved in the whole creation of the car. He is the designer. Once the customer vision has been set into a design ideation, he works closely with both the customer and the design and engineering teams to deliver the project in its purest form. Creating new colors with the paint specialists, designing patterns or checking engineering compliance, he is translating the voice of the customer into a designed and engineered reality. For the Chiron Super Sport ‘Golden Era’, he did not only participate in the ideation but also, himself, hand-sketched on the car.
Sur Mesure means tailormade in French and at Bugatti, not only the cars are tailormade but also the experience offered to customers. Providing the unexpected and surprising customers is what Bugatti strives for and especially with a Sur Mesure car. In this sense, the Chiron Super Sport ‘Golden Era’ owner was offered a very special Baby Bugatti II inspired by it and featuring the same ‘Doré’ gold and shade of ‘Nocturne Black’ contrasting paint scheme with the same complex sketching process on its exterior. Although the essence of the two cars is the same, the Baby Bugatti required a completely different set of sketches to ensure the proportions and artistry remained intact. Jascha, who sketched alone on this car, sat and sketched day and night to ensure the Baby Bugatti II could stand alone as a piece of Sur Mesure artistry, or sit side-by-side as a collective masterpiece with the Chiron Super Sport ‘Golden Era’. As a subtle homage to the original Baby Bugatti which Ettore created for his son Roland he also incorporated bespoke drawings of the pair to adorn the bodywork. It’s this unique dedication to perfection that sets Sur Mesure apart.
Bugatti Sur Mesure is a unique journey because of the astonishing visions of Bugatti’s customers and the passion, the knowledge and the talent of personalities like Jascha. It is an intimate and personal level of bespoke customization inspired by Ettore Bugatti himself and delivered with a meticulous attention to detail worthy of ‘Le Patron’. In a world where every Bugatti automobile and experience is already incomparable, Jascha’s work ensures that Sur Mesure is totally unparalleled, not only with the delivery of the final bespoke commission but also the experience and level of dedication he offers to customers.
