Bugatti’s Solitaire programme has only been creating cars for around a year, but the one-off division has already stayed extremely busy, with projects such as the horse-inspired Brouillard and the Veyron tribute F. K. P Hommage. Now, as of Thursday, the team has unveiled its third model, and this one marks an even bigger shift away from any existing Bugatti road car. In fact, the vehicle it is most closely connected to is not a road car at all.

The Destrier, Bugatti’s latest one-of-one creation, is instead derived from the Bolide track car. Unlike that machine, which is a high-downforce model comparable to a Le Mans prototype, the Destrier sheds those aerodynamic components in favour of the shape of a refined road-going machine. Bugatti has not said whether its newest one-off is legal for use on public roads, but the Destrier clearly appears to have been designed more with road driving in mind than circuit duty.

By moving away from all that downforce, the Destrier allows the Bolide’s extraordinary proportions to stand out in a completely different way. The Le Mans-style tub remains low, but it has been pushed slightly further forward than the centre of the car, something strongly emphasised by Bugatti’s traditional C-shaped metallic streak. Around that sits a set of huge front fenders that begin rising from the beltline from the middle of the profile. Taller rear fenders flow into a flat spoiler, replacing the Bolide’s enormous dual-element rear wing. The large quad tailpipes remain, but the track car’s X-shaped tail-lights have been swapped for a cross-shaped lighting signature created specifically for the Destrier.

The blue paint finish, a special shade called Sapphire Celeste, pays tribute to the blue colour once used on the Type 57SC owned by Ralph Lauren. That car has since been repainted black, but the reference to its earlier appearance is meant to show the Destrier’s relationship to the Bolide as a reflection of the link between the Type 57SC road car and the Type 57G “Tank” that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937.

The Bolide already offers a relatively generous level of comfort for a high-downforce track car, but the Destrier moves one step closer to the grand touring character of Bugatti’s regular road cars with a cabin finished in rich materials. Leather and nubuck, both in a warm brown shade, are paired with what Bugatti describes as a “3D-knitted textile” that resembles snake skin.

The emphasis on elegance rather than outright performance even extends to the way the car’s specifications are framed. Bugatti says the Destrier delivers the Bolide’s full 1578-hp output, but the company states in its release that this is a “detail offered almost in passing.” Instead, the brand says, the “Destrier's story is one of proportion and craftsmanship, not outright performance.”

Bugatti has not disclosed pricing for its one-off creations, but the Bolide’s $5 million price tag indicates a very high starting point even before accounting for the work required to create a single road-legal machine based on a track car. That said, the price is ultimately beside the point; this is a one-of-one model, and only one buyer was able to secure it. If you want a road-going Bolide of your own, the options are either a third-party conversion kit or commissioning a unique Solitaire project yourself.