The French brand for ultra-luxury cars has once again proven that there are no limits to its engineering and artistic imagination. The brand showed one of the final individual pearls in the crown of its iconic W16 Mistral roadster, bearing the poetic name Blanc &Eternel. The unique piece literally intertwines automotive art with fine ceramics, as real porcelain was used in its manufacture, born from the exclusive partnership with the legendary German manufacturer Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM).
Although the idea of a porcelain hypercar sounds, to put it mildly, startling and fragile, the engineers from Molsheim have taken an extremely practical approach. The exterior panels of this monster on wheels are painted in a sparkling white, while genuine ceramic elements are delicately integrated in key places. Porcelain accents shine on the powerful engine cover, the fuel tank cap, the oil filter, as well as on the EB logos themselves. The royal scepter symbol of the Berlin craftsmen from KPM is also proudly depicted on the engine compartment details.
However, the production process behind this jewel turned out to be a real struggle and a test of the craftsmen's nerves. Porcelain is a capricious material that shrinks by nearly 17% during heat treatment in the furnaces. To avoid discrepancies in the gaps, each blank is initially modeled in larger sizes with surgical precision so that after firing it can fit the bodywork literally as if it were sewn to measure. Finally, after laying the snow-white base, artists hand-painted dozens of fine black lines that repeat the digital three-dimensional model of the surfaces, revealing the hidden geometry and aerodynamic genius of the design.