Think of a hypercar that redefined speed in the 21st century and you'll likely think of Bugatti. When the Veyron came out, it changed the way we thought of speed and of hypercars, and it set the tone for what Bugatti would come to stand for in the decade-and-a-half since. Since the Veyron first debuted, we've seen a successor in the Bugatti Chiron, and the spin-offs that have come from that have been every bit as special, if not more. The Pur Sport and Super Sport have wowed us with the Chiron's flexibility, but the special cars like the forthcoming Bolide, the artful La Voiture Noire, and the historically-influenced models like the Centodieci and Divo have showcased Bugatti's full spectrum of ability. Now, CarBuzz has uncovered a patent filing that gives us an indication of what the next special Bugatti might be.

Filed with the German Patent and Trademark Office, Bugatti has registered the number '32'. While at first glance, one might ignore this as a number like any other, akin to the 16.4 nomenclature used previously to describe the 16 cylinders and four turbochargers on Bugatti's famed W16 engine, we believe there's more to it than this.

Back in 1923, Bugatti built the Type 32. Commonly referred to as the 'Tank' or 'Tank de Tours', it was a curiously styled race car built to compete in the French Grand Prix. Four cars raced, with the best-placed being Ernest Friederich's number 6 car in third place. The Type 32 was later replaced by the more successful Type 35, but that doesn't make the Tank de Tours any less special, or any less likely to influence a modern Bugatti special edition.

What we're unsure of is to what extent the Type 32 will influence a modern car. Bugatti has three options: It could build a proper special series vehicle like the Centodieci (inspired by the EB110), a one-off like the La Voiture Noire inspired by the Type 57SC Atlantic), or it could use its newly-formed Sur Mesure customization department to create a tailored Chiron variant inspired by the Tank. The first Sur Mesure vehicle was the Chiron Pur Sport 'Grand Prix', taking heavy influence from Bugatti's Grand Prix racers of the 1920s and '30s. That car wore the number 32, so Bugatti could be merely registering that aspect, but we find it doubtful the big Bug would trademark decorative elements under the categories for 'vehicles' and 'games and sporting goods'.