Autoblog.com reports that Bugatti has applied for trademark of the name 'Rembrandt'. Rembrandt is Ettore Bugatti's younger brother, who was named after the famous Dutch painter.
Rembrandt Bugatti designed Bugatti's hood ornament (an elephant on its hind legs, with its trunk pointed towards the sky). It capped the nose of the Bugatti Type 41 Royale, but like other hood ornaments, is not used today, with safety regulation being one reason.
The patent has been applied by Audi's intellectual property office on behalf of Bugatti at the European Union's Office for Hamonization in the Internal Market.
Rembrandt could be used on the next model in Bugatti's Legends series (following Jean Bugatti and Jean-Pierre Wimille) with the elephant emblem painted on parts of the bodywork. Or this could be Bugatti protecting a significant character in its history from being stolen.
