Bugatti CHIRON, page #4

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Bugatti speeds up testing on its 3D-printed titanium brake caliper

There are only a few manufacturers on that planet that are so important and so specialized that their production of a brake caliper would warrant any amount of attention. Bugatti is one of those few. After premiering a 3D-printed titanium caliper early in 2018, Volkswagen Group released a video of engineers putting the new design to extreme speed and heat testing. Spoiler alert: flames and sparks are involved. Bugatti had a lot of claims and planted a lot of flags when it first showed this caliper. "World's first brake caliper to be produced by a 3D printer. Largest brake caliper in the automotive industry as a whole. First series manufacturer to use titanium. Largest titanium functional component produced by 3D printing in the world." Long story short, it's a big deal, but it is not yet stamped as ready for production. That's what the testing seen here is for. The video, which was brought to our attention by Motor1, shows the brake caliper in action, not on a car but in a lab. VW claims it's one of the most powerful brake test benches on the market, which we're inclined to believe considering the groundbreaking technology that has come from its Veyron, Chiron and Divo supercars. The test is exactly what you'd expect. They put the caliper onto a rotor, which is attached to a machine that spins the rotor and has all sorts of sensors that show the engineers the specs of the test. The video shows it spinning up to speeds in excess of 230 mph multiple times. The disc temperature skyrockets to 1,877 degrees Fahrenheit on the third spin, which elicits a light show of thermal heat, sparks, and flames. The engineers then take off the caliper and show the camera that everything is still in place and intact. The video does not clear the caliper for production, but it certainly looks like its getting close to that point. The package will likely debut for the Chiron, the Divo, or both and will most definitely cost thousands and thousands of dollars. Related Video:

Bugatti SUV is a possibility, automaker's president says

If you think of luxury brands related to the sprawling Volkswagen group, quite a few of them have an SUV in their model portfolio. Porsche offers several, Bentley has the Bentayga, Lamborghini has the Urus, and it appears that Bugatti is also considering expanding its lineup to a high-riding vehicle. At least that's what company president Stephan Winkelmann is saying. Currently, Bugatti makes the Chiron in various guises, and it also showed the Divo at the Paris Motor Show. Speaking to Automotive News at the Paris show, Winkelmann said that "the brand is ready for more," and that while the W16 engine is currently the focal point of the storied carmaker, it needn't always be so. "The W-16 engine is at the core of the brand today, but it won't remain the heart forever." Winkelmann said the company is evaluating engine and chassis options, as well as a possible name for an SUV. Last month, Winkelmann told Car Advice that the 1,500-horsepower W16 isn't irreplaceable, and that the company is thinking ahead. "This will be the last of its kind," said Winkelmann then. "Sooner or later the legislation will force everybody to take radical steps. [...] If you want to be on the edge of advanced technology, it's important you choose the right moment to change." In Paris, Winkelmann, a former Lamborghini executive, added that "a hybrid engine could be part of the future — you have consider social acceptance in terms of emissions." The numbers need to work out, as Bugatti has been making limited-edition hypercars instead of mass-produced vehicles, and an expansion like that must be justified to company shareholders. SUVs have turned out to be profitable for other manufacturers formerly known for just sports cars or luxury cars, and Lamborghini has disclosed that the Urus has been heartily welcomed in regions not normally considered supercar-friendly, such as Russia. Related Video:

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Buick Electra Park Avenue

The Buick Electra may be best-known today as the subject of Sir Mix-a-Lot's My Hooptie, but this big luxury machine was one of The General's signature land yachts for more than 30 years. The final model year for the Electra was 1990, and so this very nice 1990 Electra Park Avenue in a Denver wrecking yard is a significant part of GM history. Just look at that plush interior, all blue velour and glossy fake wood! There are plenty of five-year-old cars on the street today with rougher interiors than this car. Thing is, not many used-car shoppers have much interest in a 28-year-old Buick, no matter how well-preserved. Who knows, the '90 Park Avenue may have been the car Royal D and Richie Rich rapped about in Scrapers. Even though there aren't any Electra badges on this car, the Park Avenue didn't become a separate model until the 1991 model year. GM luxury cars had these "coffin handle" door pulls for much of the 1970s and 1980s. Power, all 165 horsepower of it, came from a 3.8-liter Buick V6 driving the front wheels. This car was built on the same platform as the mid-1980s Cadillac DeVille and Oldsmobile 98. This car has the "Concert Sound II" audio system, complete with auto-reverse-equipped cassette deck. Car CD players were still rare, costly items in 1990. Plenty of Detroit cars got these "wire wheel" hubcaps during this era. Buick was the fifth-most-reliable marque in 1990. Hooray! Here's your address for success: Park Avenue. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1990 Buick Park Avenue View 19 Photos Auto News Bugatti Automotive History Sedan

VW Group plan puts Porsche in charge of a 'super-premium' division

An Automobile report looks into what's happening on the organizational and technical sides of the Volkswagen Group, and what those changes could mean for the premium brands. The wide-angle view is that Porsche appears to have been anointed to "coordinate the future activities" at Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. Audi would cede Lamborghini guardianship to Stuttgart, and Ducati — via a new concern called Ducati Enterprises — would become the shepherd for VW's other Italian investments. Executives target Jan. 1, 2019, to complete the reshuffle. VW wants to save a boodle by tying up four of its five top-tier brands, and putting the one with the highest ROI in charge. Porsche, within its own house, wants to reduce expenditures by $2.3 billion per year over for four years, the savings already earmarked for improving internal processes like R&D and production. Having Porsche share those gains as well as lead development of platforms, components and future-tech strategies for the sister sports car brands could benefit everyone. In the near-term, the brands have their own plans: Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann is said to want a Chiron Superleggera, a roofless and "completely reskinned" Chiron Aperta, and a track-only Chiron SS. The Superleggera could take the Chiron Sport's and Divo's Jenny Craig routines even further. The Aperta seems a natural successor to the Veyron Grand Sport, a natural evolution of the recently introduced Sky View roof, and a reskin might include numerous Divo cues. It's also said Bugatti's considering "an all-electric high-end model" in conjunction with Porsche, Rimac, and Dallara, but name one supercar or hypercar manufacturer that isn't considering a lightning-fast EV. Lamborghini, deep into work on follow-ups for the Huracan and Aventador, might get a bit of a bump with the new plan. The carbon "monofuselage" for the next V12 flagship is said to be too far developed and too complex to scrap. It puts two electric motors on the front axle, batteries in the middle, and a naturally aspirated V12 with around 770 horsepower plus another e-motor with 402 horsepower in back. The Huracan is said to get a version of the same carbon architecture at the moment, but the corporate reorganization might press pause on it. Automobile says options include continuing the Huracan/ Audi R8 twinning, but that depends on Audi saying "Ja" to a third-gen R8 with Lamborghini bones.

Bugatti says the W16's days are numbered

Bugatti's W16 engine is likely to be irreplaceable for the hypercar maker. The company's CEO Stephan Winkelmann has stated that there will not be a successor for the quad-turbocharged engine. Speaking to the Australian CarAdvice, Winkelmann said that there will not be a new 16-cylinder engine to replace the existing unit, but that the company will look further to the future. "This will be the last of its kind," said Winkelmann. "Sooner or later the legislation will force everybody to take radical steps. [...] If you want to be on the edge of advanced technology, it's important you choose the right moment to change." Currently, the nearly-1,500-horsepower engine does duty in the Chiron and the newly unveiled Divo. However, the W16, as it stands, isn't quite dead yet. Winkelmann stated that the company will do its "utmost" to keep the venerable engine alive, and that it will keep being honed further in the quest for more power, as the hypercar horsepower race is hot and heavy. Dinosaurs die hard, it seems. Still, Winkelmann is eager to push the envelope for an alternate approach, saying that the company could focus on different things than getting more power from the W16 unit. According to the CEO, if there is a hybrid powerplant or an electrified solution for future Bugattis, the powertrain needs to be more than up to the task. "If the weight of the batteries is going down dramatically — as it is — and you can reduce the emissions to a level which is acceptable, then hybridization is a good thing, but it has to be a solution that is credible for the people who are buying Bugattis today." Related Video: News Source: CarAdviceImage Credit: Bugatti Auto News Bugatti Luxury Performance Supercars

Lego builds life-size, driving Bugatti Chiron out of Technic pieces

Lego recently introduced a Technic model of the 2018 Bugatti Chiron supercar. It's impressive on its own with a functioning gearbox and a little 16-cylinder facsimile of the real thing. But Lego decided it wanted to go even farther in creating a Technic Bugatti. It wanted to build a life-size one that actually worked and drove using just Lego parts. And it did. The final product is on display up above. It is a full-size replica of the 1,500-horsepower supercar from Bugatti, and about the only parts that aren't made from Lego pieces are the wheels, tires and the front badge. It consists of over 1 million pieces in total, weighs in at about 3,300 pounds and took over 13,000 work hours to finish. For reference, this model weighs about 1,100 pounds less than the real car. Most impressive is that even the functional parts of the car are constructed from Lego Technic components. It's powered by 2,304 Lego Power Function motors that together produce about 5 horsepower and 68 pound-feet of torque. Lego says it can go up to 12 mph. View 27 Photos It goes beyond just Lego motors, though. All of the lights, the speedometer and even the rising rear wing use actual Lego Technic parts. Even the brakes, yes, the brakes, are made of plastic Technic bits and are fully functional. Lego also says that significant structural and load-bearing parts of this model are fully made from Technic parts without any reinforcements or gluing of parts. This is quite possibly the most impressive Lego creation of all time. It would be quite cool if Lego decided to sell such a kit, though it will likely never happen. The issue would probably be size more than anything. A ton and a half of plastic isn't the easiest thing to transport or sell. The price of the kit might not be as bad as you would expect, though. Lego has very consistent pricing, and looking at the scale model kit of the Chiron, Lego appears to charge roughly 10 cents a piece. That would put the price of this model at a bit over $100,000. That's not cheap, but it is just a tenth the cost of a real Chiron, and in some ways it's cooler. Related Video: Image Credit: Lego Green Toys/Games Bugatti Coupe Electric Supercars Lego Bugatti Chiron

Bugatti Divo revealed, all 40 are already spoken for

After numerous teasers, the Bugatti Divo has finally been revealed. I will thus take this opportunity to type "whip it good," mention funny red conical hats and move onto something only slightly less ridiculous. The Divo cost ˆ5 million each for the 40 people who have already purchased the limited production run. So sorry, you missed your chance. The Bugatti Divo is quite obviously based on the Chiron. Though it shares that car's 8.0-liter W16 engine, it is 77 pounds lighter and is capable of producing 198 extra pounds of downforce. Basically, while the Chiron is all about top speed, the Divo is more about taking corners. To that end, its lateral g is said to be 1.6 g, which is a staggering number, and its maximum speed is limited to only 236 mph. "To date, a modern Bugatti has represented a perfect balance between high performance, straight-line dynamics and luxurious comfort," said Bugatti president Stephan Winkelmann. "Within our possibilities, we have shifted the balance in the case of the Divo further towards lateral acceleration, agility and cornering. The Divo is made for bends." The newer, wider front spoiler contributes to that extra downforce, along with a new rear diffuser and a 23-percent wider rear spoiler that remains automatically height adjustable and still functions as an airbrake. It's a whopping 6 feet wide. Tweaks up front also create an "air curtain" that optimizes air flow along the Divo's sides. Besides creating extra downforce, aerodynamic changes also increase cooling to the engine and brakes. The Divo also gets special suspension and steering settings to maximize handling. That includes increasing camber. Weight was reduced by using lighter wheels and a carbon fiber intercooler cover, along with a reduction in sound insulation, a lighter sound system and fixing the otherwise adjustable front diffuser flaps. According to Bugatti, the resulting changes result in the Divo lapping the Nardo handling circuit 8 seconds faster than the Chiron can. Its 40 owners are sure to be super impressed by that. Like the Veyron and Chiron, the Divo is named after a driver from the early years of car racing. Specifically, Albert Divo, the two-time winner of the Targa Florio in the 1920s. He did not look like this. Related Video:

Bugatti Divo teased again ahead of Monterey reveal

There are four days to go until Bugatti unveils the track-focused Divo this Friday at The Quail - A Motorsports Gathering during Monterey Car Week. Until then, we have this last teaser of the complete vehicle under a blue veil to try and draw out details. Bugatti once used the Vision Gran Turismo to tease aspects of the Chiron, and here it appears as though the French carmaker has returned to some elements of that concept while, at the same time, clearly evolving Chiron design language. The rear wing is clearly toned down from the Vision GT concept, but a fin runs from the back of the greenhouse to the wing. The wheel arches stand out under the sheet, much punchier than the arches on the Chiron, and the rear fender contains a sharp edge. A clear departure from both the Vision GT and the Chiron, though, is the side line. The relaxed arc around the roof to the back of the cabin and down to the sills, a feature we've known since the Veyron, has been redone. On the Divo it looks like the roof line takes a shallow dip to a point, then makes a hard reverse to form a shoulder line that intersects the front wheel arch. Above that, a milder shoulder line descends from the cowl to underline the greenhouse. "We've kept and further developed our Bugatti design DNA features, but on top of that have also taken the opportunity to exercise our freedom and create a completely new form language," said Frank Heyl, the exterior design chief. Bugatti obviously wanted us to notice all of this, because the Divo example under the silk doesn't have a side mirror. Built by the company's just-revived coachbuilding department and advancing the capabilities of the Chiron Sport, the Divo will bring "enormous downforce and G-forces." Other than the top stabilizer fin and large rear wing, the additional feature we've seen to support its track mission is a vertical fin ahead of the front wheels. Cosmetically, it looks like the taillights will be LED or OLED with highly contoured shapes. We'll have to wait until Friday for word on whether the 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 has undergone any changes. Bugatti will make just 40 Divos, each with a price starting at 5 million euros, about $5.8 million in U.S. dollars, and nearly double the price of the Chiron Sport. Those numbers might be moot if every Divo is already spoken for.

2018 Bugatti Chiron gets the one thing (two, actually) it didn't have

If you thought there couldn't be anything missing on the multi-million-dollar, 1,500-horsepower, 250-mph Bugatti Chiron hypercar, we wouldn't blame you. But you would also be wrong. Apparently this massively fast tribute to capitalism didn't have an option for a sunroof. Can you believe it? The 2018 Bugatti Chiron couldn't be had with a feature you can get on a Hyundai Accent. Well, Bugatti Chiron buyers no longer have to suffer this indignity thanks to a new option called "Sky View." What Sky View amounts to are two glass panels, one over each seat, affixed to the roof of the hypercar. Each panel is laminated for a total of four layers and is designed to provide both UV protection for occupants and to be stiff and strong both to keep the car rigid and provide protection in a crash. Another upside to the option is that it adds 2.7 centimeters, or about an inch, of headroom. There do appear to be a couple of downsides, though. Bugatti mentions that the panels are tinted to keep the incoming light from being too overbearing, but it says nothing about any sort of sunshade if you find the tinting to not be sufficient. Not only that, but the panels are fixed, so you won't be able to get much of an open-air feeling. We should say the aforementioned Hyundai Accent has both of these features, but hey, you're making progress Bugatti, and that should be lauded. Maybe you'll get those details next time. Related Video:

It’s complicated: Watch a Bugatti Veyron get a $21,000 oil change

Here's a fascinating peek under the hood, or rather the rear carbon-fiber engine cover panel and undercarriage, that shows the complexity of getting a simple oil change for a Bugatti Veyron, courtesy of the folks at Royalty Exotic Cars. Servicing this Veyron Mansory Vivere owned by Houston Crosta costs an estimated $21,000. Jiffy Lube, eat your heart out. How complicated can it be, you ask? Well, the video is 20 minutes long — and that's with the benefit of plenty of editing to cut out the boring waiting-around and taking-things-apart parts. Crosta estimates the Veyron is held together by nearly 10,000 bolts, and a heck of a lot of them have to be removed. Changing the oil on one of the supercars starts with needing specialty GoJack car dollies to get underneath and hoist the lowered body high enough to get it on the shop's lift. Then, you have to remove the wheels on both sides, rear fender and carbon-fiber panel, carbon fiber wheel-well panels, the fuel filler ... and on and on and on. Also, where most modern cars have one or two drain plugs, the Veyron has 16. The mechanics managed to drain 16.5 quarts of oil from the quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine. Rather do it yourself? Well, the mechanics estimate the difficulty of the oil change ranked a 20 on a 1-to-10 scale. At least for the first hour or so, until they managed to pry off the rear panel. Then it went to a 6, they say. "After everything's taken apart, some of this stuff is just plain and simple super easy," Crosta says. "But getting everything out to get to this point, that's a couple-day process." Interestingly, Royalty will let you rent out a Veyron Mansory Vivere for almost the same price as the oil change — $20,000 — for 24 hours of fun. Related Video: Image Credit: Royalty Exotic Cars Bugatti Coupe Luxury Racing Vehicles Supercars supercar oil change