Bugatti CHIRON, page #5

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Bugatti has already designed and shown an SUV, awaits green light

Bugatti appears to be backing itself right into the quilted leather seats of a crossover the brand swore would never happen. In January, CEO Stephan Winkelmann announced to the world, "There will be no SUV from Bugatti." By April, reports said Bugatti was working on a "crossover-influenced sports car," which is gobbledygook meant to avoid calling an SUV an SUV. Winkelmann also admitted then that as far as what kind of vehicle to build as a second Bugatti, "It's not me to decide." At the beginning of this month, Automobile magazine's intel claimed Bugatti was considering an all-electric SUV using a Rimac platform, limited to around 600 units per year and selling for between $850,000 and $1 million. Closing the circle, when Automobile's man recently sat down with Winkelmann, the CEO said this in response to a question about a "three-door, ultra-premium crossover SUV:" "The design is done. Some potential customers have seen it, and they liked it." The Italo-German head honcho then seemed to back Automobile's previous reportage, saying that a potential crossover "would almost certainly be battery-powered," and that he envisioned sales volumes between 600 and 800 per year. When "one or two influential people" from the Volkswagen Group mother ship stopped by to check out the design, they "were complimentary about it." Since overlords haven't signed off on any such vehicle, "there is no budget and no decision." But this is like when a dog owner puts on his jacket, shorts, and gym shoes, grabs the leash, then tortures the dog with the pretense that they aren't going for a walk. So don't be surprised if [when] Bugatti reveals a crossover. One truly surprising quote from the boss was when he said, "So far, nobody is doing a high-performance, high-end luxury CUV. Because of the battery situation, it’s too early for an electric hypercar." To the former claim, that's a wheelbarrow full of dirt thrown on the Bentley Bentayga Speed, as well as the Lamborghini Urus that Winkelmann shepherded to production. As for the latter, Rimac and Pininfarina would likely, respectfully, disagree.  Another potential walk-back is an open-topped version of the Chiron. When Motor Trend asked Winkelmann last December if the carmaker planned a Chiron Grand Sport, the exec replied, "We decided in the Chiron project not to do an open-top version." And now?

Hand-made, magnesium-bodied 1934 Bugatti Aerolithe visits Jay Leno's Garage

Rare, multi-million-dollar cars regularly cruise through Jay Leno's garage, but some of the vehicles that pay him visits are more special than others. The 1934 Bugatti Aerolithe that Leno recently dedicated an episode to is the kind of machine that punctures the membrane separating cars and art. The Aerolithe was designed by Jean Bugatti, the son of company founder Ettore, and its body was crafted entirely out of a magnesium alloy named Elektron in an effort to keep weight in check. As Leno points out, Elektron is spectacularly difficult to work with because it's hard to shape, and it has an alarming tendency to catch fire. That's why more than 1,200 exposed rivets helped keep the Aerolithe in one piece as it toured Europe in search of buyers. Period records indicate potential owners admired the performance delivered by the 3.3-liter straight-eight engine - the Aerolithe could reach nearly 110 mph - but not enough to buy one. While it remained a one-off model, it inspired Bugatti to make the cheaper, heavier Type 57 Atlantic with an aluminum body. The two cars looked a lot alike. The Aerolithe mysteriously disappeared before the beginning of World War II. Some sources believe it was parted out at the Bugatti factory in Molsheim, France, while others claim it was hidden and never taken out of storage. Regardless, its whereabouts remain unknown as of 2019. The example Leno tours Los Angeles in is a reproduction painstakingly made from the ground up by the Guild of Automotive Restorers in Canada. David Grainer, the Guild's founder, remembers the members of his team spent nearly a year figuring out how to recreate the Aerolithe before they started the project. They wanted to keep it as original as possible, so they used sheets of magnesium purchased for $3,000 a piece to make the body. Building a car from scratch (and by hand) is a challenging endeavor, but the Aerolithe project was even more complicated that it sounds because Grainer's team had only nine usable photographs to work with. Blueprints were lost long ago. Watch the full episode to learn more about the Aerolithe's history, and to find out what it's like to drive. For a look at a different side of Bugatti during the 1930s, read our story documenting the electric Type 56 that Ettore made in 1931 to drive around his property. Auto News Bugatti Classics

Bugatti reveal for Monterey rumored to be inspired by EB 110 SS

In June, The Supercar Blog heard that Bugatti had a special edition planned for reveal during Monterey Car Week. At the time there were zero details on what we might be in for; the only iota of news was that part of the production run had already been sold. TSB just picked up on this Instagram post from June 4 by Girardo & Co, a classic-car sales company, that could point to the answer:           View this post on Instagram                   It is rumoured that Bugatti will be presenting a new car at Pebble Beach this year that is inspired from the original EB110SS, 10 cars to be built, with a price tag of Euro 8 million. No matter how fast the latest and greatest is, we still love the the spec of Artioli’s Bugatti EB110SS - 3.5 litre V12 complete with four turboÂ’s. The car we have for sale is the very last one built and has less than 6,000kms from new. Question is, which would you have? . . . #bugatti #bugattieb110 #bugattieb110ss #available #girardoandco A post shared by Girardo & Co. Ltd (@girardoandco) on Jun 4, 2019 at 12:16am PDT This is a touch self-serving on Girardo's part, seeing that the company is selling a Bugatti EB 110 SS — and has been since at least March of this year, when we wrote about it. However, that doesn't mean the suggestion isn't true. For those who don't know, Italian businessman Roman Artioli bought the Bugatti brand in 1987. The only product to leave the company's Campogalliano factory was the EB 110 in the early 1990s, an alien-looking coupe powered by a quad-turbocharged, 3.5-liter V12 putting out 553 horsepower and 456 pound-feet of torque. The even rarer EB 110 SS juiced proceedings up to 603 hp and 479 lb-ft. On a side note, if Girardo & Co really does have the last one built, it would be an improved version engineered by German firm Dauer, one of only five made. Circumstantial evidence lends credence to Bugatti interest in the EB 110. Road & Track writes that Artioli visited the carmaker's Molsheim headquarters this year, marking the first visit by the Italian to his former charge. Then, last week, Bugatti released a paean to the EB 110 and Artioli, applauding the coupe as "The first modern super sports car," and praising the man with, "Because of his initiative and thanks to his efforts, Bugatti has been revived in the modern age." Bugatti has verified something new for Monterey.

Veneno Roadster, One:1, One-77, LaFerrari, P1, Veyron headline 25-car Bonham's auction

Bonhams is holding a no-reserve auction in fall 2019 that includes some of the most valuable and sought-after supercars of the past decade. The lot of 25 beautiful collector items includes a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, a Koenigsegg One:1, an Aston Martin One-77, a Ferrari LaFerrari, a McLaren P1, and a Bugatti Veyron. The collection, which was seized from a corrupt politician from Equatorial Guinea, is valued at roughly $13 million. If selling off future classics that are still in their infancy as collector items seems strange, it's because this is not a straightforward situation. These cars will be sold off by the State of Geneva, not a person. The collection was previously owned by the vice president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang, but the cars were seized when he was placed under investigation for money laundering and unfair management of public interests. These 25 cars, which were located in Geneva, were first sequestered in fall 2016. A trial court ordered them sold off, and the money earned from the sales would be invested in social programs that benefit Equatorial Guinea. And so, Equatorial Guinea is about to see an influx of cash, as every vehicle is valued in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. The rarest might be the Koenigsegg One:1. One of only six remaining, it has 371 miles on the dial, and is valued at roughly $1.8 million. The Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, one of nine in the world, is a close second. It has 202 miles logged, and is valued at about $5.1 million. The Aston Martin One-77 is another rare bird. It is example No. 35 of 77, holds a 7.3-liter V12 engine, and is valued at about $1.4 million. A McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari, and Bugatti Veyron 16.4 round out the top of the list. The remaining cars are not fully detailed, but they include examples from Mercedes-Maybach, Bentley, Maserati and Porsche. The auction will take place on Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Bonmont Golf & Country Club near Lake Geneva. For more photos and information, visit Bonhams.

New limited-edition Bugatti rumored for Pebble Beach

The Supercar Blog has heard from its VIP sources that Bugatti has a new special-edition offering planned for debut at Pebble Beach. The Molsheim brand enjoys playing to its deep-pocketed crowd at the annual Northern California fest, having introduced the special edition $5.8M Divo there last year, and regularly hosting Grand Tour driving events around the concours. TSB didn't get details on the coming model, but it was told that part of its production run has already been sold. In 2017, ex-Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said the identity of a Chiron successor would need to be answered by this year, after spending 2018 exploring different ideas. Current brand CEO Stephan Winkelmann has spoken broadly about his intention for the automaker and vaguely about what kinds of models could come. He's repeatedly nixed the idea of a Bugatti SUV and said sedans constitute "a segment that is losing momentum," so a four-door wouldn't be worthwhile. And although he has said the brand "still [has] a lot of plans" for the W16 engine, he most recently mentioned a more affordable, electric daily-driver, perhaps something that would sit on a brand new platform. Whatever gets the green light as a second model, its primary task is to increase Bugatti's volume. If a report in Automobile from last September is accurate, we should expect three Chiron-based trims to show before the production run ends: a go-faster SS, a Superleggera, and a targa Aperta. Winkelmann has also said he doesn't want to do an Aperta version of the Chiron; still, we're left with nearly every option open for the rumored debut at Pebble. TSB says Bugatti is working to unveil two new cars per year. The La Voiture Noire was one, the Pebble Beach car could be the second, and there's another rumor of a third car to come at the Grand Tour drive. Just two months away from the event, it's likely we'll start getting glimpses before a reveal on the lawn.

Somebody sideswiped Tracy Morgan's Bugatti Veyron right after he bought it

Tracy Morgan was again involved in a headline-making car accident this week. Luckily, it was nowhere near as dangerous as his previous crash, and nobody was injured. His just-purchased Bugatti Veyron, however, sustained minor damage from a Honda CR-V sideswiping Morgan. Nearly five years to the date after he was seriously injured from a Walmart truck crash, Morgan was forced to file another police report for a wreck. This time, however, it occurred at low speeds in New York City and was much less serious. The accident took place in Hell's Kitchen and occurred just 15 minutes after Morgan bought the used 2012 Bugatti Veyron at Manhattan Motorcars, according to TMZ. His response was expectedly filled with anger: Video from the scene shows Morgan banging on the other car's window and complaining he'd just bought his new Bugatti (?: itsfraufrau via Instagram) pic.twitter.com/qtgCUmDF1U — BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) June 4, 2019 Morgan is seen slapping the window of the CR-V and yelling, "B****, get out the car!" Once he cooled down, he tweeted that he was "totally fine." Thanks for any concern but I am totally fine. My NEW CAR? We shall see. Love you all. — Tracy Morgan (@TracyMorgan) June 4, 2019 The reports do not specify exactly who was at fault, but the photos show the CR-V angled into Morgan's supercar. The Veyron took most of the damage on its driver-side front quarter panel. View this post on Instagram A post shared by WhatIsNewYork (@whatisnewyork) on Jun 4, 2019 at 10:47am PDT Because the sale was so fresh, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is still listed on the Manhattan Motorcars website. The Pearl-over-Cognac Veyron had only 1,679 miles on it at the time of purchase, and it was listed for $1,890,000. We're not sure if that value will go up because it was owned by Morgan or down because it's now been involved in an accident. News Source: The Drive, @J_Mosk, TMZ Auto News Celebrities Weird Car News Bugatti Luxury Performance Supercars supercar

Volkswagen Group's Vision 2030 strategy could bring revolution to the brands

One would expect a corporate plan called "Vision 2030," looking 11 years ahead through wildly tumultuous times, to involve great change and numerous forks in numerous roads. According to Automobile's breakdown of Volkswagen's path forward, though, the plans contain some lurid potential surprises. The ultimate aim is return on investment, and that means ruthless reorganization of a conglomerate with eight primary car brands, two car sub-brands, and Ducati motorcycles. The first two Vision 2030 cornerstones Automobile mentions are near boilerplate: Production network restructuring, and "streamlining of key technologies." The latter two are the ones that could upend what we know as the Volkswagen Group: focusing on the Group's core brands — meaning Audi, Porsche, and VW — and transitioning to EVs, autonomy, and other mobility solutions. Based on the report, a quote from Audi's CTO referring to the Audi brand could cover how the Group plans to handle all of its brands: "We need to find a sustainable solution for the indefinite transition period until EVs eventually take over." The boutique divisions adjacent to carmaking, Ducati and Italdesign, look likely to be spun off. For the halo car brands — Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini — apparently shareholders want double-digit returns on investment, and the trio doesn't have long to hit the target. One eyebrow raiser is when the report states, "Bugatti is tipped to be gifted to [ex-VW Group Chairman] Ferdinand Piech." Piech fathered the Veyron during his tenure at VW, and it was thought he commissioned the La Voiture Noire, but he's lately stepped so far back from VW that he sold all his shares in the Group. Automobile quoted a senior strategist as saying of money-losing Bentley, "Why invest on a backward-looking enterprise when you can support a trendsetter? A proud history and excellent craftmanship alone don't cut it anymore." We guess no one at Ferrari, McLaren, or even Porsche got that memo. Bentley is reportedly close to being put in time out, and if brand CEO Adrian Hallmark can't right the Crewe ship, the hush-hush Plan B is to prop the Flying B up enough to lure a buyer. As for Lamborghini, caught between two masters at Audi and Porsche, even record-breaking numbers at the Italian supercar maker barely staved off sacrilege. It's said that VW brand CEO Herbert Diess considered putting a 5.0-liter Porsche V8 into the Aventador successor.

Bugatti Divo hot weather torture testing for its 40 awaiting customers

The Bugatti Divo was sold out before it was even introduced to the public in Monterey last year, but it looks as though there's still work to be done. Normally we wouldn't care to share much about some random vehicle's hot weather testing, but the Divo is no regular vehicle. Julia Lemke, a Bugatti development engineer, was the lucky individual performing most of the tests. And the job sounds rather fun. Bugatti says it spent "hours and hours" at 155 mph running around in the hot desert. We'd link to a job application, but we have a feeling that openings are scarce in Molsheim. Sorry, folks. They didn't expose their secret test location, but temperatures rose above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. One could say they were, whipping it good. It all serves as a fun reminder about the lengths manufacturers go to test their car's mettle to make sure they don't let you down in extreme conditions. The standards for a car that can reach 236 mph (Divo's top speed) and pull 1.6 g on a skidpad tend to be more than a bit higher than the average bear, too. Running for countless hours at over 155 mph isn't a likely scenario that anyone would find themselves in, save the German autobahn. But, rest assured that the $5.62 million Bugatti "for the bends" is ready for it. There are a bunch of new photos to give you another look of the French hypercar, so take a spin through those to see a little behind-the-scenes Bugatti testing action. It looks stunning in the stealth black we've seen pictured before, and the interior is a gorgeous display of materials. Bugatti appears to have fitted some aftermarket Sparco seats for the field testing, too. View 16 Photos

Bugatti SUV: Call it what you will, it's waiting for a green light

Three years ago, then-Bugatti CEO Wolfgan Durheimer said the hyper-indulgent brand was looking at four different bodystyles for a second model line. He wouldn't identify the styles, but they were thought to be a sedan like the 2009 Galibier concept or 2+2 GT, a less extraterrestrial supercar, an electric car, and an SUV. Some rumors of late suggest plans for a "Royale electric limousine" are in the pipeline. Before that, though, Car magazine says "a crossover-influenced sports car" is only waiting for sign-off from Volkswagen Group execs. As far as we can tell, the phrase "crossover-influenced sports car" is a way to escape calling this reported product an SUV. Remember, brand CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in January that "There will be no SUV from Bugatti" because it didn't fit the Molsheim automaker's heritage and disposition. There could be shades of Italianate wrangling between a boutique brand and a parent company going on here. When ex-Ferrari CEO Luca de Montezemolo said the brand would never build an SUV, he was soon overruled by parent-company CEO Sergio Marchionne. That's how we'll get the Purosangue next year, which the Modena sports car maker calls an FAV, for Ferrari Activity Vehicle. So Luca, with help from the marketing team, was technically correct. Point being that when discussing the shape of the next model, Winkelmann explained needing to balance investment with return, and said, "it's not me to decide." If said proposal gets the green light, it "won't be a traditional SUV." The picture painted is of something like a two-door Lamborghini Urus with a higher seating position, much faster bodywork, and much less weight. Underneath would be a Bugatti platform not shared with the rest of the group. Instead of the 641 horsepower kicked out by the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 in the Urus, the report says Bugatti would inject some sort of electrical assistance to achieve 1,000 hp. Winkelmann is known to be against a hybrid powertrain for the eventual Chiron successor because of the weight and space penalties, but a crossover-like sports car would alleviate those concerns. The form factor would also achieve the more livable brief Bugatti's been talking about for ages, and address global emissions issues such as EV-only zones being proposed in cities around the world. The model would sit "below the Chiron but on top of every other model," and cost less than the $3 million Chiron. Production is said to be capped at 800 units per year.

Bugatti looking to make elongated electric luxury car

Bugatti has been a one-trick pony for awhile now, but that could be changing in a few years. Car reports that the French supercar maker is working on an electric luxury car, due in 2023. The report claims Bugatti will use an elongated version of the platform Porsche is building the Taycan on. Plenty of changes would be made to make it worthy of the Bugatti name — adding copious amounts of carbon fiber and other lightweight exotic materials wouldn't be out of the question, since Bugatti doesn't have to worry about a price point like Porsche does. It also needs to differentiate itself considerably from others under the Volkswagen umbrella to be taken seriously. Car posits that this luxury barge could bring back the Royale name from the early twentieth century. Solid-state battery tech is not ready for production cars yet, but it's speculated that we could see the tech used as replacement for lithium-ion in this car. With no definitive timeline for solid state battery deployment, we'll maintain a healthy level of skepticism for now. Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann spoke of the potential luxury car to Bloomberg at the Geneva Motor Show, too. He claimed the battery-electric car would be more affordable than the brand's usual fare. "There, I would see us doing a battery electric vehicle," Winkelmann said. "There, the balance between performance and comfort is much more important, and it's about daily usability. This is what I see." We don't see Bugatti axing the Chiron and whatever will replace it sometime down the line, so this next car will mean the brand would finally have two concurrent model offerings. Winkelman said the company's priorities for its future cars are changing, with top speed being much lower on the list of priorities, as well. "In Bugatti's future, maximum speed does not play the leading role any more," Winkelmann said. "From now on, we are going to put an emphasis on ultimate overall vehicle dynamics, lightweight and modern sustainable luxury." We've no doubt Bugatti will be able to find homes for nearly anything it produces. Bugatti told Bloomberg that the average Bugatti customer has 42(!) cars parked in the garages of what we can assume are various homes all around the world. Why should those folks have to commute in a stuffy old Rolls-Royce when they could be in a Bugatti?