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Limited-edition Bugatti Chiron Sport bridges the gap between cars and planes

Bugatti is highlighting the little-known link between some of its earliest race cars and aviation with a limited-edition variant of the Chiron Sport named Les Legendes du Ciel. Although it doesn't gain wings and an air-cooled radial engine, the model features several design tweaks made to catch the eye of vintage car and airplane buffs alike. "Many successful Bugatti racing drivers, such as Albert Divo, Robert Benoist and Bartolomeo ‘MeoÂ’ Costantini, flew for the French Air Force. It is therefore almost an obligation for us today to pay tribute to the legends of that time and dedicate a special edition to them," explained company boss Stephan Winkelmann in a statement.  Starting with a Chiron Sport, stylists painted the body in a specific shade called Gris Serpent (which means "snake gray" in French) that's inspired by the color of some of the planes that flew during the 1920s. For contrast, they added a white stripe that stretches from the grille to the rear wing, and they painted the front part of each rocket panel blue, white and red. Exposed carbon fiber accents add a finishing touch to the overall design. Look closely at the front end, and you'll notice another edition-specific touch. Instead of mesh, the grille's insert is made with laser-cut strips of aluminum arranged to look like a group of planes flying in a formation.  Brown leather upholstery dominates the cabin, and aluminum trim pieces create another visual link between the Les Legendes du Ciel and planes built over a century ago. Each door panel gains a hand-sketched image showing a Bugatti Type 13 racing against a Nieuport 17 biplane. Released in 1910, the Type 13 was the first car to wear the Bugatti name. Launched in 1916, the 17 was a single-seater appreciated for its speed and reliability. Power for the Les Legendes du Ciel comes from a quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine, which produces 1,500 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque. It spins the four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission linked to steering wheel-mounted shift paddles, and it sends the Chiron to a top speed that's electronically limited to 261 mph. In other words, it's faster than some of the planes it pays tribute to. Bugatti will make 20 units of the Chiron Sport Les Legendes du Ciel, and pricing starts at 2.88 million euros, a figure that represents $3.41 million at the current conversion rate. It sounds like build slots are still available.

249 reasons you want to go to Goodwood Revival

At its most basic, Goodwood Revival is a long weekend worth of car races featuring cars made before 1970. There are lots of those, though, including some pretty great ones all over the world. But nothing is like Goodwood Revival because it's so much more than "just" vintage car racing.  First, you have to look the part. Attendees are strongly encouraged to dress in period clothing from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, with a strict dress code enforced should you want to enter the paddock. The goal is to create a more authentic atmosphere to match the cars and the meticulously restored and recreated paddocks, grandstands and other facilities of the reborn Goodwood circuit. Now, the dress code was relaxed this year since the Saturday was literally the hottest Sept. 9 on record in that part of England, and the organizers didn't want people dropping dead because they needed to wear an ascot. Some people definitely took the "relaxed" bit too far, but there was still plenty of atmosphere maintained. It really does make a big difference, as those "relaxed" individuals were often akin to seeing a Starbucks cup in a scene from "Game of Thrones."  You can see what I came up with below along with former Autoblog editor Reese Counts and various other Goodwood attendees. Second, there's the parking lot. But I'll let this entire separate post detail that. Third, there's the enormous carnival-like area featuring vintage-looking rides and various boutiques. Both of those are on the outside portion of the track, and honestly, you could easily just spend your entire day in the parking lot and carnival/shopping area without even crossing over into the circuit area. There you'll find more shops, food and drink opportunities, plus obviously, race car paddocks and the track itself.  Fourth, there are airplanes! I heard there are fewer than in the past, but they're there and they're cool. The Goodwood circuit started out life as the perimeter road around the World War II airfield RAF Westhampnett.  Fifth, with all of the above, Goodwood Revival really is fun for the whole family. It isn't just a bunch of old guys sitting around in lawn chairs. There are plenty of women and adorably dressed children, including babies in vintage prams. It's also not an event that's exclusively for the uber rich, even if they are certainly in full force given who has the sort of money needed to go vintage racing.

Baby Bugatti II First Drive | Classic car hijinks at three-quarter scale

The Bugatti Type 35 is one of the most unmistakable race cars in history. Powered by a screaming straight-eight engine that was often fitted with a supercharger, the open-wheel single-seater earned more than 1,000 victories back in the day, making it the winningest race car in history. Parked alongside an original 1925 Type 35C owned by Peter Mullin, the Little Car Company’s three-quarter-scale Bugatti Baby II looks like the Molsheim masterpiece was left in the dryer too long. Inspired by the subscale model Ettore Bugatti built for his sonÂ’s fourth birthday (and later reproduced for his customers), this Baby Bugatti II is an officially licensed product thatÂ’s considerably more attainable than the original, multi-million-dollar classic. The limited-production plaything comes in base ($36,600), Vitesse ($53,000), or Pur Sang ($71,400) configurations. Although “all 500 cars were accounted for,” according to Bugatti, “some clients have had a change in circumstances due to recent global events.” Thus came about AutoblogÂ’s opportunity to sample one. The entry model has a 1.4 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, while the Vitesse and Pur Sang get a 2.8 kWh unit (good for about 30 miles of range) and upgraded powertrains capable of up to 42 mph once theyÂ’re “unlocked” with a speed key. Without the jailbreak, all models are capped at 12 mph in novice mode, or 28 mph in the standard setting. In the paddock at Southern CaliforniaÂ’s Streets of Willow circuit, the diminutive racer feels considerably less menacing than the real deal, whose imposing silhouette and seven-figure value make it seem impossibly intimidating. The little guy is more, well, inviting. There are still expensive-looking details such as the Bugatti macron made of solid silver, beautifully finished suspension linkages, and a turned metal dashboard. Also lending it an elegant presence is the fact that its shape is based on a 3D scan of the original: Apart from the wheels that are outfitted with slightly lower-profile Michelin tires, the overall proportion is convincingly pleasant. Base models come with composite bodies, while Vitesse gets a carbon fiber skin and the Pur Sang features an aluminum outer layer that requires over 200 hours of handcraftsmanship to complete. You can also order your non-base model in fancy-sounding vintage Bugatti colors (like Dreyfus Blue or Junek Yellow), or selections from the same modern palette available on the Chiron (like Lorelin Violet or Jaune Molsheim).