1939 Bugatti Other on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The 2016 Pebble Beach Concept Lawn was nuts as always

The Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is like the smallest, most expensive car show you can imagine. A bunch of unobtanium concepts and almost-production models line an irregularly shaped putting green for people to stare at while on their way to see other, older insane cars. This year's crop was a particularly good one. We'll walk through the gallery above in order: That's a new Ford GT. Not quite a concept, but it's not in production yet, so we'll let it slide. Then there's the one-of-a-kind Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo that was recently bought by a Saudi Prince along with a matching Chiron. Next up is the Lamborghini Centenario Roadster, which was unveiled last week and is already sold out. This orange automobile is BMW's 2002 Hommage with its latest livery, a Jagermeister-themed affair called Turbomeister. This silver Infiniti, the Q80 Inspiration Concept, is an oldie but a goodie. It first appeared in Paris in 2014. The extremely long automobile after that is the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, which was unveiled in Monterey this year. The 6 in the name is because it's 6 meters, or about 18 feet, long. Most of that's the hood. Next we have the one-of-99 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato coupe, which continues to be beautiful. After that is a Fisker Karma with a V8, the VLF Destino. Thank you, Bob Lutz. The black sedan you see after that is the Cadillac Escala Concept, which also made its debut in Monterey this year. Then we have a Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge. Not a concept, but exclusive enough to join the others. Next is the McLaren 570GT customized by MSO that arrived for Pebble 2016. It has special design touches plus an electrochromic panel to replace the normal glass roof. The light blue car is the Genesis New York concept. The name didn't change even though it was in Monterey. Then we have the large and in charge Lincoln Navigator concept, taking up two regulation concept spots. The red car with suicide doors is Acura's Precision Concept, which we first saw at the Detroit show this year. Another non-concept, the Lexus LC 500h at least looks futuristic enough to be a show-specific car. And here's a 2017 Maserati Quattroporte, which is definitely not a concept. A Bentley Mulsanne EWB, because why not? It's not available in the US, so that almost qualifies for concept status. Then there's a reproduction Lister Knobbly, which we could stare at all day.

Bugatti sets sail with carbon-fiber yachts for the ultra-rich

Pelican or no pelican, taking a Bugatti into water is usually a costly mistake – unless it's one of these new motor yachts licensed by the Alsatian automaker. Built by renowned American-Monegasque shipyard Palmer Johnson, the new Niniette range is built on a hull made of carbon fiber, tinted blue like so many special edition Bugattis and offset by titanium and wood trim. "Niniette" was the nickname of Ettore's daughter Lidia, which the founder also used on some of the racing boats he designed back in the 1930s. The vessels will be offered in three sizes, measuring 42, 63, and 88 feet, respectively, from bow to stern, with lines inspired by classic Bugattis like the Type 57 C Atalante and the Type 41 Royale. Though Palmer Johnson isn't saying what engines will go below deck, likely won't be Bugatti's 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine. We're sure that Bugatti's VW Group sister company Man SE will gladly fit it with a pair of large turbodiesels, though. Then again, a V12 from Motori Marini Lamborghini might be more suitable. Whatever the motivation, the shipyard – which normally builds much larger vessels – says the mid-range PJ63 should top out at 38 nautical miles per hour, which is equivalent to over 43 mph. This being a Bugatti, it won't come cheap. Prices start at ˆ2 million ($2.2m), and the PJ63 Niniette pictured here is quoted at ˆ3.5 million ($3.8m). Each one will be made to order according to the buyer's specifications, and ought to keep the EB marque's ultra-wealthy clientele satisfied while they await the arrival of the forthcoming new Chiron supercar. This isn't the first time we're seeing a high-end European automaker dip its toes in the water with its own motorboat design. Jaguar designed its own speedboat concept to accompany the XF Sportbrake, Mercedes-AMG has partnered with Cigarette racing boats, Porsche Design has dabbled in boat design, and Audi designed a hybrid trimaran a few years back. Ben Walsh penned a speedboat inspired by the Veyron Sang Bleu, but that one wasn't officially sanctioned by the factory.

Lamborghini could be sold or spun off from the Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen is reportedly considering a sale or stock listing for its high-end Lamborghini brand. The German automaker is looking to fold the Italian supercar brand into a separate legal entity, reports Bloomberg, which cites "people familiar with the matter" who don't want to be identified "because the deliberations are confidential and no decisions have been made." Any of this sound familiar? The goal of spinning off Lamborghini would be to stockpile more cash and other resources for VW's massive planned push into electric vehicles. Back in March, reports circulated that Volkswagen's "Vision 2030" corporate plan might include plans to focus on the brand's core brands — VW, Audi and Porsche. That means the futures of fringe players like Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, motorcycle brand Ducati and design firm Italdesign (and note this isn't a comprehensive list of brand's under the expansive VW Group umbrella) are up in the air. VW, according to the report, is targeting a market value of $220 billion, which is a big jump from the brand's current $89 billion valuation. Bloomberg pegged Lamborghini's valuation at around $11 billion back in August, buoyed by sales and profits generated by the introduction of the Urus sport utility vehicle. On the flip side, Lamborghini is currently grappling with how best to update its supercar lineup in the face of ever-increasing emissions regulations.