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The Bugatti Baby II is a three-quarter-scale Type 35

Bugatti ownership is about to get a lot more affordable — particularly for children with indulgent parents. The French supercar company has announced the Bugatti Baby II, a follow-up to a model produced from 1927 to 1936. Like the original baby Bugatti, a model originally built for the 4-year-old son of Ettore Bugatti, the Baby II is modeled after the Type 35 grand prix car. The Baby II is only about 1/100th of the price of the Chiron Sport at 30,000 Euro (about $33,700). And because it's a three-quarter-scale replica rather than the original's half-scale, it's possible for adults and not just children to squeeze behind the wheel. Finished in French Racing Blue (although other colors can be specified), the Baby II also features eight-spoke aluminum wheels, a leather driver's seat, and an aluminum-trimmed dash displaying a numbered plaque. On the hood is Bugatti's "Macaron" badge, rendered in solid silver, just the thing for the silver-spoon set. As with the original, the Baby II features an electric powertrain and rear-wheel drive, although here it has been upgraded to incorporate a lithium-ion battery, regenerative braking, and even a limited-slip differential. Whereas the full-size Chiron supercar has 1,479 horsepower from its 16-cylinder engine, the smaller-scale Bug is somewhat less powerful, with an electric motor offering 1.3 horsepower in "child mode," which is good for 12 mph; an "adult mode" increases output to just over 5 hp and raises top speed to 28 mph. But just as the Chiron offers an optional Speed Key that unleashes the powertrain's full potential, so too does the Baby II — in this case 13 horsepower with no speed limiter. Typical for Bugatti, production is limited. Only 500 units will be built, about the same number as the 1920s–'30s original. Related Video:

Here's today's round of auto plant closures in response to coronavirus

More automakers have shuttered factories, as businesses everywhere work to slow the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus — and as the pandemic slows sales and disrupts parts supply chains. On Friday, the following closures were announced: • Volvo will close its factories in Sweden and the United States from March 26 to April 14. Volvo's U.S. facility, in Charleston, South Carolina, makes the S60 sedan. Its assembly plant in Torslanda, Sweden, turns out the XC90, SC60, and V90. Other Swedish facilities make engines and component parts. A Volvo factory in Ghent, Belgium, that builds the XC40 and V60 closed earlier this week and is expected to remain offline until April 6. Volvo's four factories in China have been reopened after a shutdown earlier this year. • Jaguar Land Rover announced that it will suspend production at its assembly plants in the UK over the coming week. The shutdown is expected to last until April 20. Elsewhere, production continues at the company's factories in India and Brazil, and JLR's joint-venture plant in China reopened at the end of February. • Bentley is closing its factory in Crewe, England, for four weeks, effective today. • Bugatti has put its atelier in Molsheim, France, on hiatus. No date was given for when assembly of its supercars might resume. • Mercedes-Benz on Monday will shut down its SUV factory in Alabama and its van assembly plant in South Carolina. Both will remain closed for a minimum of two weeks. Tesla yesterday revealed that it will suspend operations at its Fremont, California, vehicle assembly plant next week, on order from local officials there. Yesterday's factory closure announcements also included the U.S. assembly plants for Toyota (until April 6), Volkswagen (through March 29), Subaru (through March 29), and Hyundai (no time period specified). They join GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Nissan, and Harley-Davidson, which earlier this week announced the suspension of production at their facilities. Plants/Manufacturing Bentley Bugatti Jaguar Land Rover Mercedes-Benz Volvo coronavirus

Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 57 One of One unveiled as a tribute to the past

Bugatti is building the final examples of the Chiron, which has been sold-out since 2021, and it just completed a one-of-a-kind Super Sport model inspired by one of its rarest cars. The 57 One of One stands out with heritage-laced styling cues like a grille with vertical slats. The project started as a birthday gift: a Bugatti owner surprised his wife with a Chiron build slot for her 70th birthday. She's a car enthusiast as well, and she worked with the brand to configure her Chiron as a modern interpretation of the Type 57 SC Atlantic she saw in a museum two decades ago. "I remember that day like it was yesterday. I visited the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard and there it was, one of only three cars that still remain, on a pedestal by itself. I fell in love with it from the very second I saw it," the anonymous client told Bugatti. Working directly with Bugatti's designers, the customer created a look that honors the Type 57 SC Atlantic without veering too far into retro territory. The coupe is finished in the same shade of silver-tinted blue as the original car, but recreating it nearly 90 years later was easier said than done. Jascha Straub, the lead designer for Bugatti's Sur Mesure division, traveled to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, to see the car in person and examine the color in different lights. The five-spoke wheels are finished in this distinctive shade of blue as well. Bugatti's designers and engineers came together to create a one-of-a-kind grille. On one hand, it needed to echo the one fitted to the Type 57 SC Atlantic. On the other hand, it needed to provide the airflow required to keep the 16-cylinder engine cool. The end result features 16 polished vertical slats, including a thicker one in the middle, and the Bugatti logo. It's a part that hasn't appeared on another Chiron variant. Inside, the customer chose Gaucho leather with Lightning Blue stitching. There's a "57 One of One" plaque in the center console, the Type 57 SC's silhouette stitched into the door panels, and Rembrandt Bugatti's Dancing Elephant sculpture embroidered into the headrests. Bugatti didn't make any mechanical changes to the car, meaning power comes from an 8.0-liter W16 engine that's quad-turbocharged to develop 1,577 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque. It spins the four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.