2008 Bugatti Veyron on 2040-cars

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Bugatti transmission order means Veyron may last well into 2014

Bugatti has reportedly extended its order for the unique seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox in the Veyron through 2014. Originally, the automaker had only maintained a contract for the transmissions through the end of 2013. Rumors have been swirling around the possibility of a new iteration of the Veyron in the works capable of dropping a 1.8-second 0-60 time. It's entirely possible the new transmission order could be used in that contraption, though Bugatti isn't saying one way or the other.
The transmission is used only in the Veyron and has been engineered to withstand a full 1,200 horsepower by Ricardo. With shift times of less than 150 milliseconds and both automatic and manual modes, there's no other transmission like it in the world. Of course, they don't come cheap. Toast one of these and Bugatti will kindly ask for $120,000 for a replacement, not including installation.

Watch a Bugatti Veyron Vitesse drift, slide, and run a rally course

There's not caring, and then there's people who regularly use #idgaf on Instagram and Twitter. Then there are owners behind Tax the Rich on YouTube. The channel, though infrequently updated, shows supercars like the Ferrari Enzo, Jaguar XJ220 and Rolls-Royce Wraith being used and abused like $500 beaters. It's fantastic stuff. Sometime last year, Tax the Rich brought two cars, a Bugatti Veyron Vitesse to the Heveningham Hall Concours. Video recently surfaced of the Veyron running a rally course, sliding and kicking up dirt in a manner that would give Subaru owners a run for their money. Entering some cars into @heveninghamconcours ....... hope they win! #concours #bugattiveyronvitesse #bugattieb110 #taxtherich #mudmask #cleanculture A post shared by Tax Rich (@taxtherich100) on Jun 25, 2017 at 6:17am PDT The video was recorded last year by a second YouTube channel, TheTFJJ. It seems like Tax the Rich in fact brought three cars to the concours, the other two being a Bugatti EB110 and an ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster (only six were ever built). Video of the Mercedes was posted in 2017, but it wasn't until last week that we got a look at the Veyron's run. We're crossing our fingers in hope that there's video of the EB110 out there, too. Related Video:

Mullin Museum closing after 14 years showcasing amazing vehicles

More sad news to start the year is that the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, is closing in two weeks. Founder Peter Merlin opened the museum in 2010 with a mission "to educate guests about 20th-century French automotive styling and design." This was done beautifully — literally and figuratively — with a focus on vehicles spanning from the Brass Era (1896-1915) to the early postwar period, some taken from Peter Mullins' personal collection. The heavy focus was on French automakers during the interwar period, Art Deco to the Machine Age (1918-1941), namely, Bugatti, Delage, Delahaye, Talbot-Lago, and Voisin, supported with automobilia, sculpture, a theater, and archives.    A lot of enthusiasts might not be familiar with the museum, but the fingerprints of founder Peter Mullin and wife Merle can be found throughout the car world. Peter, who died last September, had amassed the world's largest private collection of Bugattis. Back when a $40 million vehicle sale was enough to be crowned a record sum, Mullin opened his museum with the display of the record-breaking 1936 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic, on loan from the purchaser. He won Best in Show at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance with his own 1934 Voisin C-25 Aerodyne. The museum put on the shows you'd expect of a private Bugatti collector, like Art of Bugatti in 2014; shows you'd expect of a Francophile institution, like "Citroen: The Man, The Marque, The Mystique" in 2017; and surprises like last year's "ArTexture" exhibit of fine art and tapestries by artist Keith Collins. And he was one of the founding board members of the Petersen Automotive Museum, helping the museum through the renovation that turned it into one of the coolest car spots in LA.     Speaking of which, four of Mullins' personal rides will go on permanent display at the Petersen: a 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 CS “Teardrop,” a 1938 Delahaye 145, a 1938 Hispano Suiza H6B Dubonnet Xenia, and a 1939 Delahaye 165. The museum is only open on Saturdays and Sundays, its last day open being Saturday, February 10 — leaving three more visits for anyone who can make it. Said Merle, who continued keep sharing the collection at shows from Amelia Island to Villa d'Este during Peter's illness, wrote in a statement on the closing, "Sharing these ‘rolling sculpturesÂ’ and beautiful art with others was PeterÂ’s truest passion, and the museum helped bring that vision to life.