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Rimac is reportedly close to buying Bugatti from the Volkswagen Group

Croatia-based Rimac is finalizing a deal to purchase Bugatti from the Volkswagen Group, according to an unverified report. If the rumor is accurate, the sale would propel Rimac to the top of the automotive industry, guarantee that Bugatti's future is electric, and mark the beginning of Volkswagen's efforts to divest its empire. Executives in Wolfsburg gave the deal the green light in September 2020, according to anonymous sources who spoke to British magazine Car, but the company's supervisory board hasn't approved it yet. Selling the French company isn't as simple as sending company founder Mate Rimac an email with an account number. Insiders explained Volkswagen would likely trade Bugatti and all of its assets for a significant stake in Rimac that would be transferred directly to Porsche, which already owns 15.5% of the brand. Officials hope to increase that figure to about 49%, meaning Bugatti is theoretically worth about 33.5% of Rimac, which was founded in 2009. Bugatti told Autoblog it can't comment on speculation. Mate Rimac gave us a similar answer. Rumors of a Bugatti sale have hovered around the automotive industry for several years, and they've never materialized. In theory, spinning off the brand would be relatively easy because it's not as deeply integrated into the Volkswagen Group as its sister companies. It doesn't share its W16 engine with another carmaker, for example. And yet, Car speculates Lamborghini, SEAT, ItalDesign, Bentley, and Ducati will also be sold in the coming years, leaving Volkswagen with its namesake division, Skoda, Audi, Porsche, Scania, and MAN. Volkswagen is having an estate sale to fund the development of electric, autonomous, and digital technologies. Its downsizing will send ripples through the auto industry. Porsche could move upmarket if it doesn't have to worry about stepping on Lamborghini's toes, for example. Spinoffs are always risky, so some companies may not survive if they're not bolstered by economies of scale. As of writing, there's no word on who will pick up the brands being divested under this scenario. And, keep in mind none of this is official. Volkswagen hasn't commented on the report. We'll update this developing story as more information becomes available.

The last 1995 Bugatti EB110 SS is for sale

Throughout 2019, Bugatti is celebrating its 110th birthday by releasing several special cars such as the Chiron Sport 110 Ans Bugatti and the Atlantic-inspired Bugatti La Voiture Noire. In a similar fashion in 1991, Bugatti celebrated 100 years of Ettore Bugatti with the release a car that still impresses today: the EB110 GT. Bugatti went on to one-up itself with the release of the car seen here, the high-performance EB110 SS. Nearly 25 years later, the last production example is up for sale. The numbers for the 1995 supercar are pretty bonkers. Where the GT made about 550-560 bhp, the SS was cranked up to more than 600 bhp. The SS used the same 3.5-liter V12 with 12 individual throttle bodies and four turbochargers as the GT, but featured larger injectors, an updated exhaust with fewer catalytic converters, and a better-tuned ECU. Supercars were still in analog mode at this point, so the EB110 had a six-speed manual gearbox and put power down to the ground through Bugatti's four-wheel drive system. According to the firm selling the car, Girardo & Company, it could do zero to 62 mph in 3.26 seconds and had a top speed in excess of 200 mph. Part of the performance upgrade from the GT to the SS was done through weight savings, as well. Although Bugatti had been weight-conscious from the start by building the EB110 with a carbon fiber monocoque, it was reportedly able to cut approximately 350 pounds of weight off the GT. This came from making the hood, the engine cover, and the undertray carbon fiber and replacing the side windows with an air inlet cover for the engine. Furthermore, the SS had specialized BBS magnesium wheels, a new fixed rear wing, brake cooling vents behind the front wheels, a more aero-focused front bumper. Bugatti reportedly only made 84 EB110 GTs, and the SS was more than twice as rare, with approximately only 30 examples built. This car, chassis. No. 39040 ,was finished in September 1995 and is said to be the last production EB110 SS ever made. With a Grigio Chiaro paint job, it's likely one of the most coveted Bugattis on the planet.

Bugatti Bolide weighs less than a Subaru BRZ and has over nine times the power

Since rising from its ashes for the second time in 1998, Bugatti has specialized in creating cars that are as fast and powerful as they are luxurious. And yet, competition — where luxury is superfluous — is a big part of its DNA. It renewed ties with its racing heritage by building a track-only two-seater around its mighty 16-cylinder engine. Bugatti proudly calls the Bolide — which means "a very fast car" in French — the fastest and lightest concept it has ever built. Concept is the key term here; the Bolide is a one-off, and it has not been approved for production yet. It's proof of concept that illustrates what a modern-day successor to the victorious Type 35 could look like. Stephan Winkelmann, the head of Bugatti, said driving the Bolide is "like riding a cannonball." Do you remember the 0.67 figure the company mysterious floated? That's the car's power-to-weight ratio, which was achieved using the kilogram-per-Pferdestrke formula used in Europe. It tips the scale at 2,734 pounds dry, and it has 1,824 horsepower. Put another way, it weighs slightly less than a Subaru BRZ, but it has over nine times the power. Unlocking the full cavalry requires feeding the quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter W16 engine 110-octane race fuel. Its output checks in at 1,600 horsepower (a figure that's on par with the limited-edition Centodieci's) when it burns 98-octane gasoline, which is dispensed at virtually every pump across Europe. Computer simulations suggest that the Bolide's top speed lies somewhere north of 310 mph, and that it can lap the Nurburgring track in 5:23.1. Although the W16 is closely related to the unit that powers the Chiron, it received a number of modifications that reflect the fact that the Bolide was not designed for street use. It develops 1,364 pound-feet of torque thanks in part to four newly-developed turbochargers. Its intake and exhaust systems are derestricted to let more air travel through, and the oil system has been revised to cope with the high centrifugal forces experienced on the track. Created in eight months, the Bolide benefits from an array of weight-saving techniques, including some not found in production cars. All of the screws and fasteners used to build it are made with titanium, for example. The auxiliary drive shafts are manufactured using a blend of carbon fiber and 3D-printed titanium. Aerodynamic innovations are part of the package, too.