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Bugatti's third Legend edition Veyron pays tribute to Meo Costantini

Bugatti is in the midst of a six-part special series of Veyrons that pay tribute to legendary figures from its history. The first, unveiled at Pebble Beach, paid tribute to Jean-Pierre Wimille. The second arrived in Frankfurt to recall Jean Bugatti. Given the patent application we came across, we expected the next would honor Ettore's brother Rembrandt Bugatti, who designed the prancing elephant hood ornament. But that one will apparently have to wait, because Molsheim has just revealed the third edition in its Les Légendes de Bugatti series in tribute to one Meo Costantini.
A close personal friend of Ettore himself, Meo Costantini raced Bugattis in the 1920s and went on to manage the factory racing team. He won the Targa Florio twice in a Bugatti Type 35, a model that went down in history as one of the most successful racing cars ever made, and won several grands prix.
Like the other Legend specials, the Costantini edition is based on the Vitesse roadster with its 1,200-horsepower, 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 engine; 2.6-second 0-62 time; and 253-mile-per-hour top speed. What sets this one apart is its trim. The carbon-fiber parts of the bodywork are painted in signature French Racing Blue, and the aluminum is left exposed, polished and clear-coated. The map of the Targa Florio route is painted on the underside of the rear wing and imprinted in between the seats, and Costantini's signature is etched into the fuel cap and embroidered into the headrests.

Bugatti might make a sedan, but definitely won't do an SUV

Hot off the reveal of the 1,500-horsepower Chiron, one would think Bugatti president Wolfgang Durheimer would be sleeping well. Apparently, he has something else on his mind. "I can't get the idea for a four-door limousine out of my head," the Bugatti chief told Bloomberg at the Geneva Motor Show. "It's one of the options we might look into again as a possible next project." "Limousine" translates to sedan in German, the native country of Durheimer, and Bugatti has floated the idea of a four door before. The 16C Galibier was shown in 2009, and rumors of its production approval (or delay) percolated for years. If Bugatti were to proceed with a sedan, it would likely draw on the resources of parent Volkswagen Group, perhaps sourcing the underpinnings and other hardware. Meanwhile, the chances of Bugatti doing a sport utility vehicle are zero, Bloomberg reported. When asked, Durheimer responded with a precise "no." He did suggest Bugatti might use electrification for future cars, though he didn't elaborate. For now, Bugatti is basking in the attention generated by the Chiron, the much-anticipated successor to the Veyron. The Chiron bowed this week at the Geneva Motor Show and will go on sale this fall with a base price of $2.6 million. Related Video: Related Gallery Bugatti Chiron: Geneva 2016 View 16 Photos Design/Style Geneva Motor Show Bugatti 2016 geneva motor show

Bugatti announces V16-electric hybrid drivetrain for Chiron successor

Bugatti sent off the quad-turbocharged W16 engine that has powered all of its 21st-century models with a limited-edition, 1,600-horsepower roadster named Mistral. Rumors about what could power its future cars ran rampant; the brand confirmed a hybrid system for the Chiron's successor, and some sources detailed a downsized engine. Ending years of speculation, Bugatti has announced a new 16-cylinder engine. The difference is in the prefix: the Veyron, the Chiron, and few-off models like the Divo all used a W16 engine, with cylinders arranged — as the name implies — in a W configuration. The new unit will have a V configuration. Put another way, think of the W16 as a pair of narrow-angle V8s and of the V16 as a pair of straight-eights. Bugatti isn't the first company to build a V16 engine, Cadillac famously used one in the 1930s and BMW experimented with one in the 1990s, but there's not a single V16-powered new car currently on the market.  Bugatti stopped short of revealing technical specifications, so we'll need to be patient to learn details such as the engine's displacement and power output. However, the French brand reiterated what we already knew: the V16 will be part of a hybrid powertrain. Here again details are vague, but Autoblog learned that the Chiron's yet-unnamed successor will use a plug-in hybrid system. Rimac, which owns Bugatti, has previously described the drivetrain as "heavily electrified." This suggests (though nothing is official) that the model will be capable of running on electricity alone for relatively short distances. It looks like carbon fiber will play a significant role in offsetting the hybrid system's weight. Achim Anscheidt, Bugatti's former design director, told Autoblog in 2022 that the Chiron's successor will "certainly be tailored to one or the other aspect of a hybrid" in terms of design. The model will be built around a new monocoque, which gives the design team now headed by Frank Heyl the freedom to dial in new proportions. Don't expect a radical change, however: the car will still be recognizable as a Bugatti. Bugatti will unveil the Chiron's successor in June 2024, and we expect to learn more about the model in the coming months. Related video: