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Baby Bugatti II First Drive | Classic car hijinks at three-quarter scale

The Bugatti Type 35 is one of the most unmistakable race cars in history. Powered by a screaming straight-eight engine that was often fitted with a supercharger, the open-wheel single-seater earned more than 1,000 victories back in the day, making it the winningest race car in history. Parked alongside an original 1925 Type 35C owned by Peter Mullin, the Little Car Company’s three-quarter-scale Bugatti Baby II looks like the Molsheim masterpiece was left in the dryer too long. Inspired by the subscale model Ettore Bugatti built for his sonÂ’s fourth birthday (and later reproduced for his customers), this Baby Bugatti II is an officially licensed product thatÂ’s considerably more attainable than the original, multi-million-dollar classic. The limited-production plaything comes in base ($36,600), Vitesse ($53,000), or Pur Sang ($71,400) configurations. Although “all 500 cars were accounted for,” according to Bugatti, “some clients have had a change in circumstances due to recent global events.” Thus came about AutoblogÂ’s opportunity to sample one. The entry model has a 1.4 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, while the Vitesse and Pur Sang get a 2.8 kWh unit (good for about 30 miles of range) and upgraded powertrains capable of up to 42 mph once theyÂ’re “unlocked” with a speed key. Without the jailbreak, all models are capped at 12 mph in novice mode, or 28 mph in the standard setting. In the paddock at Southern CaliforniaÂ’s Streets of Willow circuit, the diminutive racer feels considerably less menacing than the real deal, whose imposing silhouette and seven-figure value make it seem impossibly intimidating. The little guy is more, well, inviting. There are still expensive-looking details such as the Bugatti macron made of solid silver, beautifully finished suspension linkages, and a turned metal dashboard. Also lending it an elegant presence is the fact that its shape is based on a 3D scan of the original: Apart from the wheels that are outfitted with slightly lower-profile Michelin tires, the overall proportion is convincingly pleasant. Base models come with composite bodies, while Vitesse gets a carbon fiber skin and the Pur Sang features an aluminum outer layer that requires over 200 hours of handcraftsmanship to complete. You can also order your non-base model in fancy-sounding vintage Bugatti colors (like Dreyfus Blue or Junek Yellow), or selections from the same modern palette available on the Chiron (like Lorelin Violet or Jaune Molsheim).

Watch a Bugatti Chiron speedometer hit 218 mph

Driving reviews of the $2.5 million Bugatti Chiron supercar are starting to pop up - in fact, here's ours - and Richard Meaden, a former race driver, recently drove the Chiron for Evo in the UK, praising its combination of "civility and savagery." But what fascinated us was the video, large portions of which are simply a view of the speedometer as the Chiron rockets to 351 kph (or 218 mph) in less than 30 seconds. We can only hope that run wasn't on the idyllic English country road glimpsed in the opening and closing shots. The video is mesmerizing to watch. Enjoy. Related video:

Filmmaker explains how to shoot a Bugatti Chiron accelerating to 248 mph

Bugatti set a world record in 2017 when a Chiron traveled from zero to 248 mph (400 kph) to zero in 42 seconds. It caught the record on film, but it has never revealed how it captured footage of a 1,500-horsepower car traveling at nearly four times the speed limit of an American interstate. Filmmaker Al Clark revealed his secrets in a video. It was clear from the beginning of the project that simply placing a GoPro on the dashboard and hitting "record" wouldn't have cut it. Bugatti wanted a feature-quality film that showed the car from many different angles, so Clark worked with some of the most talented names in the automotive film industry to make it happen. The scenes showing the Chiron from above were filmed using an Aerospatiale 355N Ecureuil helicopter because a drone would be too slow to keep up with the car, and it wouldn't be able to stay in the air long enough.  German studio Format67 provided a Caterham Seven transformed into a film car to capture some of the car-to-car footage. The crew also borrowed its hood to use as a shield against reflections during one of the photo shoots. It's quick and agile, so it's well suited to performing camera car duty, but it can't keep up with a Chiron. "I love real speed in shots. I think it's so important that the cars are doing something approaching their real speed, because when you start to speed up stuff everything looks wrong," Clark explained. Putting footage on fast forward wasn't an option, neither was attaching the camera to a cable and pelting it down the track. The answer was surprisingly simple: The crew used another Chiron as the camera car and launched them at the same time. The record was set on Volkswagen's test track in Ehra-Lessien, Germany, which is also where a 304-mph Chiron became the fastest car in the world in 2019. The main straight is long and smooth, so the footage captured was perfectly steady in spite of the head-spinning speed; Clark even chose to dial in a little bit of camera shake during the editing process. It wasn't perfectly in focus, though, because the camera filmed through the exhaust gases, and the system gets extremely hot when the quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter 16-cylinder engine is giving its all. Juan Pablo Montoya, the courageous Indy 500-winning pilot who set the 2017 record, said "it was all quite easy." Clark's firsthand account confirms the same can't be said about capturing the feat on video. Related Video:       Bugatti Technology Gadgets Luxury Performance