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Bugatti fully restores the first Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport prototype

Bugatti proved a car doesn't need wire wheels and a carburetor to be considered a classic by restoring an important part of its recent heritage. It purchased and renovated the first Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport prototype from 2008. Finished in white silver metallic with a cognac leather interior, the topless hypercar was presented to enthusiasts at the 2008 edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It joined the Bugatti fleet after its champagne-soaked debut and became an unregistered demo car that logged miles in Europe, the Middle East, and North America. It then presumably ended up in private hands, and it largely fell off the radar until Bugatti spotted it in 2020. "Following the official confirmation of the car's status as an important historic model and the prototype that helped launch the Veyron Grand Sport in 2008, the car rapidly attracted attention from a number of captivated collectors, and it was acquired almost immediately," explained Luigi Galli, the man in charge of La Maison Pur Sang, Bugatti's in-house restoration and certification program. He added the firm keeps details about past models in its archives. Back in Molsheim, the picturesque French town where Bugatti's headquarters are located, the Veyron underwent a four-month restoration that brought it back to its 2008 configuration. The body panels were removed and repainted, the cabin was completely refurbished with leather upholstery and aluminum trim pieces, and a new center console was installed. There's no word on whether the quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine required an overhaul as well. Bugatti's in-house restoration expertise extends far beyond relatively new cars like a Veyron. It has access to a wide range of documents, blueprints, period photos, and experts that can help it piece together a car's history, regardless of whether it's a 13-year old prototype or a dismantled 100-year old race car stashed in a barn since the 1980s. Related video:

Short-tailed Bugatti Chiron Super Sport spied testing

One of our spy photographers has caught a rather odd Bugatti Chiron prototype out testing. It features no camouflage, which reveals that it seems to fuse a regular Chiron with the Chiron Super Sport 300+. And that begs the question, what is this? The front of the car is all Super Sport 300+. It has the revised air intakes, clusters of round vents in the hood, and big vents in the fenders. But unlike that top speed challenger, this has a normal, truncated tail from the regular Chiron. In fact, everything from the front fenders back appears to be regular Chiron. The one difference is the exhaust, which consists of two oval tips that most resemble the tailpipes of the Chiron Pur Sport. But the rear fascia is definitely regular Chiron, not the revised design of the Pur Sport. So what is it? It could simply be a mash-up of leftover Chiron parts for some kind of test mule. It could also be shortened Chiron Super Sport 300+ that will share the same 1,600-horsepower engine as the high-speed car, but without the cost of the extra aerodynamics. Whatever it is, Bugatti's testers evidently weren't happy about the spy photographer catching the car, as he reports the car was hurried into a trailer and security sent to confront the photographer and stop him from sharing the photos. So it seems Bugatti has something interesting coming, whether it looks exactly like this or just has this car's underpinnings. Related Video    

Watch Chris Harris fall in love with a Bugatti EB110 SS

The poor Bugatti EB110 SS gets no love. Like the overachiever who's rapidly outshined by his younger brother, enthusiasts flock to the 1,000-horsepower Veyron, while the older Bug isn't viewed with quite the same reverence as its contemporaries, the Ferrari F40, McLaren F1, and Lamborghini Diablo. It's sort of like a deep cut versus a chart-topping hit, and that's just plain wrong. Fortunately, Chris Harris has a big appreciation for the Veyron's predecessor, and is all too happy to explain why, in his latest video. Here, the drift-happy Brit tests the most exotic version of the EB110, the ultra-high-performance SuperSport model. Like the Veyron that succeeded it, the EB110's engine was assisted by four turbochargers, although it was short four cylinders. In SS guise, the quad-turbocharged, mid-mounted, 3.5-liter V12 pumped out a now-modest 603 horsepower. But, and unlike the tank that is the Veyron, the older model is a bit of a featherweight, considering it was a comfortable, V12-powered, all-wheel-drive hypercar. That means it can hit 62 in 3.2 seconds and accelerate to 216 miles per hour with only half the output of the Veyron SS that everyone goes gaga over. Check out Harris as he samples a particularly yellow example of the EB110 SS, which will be crossing the block at RM Auctions' London event next month.