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Watch the Bugatti Chiron go from raw carbon to finished product

The Bugatti Chiron is a beautiful, hand built 16-cylinder luxury cruise missile that is without equal on the road. That's why it can command a price of nearly $2.7 million. While the Chiron may only be in reach to the 1 percent of the 1 percent, it's a price some are more than willing to pay. The first customer cars are now rolling out the doors at Bugatti's Molsheim, France, facility. The first three will soon be reaching customer hands in Europe and the Middle East. Each car is hand assembled by a team of about 50 production, quality assurance, and logistics team members in France. The video above shows the first three cars being built, from a bare carbon tub being mated to that massive 1,500 horsepower quad-turbocharged W16 engine to the finished product making its way out the door. Bugatti expects to build about 70 cars this year alone, meaning each car takes roughly 5 full days to assemble. While the first three cars have been or are being delivered now, a fourth will be on display next week at the Geneva Motor Show. About 200 customers put in orders after the car's reveal last year, so the Molsheim team will be busy for the next several years. Look for more colors and special editions to trickle out as time goes on. Related Video: News Source: Bugatti Design/Style Misc. Auto Shows Bugatti Performance Supercars Videos hypercar Bugatti Chiron

Topiary Joe sculpts the ultimate in green cars

Efficient cars are all the rage these days, but Joe Kyte has made a business of crafting some of the coolest green cars around – literally. Kyte is better known by his nickname Topiary Joe, and in addition to being a talented artist, he is also a real gearhead. Kyte has been creating topiaries for the last 20 years. It began when he was marketing greenhouse products to Walt Disney World and saw their plant sculptures. He realized that he could do that and since then, has done around 3,400 pieces. His most intriguing creations are the rolling sculptures that move and turn. Prices for those start at about $18,000 and can be as high as $30,000. While, the wheels are machine-bent, Kyte said all the other parts are done with a table vice and a Lincoln Electric arc welder. Topiary Joe is taking the Porsche (pictured above) to Palm Beach later this year to sell or says he may donate it to Porsche North America. If you really want it, the sculpture is currently on Craigslist for sale for $24,000. Topiary Joe has also had a life-long love of cars. "I was driving my first MG Midget before I was 14," he told Autoblog. He grew up in Oak Ridge, TN, where the Manhattan Project was partially developed. He says the town was full of recent college grads driving Mercedes, and he caught the bug. His automotive mentor was a nuclear physicist who taught him to repair and restore the Mercs. Kyte has completed commissions for Sandals Resort, Dreamworks, Absolut, and many more. Among his favorite creations is the Ferrari that he created at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that is now exhibited at the airport each year before the race. Check out his website for a wider look at his work.

Kit Cat: Mercury Cougar makes perfect Bugatti Veyron substitute

Bugatti Veyron kit car - Click above for high-res image gallery
If you've got a pulse in your wrist and a snapping brain cell in your head, chances are you wouldn't mind parking a Bugatti Veyron in your garage. But for most mere mortals, scrounging up the cash for a physics-bending piece of 16-cylinder glory would require all sorts of unpalatable tasks. Fortunately for those who want to look the part without having to participate in human trafficking, the kit car universe has stepped in to save the day. All you need is a 1999-2002 Mercury Cougar, a boat load of fiberglass and a little patience.
Oh, and $89,000.