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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.

VW Group to split brands under four holding companies

The Volkswagen Group is planning a tremendous shift in its internal structure that will decentralize operations by splitting its 12 brands into four different holding companies. Here's the breakdown. Things will be split logically, considering the inter-sharing of parts, platforms, and engines. The Volkswagen brand, Seat, and Skoda make up a passenger vehicle division led by former BMW man Herbert Diess. Audi, which is tightly intertwined with Lamborghini and motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, will be managed by current Audi exec Rupert Stadler. Porsche and Bentley, which are already quite close, will be joined by Bugatti and run by Matthias Mueller. Finally, a commercial vehicles division will include Volkswagen Commercial, Scania, and Man. Former Daimler exec Andreas Renschler will take care of the big vehicles. The massive move, according to Automotive News Europe, is part of an internal VAG effort to move away from the structure established by ousted Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who favored a compact, but highly centralized, management structure to oversee the independent actions of the company's brands. Criticism of Piech's arrangement stemmed from the company's slow responses to changes in the market, ANE reports. The new structure should make for a more efficient, streamlined company that's better able to make crucial decisions. What are your thoughts? Should VAG decentralize, or did Piech have the right idea? Have your say in Comments.

Top Gear's latest trailer shows off a golden Bugatti Chiron

Top Gear is returning on March 5, and after a lackluster first series with the new hosts, the new group seems determined not to hit a sophomore slump. Chris Evans is gone, and the latest teaser trailer shows the new trio of Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris, and Rory Reid strapped into some pretty fantastic cars, including the Bugatti Chiron and the Ford GT. All of the typical Top Gear segments appear to be present, though the quick cuts don't give us many details. The trailer shows a copious amount of powerslides from an assortment of cars, and even Chris Harris racing around Daytona. Aside from the Bugatti and Ford, cars from Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, BMW, Aston Martin, and Alfa Romeo are all present. Co-hosts Eddie Jordan and Sabine Schmitz don't appear at all, so it seems their roles may be downplayed to focus on three guys, as was the case pre-reboot. We have some hope for this re-relaunched show and will be keeping an eye out for more details in the lead-up to the series premiere. Related Video: News Source: YouTube Celebrities TV/Movies Alfa Romeo BMW Bugatti Ferrari Ford Lamborghini Porsche Top Gear chris harris Bugatti Chiron matt leblanc