Straightline
Bugatti
June 5, 2009
Last month we showed you the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa that managed to fetch $12.1 million amidst a recession. Now check out the next potential record breaker. It's a 1936 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe owned by Ettore Bugatti himself and it's scheduled for auction at Pebble Beach in August.
The vehicle's history is a lengthy one. It was originally built for Bugatti as a birthday present, and then survived WWII tucked away in Molsheim on the French-German border. Following the war (and Ettore's death) the lime-green-machine was revamped with new interior accessories, a one-off engine and tranny combo and a few other improvements under the hood. It changed hands a couple times over the next fifty years, but - most surprisingly - has maintained its flawless state and never been restored.
Mark the weekend of August 15-16 on your calendars if you're into high-end collector cars as this Bugatti will be just one of many up for sale by Gooding & Company at its annual Pebble Beach auction. -- Mike Lysaght, Contributor
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig June 5, 2009, 12:03 PM
- Categories: Bugatti, Car Auctions, Celebrities, Classic Cars, Coupes
May 26, 2009
The official bible of the collector car world, Sports Car Market, has a nice little slide show of top auction cars of the year so far. Leading the way is the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testarossa that recently pulled down $12.4M at an auction in Maranello.
Not surprisingly, it's one of four Ferrari's that made the list. Other entries include a Talbot-Lago, a Duesenberg and a couple of Bugatti's. Nice stuff if you've got the scratch.
Sports Car Market: Top 10 Cars of 2009
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig May 26, 2009, 4:35 PM
- Categories: Bugatti, Car Auctions, Ferrari, Sports Cars
May 22, 2009
Say what you will about Chevrolet (and you will), but it has for decades led the industry in production of sometimes-tasteful, often-not special editions of its cars. In this way, Chevy is very much like the Bugatti Veyron, Maybach and Mercedes-McLaren SLR. Otherwise not so much.
So it is with sadness that we report, Chevrolet will not -- we, repeat -- not produce a special edition replica of the 2009 Indianapolis 500 pace car, the 2010 Camaro. No. Stop asking.
This marks the first time Chevrolet won't produce an Indy pace car replica on the years when the Camaro has paced the race ('67, '69, '82, '93).
This may or may not have something to do with the fact that the company will produce an unspecified number of Bumblebee replica Camaros, timed to go on sale when the second Transformers movie opens this summer.
Here's your chance to vote for your favorite special-edition. Will it be the 2010 Bumblee Camaro? The 2010 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Camaro that won't exist? Or the 1974 Oleg Cassini American Motors Matador?
March 2, 2009
Stephan Winkelmann may have thought he was being brief and to the point, but Bugatti boss Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen made Winkelmann look chatty in comparison.
Paefgen drove out in the Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire and gave a speech that took all of one or two minutes tops. He noted the car's unique mix of gloss and matte finishes, bespoke wheels and aluminum mirrors. Then he coolly announced that it's a one-off car built to celebrate Bugatti's 100th anniversary and will be priced at 1.35 million euros, or nearly $1.7M.
And contrary to the rumors, there are no engine modifications apart from a layer of Bugatti Bleu paint.
There wasn't much to say after that, so Paefgen got in, chirped the tires on the glass stage and pulled it around back. -- Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor, Inside Line
Continue reading...
February 8, 2009
Photo courtesy of Bonham Auctions
A rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe sold for 3.1 million Euros, or roughly $4M, at the Retromobile Vintage Cars show in Paris on Saturday. The car earned cult status when it was found in a barn late last year after being parked there in the early 1960s.
The circumstances surrounding its secrecy makes us wonder just how much of a true "barn find" this car really was, but clearly someone with deep pockets was convinced.
To see some of the greatest barn finds of all time, check out this article by Ken Gross:
Sleeping Beauties -- Top 10 Great Barn Finds
Yahoo
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig February 8, 2009, 11:20 AM
- Categories: Bugatti, Car Auctions, Classic Cars
January 12, 2009
#DAS09 No official presence for Bugatti at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, but evidently someone wanted a Veyron here and figured the car would speak for itself. It's parked on cheap carpet under really bad light. Nobody's stopping by to say hi. -- Erin Riches, Senior Editor
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- Posted by: Erin Riches January 12, 2009, 1:45 PM
- Categories: Bugatti, Detroit Auto Show
October 10, 2008
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So, we're in the midst of the worst financial mess since the great depression, and Bentley and Bugatti are thinking of pairing up, and taking on Rolls-Royce? Are they nuts? Or are they and their customers just sooooo wealthy that they're immune to everything that's going on around them? So what if they or their customers drop a few million on the stock exchange? That must be chump change to these guys.
Full story here and here.
More über-rich silliness: Captain Mercedes, a.k.a. Dieter Zetsche, says Daimler will not kill the Maybach--and that it's making money!
Last year they sold 146 cars. With the addition of the new 62S Landaulet (pictured), they should sell 150 cars next year. Wow.
Full story here.
August 17, 2008
So how do you top what is arguably the most impressive road car on the planet, the Bugatti Veyron? Well, you take the top off.
That's exactly what Bugatti did, and then renamed it the Bugatti Veryon 16.4 Grand Sport. As per all Veryons, the Grand Sport is powered by a 1001 hp W16. Sending all that 1-K+1 power to all four wheels is accomplished via a 7-speed DSG. With the top up it has a top speed of 253 mph, and sans top, the maximum velocity is limited to 190 mph. Can you imagine what it must be like doing 190 mph in an open-top car? Yikes!
Only 150 copies will be built, with 50 going to existing Bugatti owners. The car debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, with the proceeds of the first unit being auctioned off going to charity. Price? 1.4 million euros excluding tax. First deliveries are expected in March of 2009.
Full story here.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland August 17, 2008, 7:34 AM
- Categories: Bugatti, Classic Cars, Luxury Cars, Sports Cars
August 8, 2008
Got a hankering to bring back a classic American car brand? All that's needed is $1.5 million to get you started. That will get you all the rights and engineering designs to Packard and a 1998 stillborn V12 prototype. The rest is up to you to get this up and moving forward.
Frankly, I'd love to see the Packard come back to life. Back in the 1920s Packard made some absolutely stunning cars, and was one of the first carmakers to offer a V12, which was called the "Twin-Six."
Packard is also a brand with a number of exquisite styling cues, which visually defined the brand. In the hands of a gifted designer--and a gifted engineering and marketing team--this could really turn into something extraordinary; much as the (neo) Bugatti Veyron has become.
Full story here and here.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland August 8, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories: Bugatti, Classic Cars
August 4, 2008
This year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is going to be "A Real Duesy" (the term A Real Duesy came from admirers of the Duesenberg automobile, and was often applied to anything truly exceptional), as Straightline has reported on a number of exciting cars that will be on display. Here's one more: Bugatti will debut their stunning Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, which is a roadster version of of their already stunning Veyron. Only 75 - 80 will be built making each one a true collector's item.
Here's Inside Line's take: Revealed: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport
The press release is after the jump.
Continue reading...
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- Posted by: Bob Holland August 4, 2008, 6:37 AM
- Categories: Bugatti, Classic Cars, Sports Cars
December 14, 2007
As of January 1, 2008 VW is changing their name here to "Volkswagen Group of America." The reason for the name change is to give more attention to the Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini nameplates, which are under VW’s brand umbrella, as well as Volkswagen and Audi.
Full story here.
Here's Inside Line's take: Name Game: Volkswagen of America Gets Rechristened
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- Posted by: Bob Holland December 14, 2007, 8:42 AM
- Categories: Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Volkswagen
October 18, 2007
Hot on the heels of the news of a possible Bugatti Veyron-powered Arnage, now there's news that Bentley may offer an Arnage hybrid by 2010.
This will be an all-new car using an aluminum spaceframe chassis made by Audi, with aluminum body panels. Bentley's Franz-Josef Paefgen stated that the all-new Arnage to be the biggest challenge for Bentley since the 1930s. “This will be a totally independent car...
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- Posted by: Bob Holland October 18, 2007, 7:55 AM
- Categories: Bentley, Bugatti, Green Tech, Hybrids, Luxury Cars
October 17, 2007
The 500 horsepower Bentley Arnage, already a leading candidate for the wretched excess four-wheeler award, is planning to stuff the 987 horsepower W16 powerplant from the Bugatti Veyron into this oh-so-ancient, yet oh-so-capable Arnage chassis.
Well, at least a prototype has been confirmed; no word yet as to whether there will be a production version, but I wouldn't count it out.
Full story here.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland October 17, 2007, 6:23 AM
- Categories: Bentley, Bugatti, Luxury Cars
September 10, 2007
No, this is not 50 Cent's car. This, sir, is the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Pur Sang. And, hoo boy, is it ever shiny. Unveiled at the Volkswagen Group's nonstop extravaganza the night before the Frankfurt show began, the Pur Sang nearly blinded several bystanders...
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- Posted by: Daniel Pund September 10, 2007, 1:44 PM
- Categories: Bugatti, Coupes, Frankfurt Auto Show
August 18, 2006
The new US airbag regulations that go into effect next month could force Bugatti out of business. The company is in the process of filing for an exemption.
Snippet: Bugatti told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a letter last month that it would face "substantial economic hardship" from the new rules, which would require it to redesign its only model, the 1,001 horsepower €1m ($1.28m) Veyron. The cost would push up the price of the car 10 per cent and have a "catastrophic" effect on sales, it said...
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- Posted by: Bob Holland August 18, 2006, 12:00 AM
- Categories: Bugatti, Sports Cars
July 3, 2006
The 987bhp 16-cylinder engine Bugatti Veyron posted an astonishing 9.9 second time going from 0 to 100 mph to 0 again, so states Autocar magazine. In doing so it beat a Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle, an Aston Martin Vantage, and an Ariel Atom. There were 25 cars in this shootout.
Snippet: Not only is the Bugatti faster than the Suzuki, it creates more g-force at maximum acceleration than you’d experience in an F-16 jet fighter at take off or when skydiving...
Continue reading...
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- Posted by: Bob Holland July 3, 2006, 12:00 AM
- Categories: Bugatti, Sports Cars
