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Bugatti brings 5 of its most storied classic models back home

The average Bugatti buyer already has dozens of cars and likely owns one of the brand’s eye-popping cars before adding another to the stable. The automaker met with one of its most storied collectors in recent years, but it wasnÂ’t hoping to sell him another car. Bugatti wanted to keep and preserve his vehicles, several of which were deeply involved in its growth as a motorsport and luxury icon. The automaker succeeded and now has brought a sizable chunk of its history home.  Hans Matti is the Registrar of the Bugatti Club Suisse and has amassed one of the world's most impressive collections of classic Bugatti cars. His stable held a Bugatti Type 51, a Type 37A, a Type 49 Faux cabriolet, a Type 35B, and a Type 35A. The cars each feature incredible stories, including the Type 51 with its Grand Prix racing history and a Type 49 that was Jean BugattiÂ’s personal car. The vehicle is thought to be the only one in the world with the Faux Cabriolet bodywork done at the Bugatti factory. The Type 51 was a factory race car driven by Louis Chiron. Bugatti says the Type 35A carries the engine, gearbox, and rear axle from one of its Type 36 race cars, both of which were destroyed. The Type 37A dates back to 1929 and still races today. It features a supercharger on its four-cylinder engine, which gave it a 120-mph top speed. Bugatti notes that only 76 cars were supercharged. The five cars have now made their way to Bugatti, where they rest in the Chateau Saint Jean, which Ettore Bugatti purchased to entertain customers. TheyÂ’ll be kept exactly as they are, with original paint, rivets, and other components.

Volkswagen Group's Vision 2030 strategy could bring revolution to the brands

One would expect a corporate plan called "Vision 2030," looking 11 years ahead through wildly tumultuous times, to involve great change and numerous forks in numerous roads. According to Automobile's breakdown of Volkswagen's path forward, though, the plans contain some lurid potential surprises. The ultimate aim is return on investment, and that means ruthless reorganization of a conglomerate with eight primary car brands, two car sub-brands, and Ducati motorcycles. The first two Vision 2030 cornerstones Automobile mentions are near boilerplate: Production network restructuring, and "streamlining of key technologies." The latter two are the ones that could upend what we know as the Volkswagen Group: focusing on the Group's core brands — meaning Audi, Porsche, and VW — and transitioning to EVs, autonomy, and other mobility solutions. Based on the report, a quote from Audi's CTO referring to the Audi brand could cover how the Group plans to handle all of its brands: "We need to find a sustainable solution for the indefinite transition period until EVs eventually take over." The boutique divisions adjacent to carmaking, Ducati and Italdesign, look likely to be spun off. For the halo car brands — Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini — apparently shareholders want double-digit returns on investment, and the trio doesn't have long to hit the target. One eyebrow raiser is when the report states, "Bugatti is tipped to be gifted to [ex-VW Group Chairman] Ferdinand Piech." Piech fathered the Veyron during his tenure at VW, and it was thought he commissioned the La Voiture Noire, but he's lately stepped so far back from VW that he sold all his shares in the Group. Automobile quoted a senior strategist as saying of money-losing Bentley, "Why invest on a backward-looking enterprise when you can support a trendsetter? A proud history and excellent craftmanship alone don't cut it anymore." We guess no one at Ferrari, McLaren, or even Porsche got that memo. Bentley is reportedly close to being put in time out, and if brand CEO Adrian Hallmark can't right the Crewe ship, the hush-hush Plan B is to prop the Flying B up enough to lure a buyer. As for Lamborghini, caught between two masters at Audi and Porsche, even record-breaking numbers at the Italian supercar maker barely staved off sacrilege. It's said that VW brand CEO Herbert Diess considered putting a 5.0-liter Porsche V8 into the Aventador successor.

Dan Neil pokes fun at the celeb cars of 2014

Look, we try really hard not to pay any attention to the Kardashians and their vapid reality TV empire. But, as troubling as that brood may be, occasionally we're impressed and/or horrified by their four-wheeled conveyances. In fact, that curiosity extends beyond talentless reality stars with rotund glutes to celebs in general. That's why we're enjoying Dan Neil's sometimes biting take on the celebrity cars of 2014. Besides paying tribute to Kim K, husband Kanye West and the adorable Lamborghini that their spawn rides about in, Neil also takes a look at LeBron James' turn as a Kia spokesman and boxer Floyd Mayweather's trio of Bugatti Veyrons. Matthew McConaughey is a focus of Neil's as well, thanks to his oft-panned advertisements for Lincoln (and the raucous parodies they inspired), before finishing on the high, with Jerry Seinfeld and his new Porsche 918 Spyder. Take a look at Neil's recap of the celebrity cars of 2014. News Source: The Wall Street Journal Celebrities Humor Bugatti Kia Lamborghini Lincoln Porsche Videos porsche 918 spyder celebrity dan neil