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Bugatti Chiron Sport Edition Noire Sportive marks the production halfway point

For Bugatti, possibly only for Bugatti, a 1,479-horsepower coupe with a quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 is just the starting point. Bugatti unveiled the Chiron in 2016 with the intent of building 500 examples, and four years later, 250 units and numerous extraordinary limited-editions have been crafted. To mark the occasion, Bugatti will show No. 250, a Chiron Sport Edition Noire Sportive, at the 2020 Geneva International Auto Show, where it all began. Near the end of 2019, Bugatti announced two new blacked-out Chirons, one called the Chiron Noire Elegance and the other called the Chiron Noire Sportive. The Elegance model exhibits a reflective gloss, while the Sportive has a muted matte exterior. Backing up the Noire designation, the Sportive model goes completely black, with nearly nothing left to show off any sort of metallic sparkle. The Elegance, however, looks a bit more dressed up with aluminum and silver accents. Both feature Noire script graphics, including on the underside of the rear wing. The Noire models are limited to 20 examples total, and No. 250 will surely be one of the most interesting of the bunch. The Noire Elegance and Sportive follow in the footsteps of Bugatti's (and the world's) most expensive release, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire. A coachbuilt homage to the Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic, the La Voiture Noire reportedly cost more than $18 million, with fees and taxes factored in. It was limited to only one example, and it was only one of numerous special launches that spawned from the Chiron. In addition to the base Chiron, Bugatti has also released the lighter and sharper Chiron Sport, on which the car seen here is based. Then there was the Chiron-based Divo "for the bends," and then came the Chiron Super Sports 300+ to honor the car that broke the 300-mph barrier. Other special editions included the 110 ans Bugatti Chiron to honor the company's history and the Bugatti Centodieci that honors the Bugatti EB110 supercar. So much honor. For only having one car in its lineup, Bugatti sure has made a lot of different vehicles, and we recently found out it could have been more. In an Autoblog exclusive, we learned Bugatti also planned two never-before-seen coupes that would have been marketed alongside the Chiron. Unfortunately, they never made it through to see production. With 250 produced, only 250 remain, and their availability is getting increasingly more scarce.

Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon puts a mini W16 engine in motion inside a watch

In early 2019, Bugatti ended its 15-year watch partnership with Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier and inaugurated a new collaboration with New York watchmaker and jeweler Jacob & Co. — the latter firm once known for helping define the bling-bling era in American music. When announcing the new tie-up at the global timepiece showcase Baselworld in March last year, Jacob debuted two new limited-edition watches, both based on extant Jacob models. The $545,000 Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti Edition reworked the watchmaker's Twin Turbo Furious timepiece, and the $37,000 Bugatti Chrono Edition Limitee 100 Ans celebrated Bugatti's 110th anniversary and was based off Jacob's Epic X Chrono. Yet, as the partnership promised to push "the limits of what seems mechanically possible," a new and incredible watch would be needed, so Jacob spent a year developing this, the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon. Behind its sapphire crystal there's an automaton suspended inside the case mimicking the movement of the Chiron's W16 engine.               View this post on Instagram                   [Sound On] Capturing the #Chiron. Ever since the first automobiles competed for the fastest laps and times, watches and cars have been inexorably linked. Car aficionados love watches, reveling in the mechanical precision, beauty, and performance of both. But watches could never capture the feel, energy, and power of a high-performance car engine.? ?? That is... until today. Introducing the new Bugatti Chiron 16 Cylinder Tourbillon from @jacobandco. #jacobandcochiron? .? .? .? .? .? .? .? .? #jacobandco #jacobandcowatches #hautehorlogerie #hautehorology #inspiredbytheimpossible #bugatti #bugattichiron A post shared by Jacob & Co. (@jacobandco) on Apr 8, 2020 at 7:59am PDT The animated engine serves no timekeeping purpose, it's there for show — and it's quite the show. Pressing the pusher crown at the base of the case sets the engine in motion for about 20 seconds; a stainless steel crankshaft milled from a single ingot pushes stainless con-rods and pistons inside a sapphire crystal block, and two spinning turbochargers can be viewed through a window on the side of the case. After three runs, the engine's barrel needs to be recharged by turning the center crown counterclockwise, then it's ready for another three goes.

Bugatti introduces the Baby II electric roadster priced at under $35,000

Bugatti returned to the electric-car segment after a decades-long hiatus by releasing a single-seater roadster that costs less than a new Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The catch is that it's a limited-edition model known as the Baby II that's a smaller replica of the race-winning Type 35 that blurs the line between a car and a toy. Developed with The Little Car Company, the Baby II is a modern re-creation of the original Baby that company founder Ettore Bugatti built for his son Roland in 1926. It was 50% smaller than the Type 35, fully electric, fitted with wooden brakes, and envisioned as a one-off model. Bugatti's customers quickly caught wind of the Baby (which was also known as the Type 52) and requested one for their kids. Ultimately, about 500 units were made. Fast forward to 2020, and the Baby II picks up where its predecessor left off with a body that's only 25% smaller than the Type 35. Adults can drive it, the images released by the company show test driver Andy Wallace having a blast behind the wheel, but it's likely too small to fit the average NBA player. Its interior features an instrument cluster like the Type 35's, a quick-release steering wheel, and adjustable seats, among other equipment. Buyers have three variants named Base, Vitesse, and Pur Sang to choose from. The base model has a composite body, a 1.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack, and hydraulic brakes. Its electric motor sends 1.3 horsepower to the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential when the driver selects Novice mode, but that figure increases to 5.8 horses when Expert mode is dialed in. Its top speed checks in at 30 mph. The Vitesse and the Pur Sang each have a 2.8-kilowatt-hour battery, and they receive an upgraded powertrain that generates 13.4 horsepower when the driver uses the Bugatti Speed Key. They're both capable of reaching 42 mph. Vitesse models have a carbon fiber body, while the Pur Sang wears an aluminum body that takes about 200 hours to pound into shape by hand. Range varies between 15 and 31 miles depending on the model selected, and owners can swap out the battery pack in a matter of seconds instead of waiting for a charge. And, while the Baby II is kind of like a big toy, it should deliver surprisingly sharp handling. Bugatti explained it 3D-scanned the Type 35 that won the Lyon Grand Prix and used that data to create a scaled-down suspension. It added adjustable dampers, however. Bugatti will make 500 examples of the Baby II.