2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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

Volkswagen may 'carve out' Lamborghini to list on the stock exchange

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen is drawing up plans to set up Lamborghini as a more independent unit, and is discussing long-term supply deals that could make it easier to list it on the stock exchange, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. "Volkswagen is in the process of carving out Lamborghini, and to organize future supply and technology transfer deals," one of the sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The Italian sportscar brand, which is currently a division of Audi, could be partially listed, with Volkswagen retaining a controlling stake, the first person familiar with the talks said. There is no formal decision to divest Lamborghini, a second source said, adding that the timetable of any deal remained unclear. "This is a first step which gives VW the option to list the unit further down the line," the second source told Reuters. A third source familiar with the discussions said the future of Bugatti, Lamborghini and Ducati was discussed during a supervisory board meeting last Friday. The possibilities for how to electrify the Lamborghini and Bugatti brands through partnerships and investors was discussed, the third source said. Bankers and potential cornerstone investors in an IPO have been approached by the carmaker, the sources said. Volkswagen declined to comment. Volkswagen Group's Chief Executive Herbert Diess on Wednesday said the carmaker will announce "important steps" about the company's future before the close of the year. Volkswagen is reviewing what role its high-performance brands Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ducati will play within the multi-brand carmaker as part of broader quest for more economies of scale, senior executives told Reuters. A global clampdown on combustion-engined vehicles has forced carmakers to accelerate development of low-emission technology for mainstream models, leaving Volkswagen managers struggling to find resources to electrify low volume sportscar models. Related Video:

Bugatti begins assembling the first 1,600-hp Centodieci prototype

Created as a tribute to the EB110, the Bugatti Centodieci is coming to life. The French firm has started putting together the running and driving prototype that it will use to fine-tune the model before it launches production. Although the Centodieci is an evolution of the Chiron, it's different enough to require its own development process. Engineers have spent over a year running simulations to find out how the model-specific parts react in a variety of conditions. They studied how air flows over the redesigned body panels, for example, including the fixed rear wing. They also examined how the new aerodynamic profile affects thermal management. "Every newly developed vehicle poses an immense challenge, as we are creating a very small series that at the same time has to meet and even exceed all of the quality and safety standards of a large series," said Andre Kullig, the technical project manager for one-off and few-off projects at Bugatti, in a statement. Bugatti started dyno-testing the prototype's chassis at its Molsheim, France, headquarters in early 2021. It's essentially a running and driving car — complete with an 8.0-liter, 1,600-horsepower W16 engine — without body panels. Images released by the firm provide a fascinating and rare look at what's underneath the surface. They reveal parts of the cooling system (including lines that run down both sides of the car) and miles of wiring. Everything went according to plan, according to the firm, so the next step involves building the first Centodieci body. Here again, data mined during months of advanced simulation work will guide the production process. "With the newly designed body, there are changes in many areas that we had to simulate using special computer programs. Based on the data, we were able to establish a basic setup as a starting point for series development and the first prototype," Kullig said. He noted that part of the development process involved adjusting the curvature of the different components to obtain a homogenous appearance regardless of lighting conditions. Kullig's team will then put the development prototype through its paces in real-world conditions, including high-speed and high-heat runs, before giving the Centodieci the proverbial green light for production. Bugatti plans to build 10 examples, and collectors claimed the entire production run before the model made its public debut in 2019. Pricing started at ˆ8 million (about $9.7 million) before options.