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Bugatti put three generations of legendary supercars into one photo

The modern era of Bugatti has seen dozens of special-editions, limited-editions, and bespoke one-offs, but the core of the company is defined by three models that have spanned the past three decades. The EB110 marked the '90s, the Veyron ruled the '00s and early '10s, and the Chiron dominated the end of the '10s into the present. Bugatti calls the trio the "Holy Trinity" and recently brought all three supercars together for a photoshoot in Dubai.  Against a backdrop of sweeping sands and a spiky skyline tipped by the Burj Khalifa tower, Bugatti placed a black EB110 next to black examples of a Veyron and a Chiron. It's an awe-inspiring sight, even in photos, though it is a bit strange to see the models dressed like they're going to a funeral rather than sporting any of the numerous iconic color schemes they've worn throughout the years.  Despite the 30 years between the EB110, and the Chiron, all three vehicles are built with the same three key components: a carbon-fiber monocoque, four turbochargers, and all-wheel drive. The technologies within these three pillars have drastically changed, but the idea of what makes a true super sports car has remained the same.  The EB110, which denotes Ettore Bugatti and his 110th birthday, debuted on his birthday, September 15, 1991, in Paris. It packs a mid-engined quad-turbo 3.5-liter V12 that has a 8,250-rpm redline. The lowest-powered EB110 had 560 horsepower, while the most powerful model made 611 horsepower. The EB110 claimed a zero-to-62-mph time of 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 218 mph.  The Veyron entered the scene for the 2005 model year. This time around, Bugatti slapped the four turbochargers on an 8.0-liter W16, and that engine makes a whopping 987 horsepower (1,001 PS). With the added power, the zero-to-62-mph time dropped to 2.5 seconds, and the top speed increased to 253 mph, and that was before more powerful variants were released. The Chiron, Bugatti's current model, debuted in 2016 and continued to build on the power and speed records its relatives had set before it. The Chiron carries on with a quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16, but it now makes 1,479 horsepower. It can sprint from a stop to 62 mph in 2.4 seconds, and in 2019, Bugatti used a Chiron to reach 304.773 mph, the fastest speed for a production car ever achieved.  To truly appreciate the greatness of these vehicles requires an in-person visit, but for now, photos will have to do. Check out the family photoshoot in the gallery above.

How an 18-cylinder engine and the Porsche 917 shaped the Bugatti Veyron

On the surface, Volkswagen's resurrection of Bugatti looks like one of the many chess-like moves made in its bold quest to expand its portfolio of brands during the late 1990s. In a way, it was; branching out into new segments motivated executives to buy a once-venerated French brand that hadn't made a car in years. On a secondary level, the acquisition allowed one man to fulfill his dream of developing the world's most prestigious car. Bugatti opened its archives to tell the story of how its first 21st-century car, the Veyron, was born.  Ferdinand Karl Piech (1937-2019), a brilliant engineer who rose to the top of the Volkswagen Group during a long and illustrious career, sketched out an 18-cylinder engine in 1997, on the back of an envelope, while riding the bullet train between Tokyo and Nagoya. It consisted of three VR6 cylinder banks separated by 60 degrees and tuned to deliver 555 horsepower. The 6.25-liter engine was naturally aspirated and envisioned for high-end luxury cars -- the kind that would make Mercedes-Benz (who also experimented with an 18-cylinder engine) blush. There was one big problem: Volkswagen Group didn't have a suitable car to put it in. Rolls-Royce would have been an option, but BMW unexpectedly ended up with the name (though not the factory nor the Spirit of Ecstasy) after a bitter bidding war. Although Volkswagen had bagged Bentley, Piech set his mind to buying the dormant Bugatti brand, which belonged to Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli, after Piech's son gave him a model of a Type 57 SC Atlantic while vacationing in Majorca. He talked Volkswagen's financial department into clearing the funds needed to buy the brand right after he returned to Germany, and the transaction was completed in 1998. With an engine and a name, Piech set the ball rolling. Italidesign's Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the EB118 concept in a matter of months and presented it to the public at the 1998 edition of the Paris Auto Show. It arrived as a front-engined coupe powered by the Austrian engineer's 18-cylinder engine. Several concepts followed: the EB218 shown at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show explored what a Bugatti sedan could look like, the EB18/3 Chiron introduced that same year moved the brand in a sportier direction, and the EB18/4 Veyron brought the idea of a modern-day hypercar much closer to production. It's this design study that received the green light for production.

Bugatti Chiron spied on video in tight spot

Pictures are good. Video is better. That's especially true when we're talking about something like the successor to the Bugatti Veyron. Rumored to be called the Chiron, the new vehicle looks to share a lot of its styling with the French company's Vision Gran Turismo car. In this video, captured by our friends at Germany's Auto Bild, you can see a pair of Chiron prototypes. The first gives us a good look at the ultra-hypercar's tail, which doesn't even try to hide its aerodynamic aids, unlike the far cleaner lines of the Veyron. There's a huge diffuser and a prominent rear wing, although neither item is as extreme as the Vision GT car. The taillights also look to be far more conventional, unlike the thin, vehicle-spanning strip shown on the concept. After this quick peek at the rear of the new Bug, the camera pans over to a second prototype exiting an extremely tight situation, as it sneaks between a stone wall and a lumber hauler. It's a small enough gap that the Chiron requires a spotter to get through unscathed, and the slow speed required to safely get through gives us an extra-long look at the new coupe. We can also clearly see the horseshoe-shaped traditional Bugatti grille and slim, menacing headlights with LED running lights. You can also see elements of the Vision Gran Turismo's hood, which still comes to a point around the grille. It's less aggressive – no shock there – but it still gives a purposeful look to the front fascia. Unfortunately, the video ends before we can get a look at the sides of the new Bugatti. Check out the short, 13-second video at the top of the page. News Source: Auto Bild TV via YouTube Spy Photos Bugatti Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance Videos Bugatti Chiron bugatti veyron successor