Movers, Moving Company on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bugatti to build composite, carbon fiber, and aluminum versions of Baby II

At the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, Bugatti announced the revival of one of the most unique cars in the company's storied history: the Baby. At the time of the announcement, the project was still in its infant stages, and the only available example was a 3D-printed model. Still, that didn't stop buyers from reserving all 500 examples of the Baby II within three weeks. Months later at its 110th anniversary celebration in Molsheim, France, Bugatti showed the first functioning prototype, which special VIPs were allowed to test drive. Dubbed "XP1", this prototype is the result of a collaboration between Bugatti and The Little Car Company. Bugatti wanted to make a modern and more accessible version of the Baby, which itself is modeled after a different legend, the 1924 Type 35 Lyon Grand Prix car. Although the original Baby was half scale, Bugatti set out to build a three-quarter-size model that could fit not only kids but certain adults, as well.  In building the Baby II, Bugatti tried to replicate as much as it possibly could to bring the Type 35's essence back to life. Some of the coolest features include a hollow front axle, eight-spoke wheels (which now have Michelin tires), the four-spoke steering wheel, a turned aluminum dashboard with a clock "used for measuring race performance," and a digital recreation of the fuel pressure gauge. Although French Racing Blue was used for the prototype, Bugatti says the Baby II can be painted in modern colors from the Chiron range or from vintage colors that are tied to specific racers or events from the company's history. The Baby II, which is rear-wheel drive and has a limited-slip differential, can be ordered with either a 1.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack or a 2.8-kWh pack, which is expected to have a range close to 20 miles. Those packs will feed an electric powertrain that can be set to 1-kW Child Mode that can reach about 12 mph or or 4-kW Adult Mode, which can reach up to 28 mph.  Possibly the most interesting news at the launch is detailing about three different available versions of the Baby II. The base Baby II will be crafted with a composite body, the Baby II Vitesse will have a carbon fiber body, and the Baby II Pur Sang will wear a hand-built aluminum body.

Want a Bugatti Bolide on a budget? Lego has you covered

Limited to 40 units, priced at over $4 million, and sold-out, the 1,824-horsepower Bugatti Bolide is the kind of car most of us will never sit in, let alone drive. There's an alternative: Lego has scaled down the track-only Bugatti into a 905-piece Technic kit that anyone can buy. Finished in black and yellow, a color combination chosen as a tribute to company founder Ettore Bugatti, Lego's version of the Bolide stretches about a foot long, three inches high, and five inches wide, so it will take up a decent amount of space on your desk. Assembling the 905 parts that make up the kit creates a replica of the Bolide with opening scissor doors, aerodynamic covers on the wheels, and even a little W16 engine with moving pistons. Stickers (including some with a carbon fiber-look finish) add a finishing touch to the design. In contrast, the real Bolide doesn't need stickers to show off its lightweight construction: Bugatti relied extensively on carbon fiber to keep weight down to 2,734-pound dry weight. Put another way, it's lighter than a Subaru BRZ and packs over eight time the power. The catch is that it's not street-legal: its quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter W16 engine provides its full 1,824-horse output when burning 110-octane race fuel. On sale now, Lego's Bugatti Bolide kit costs $50 excluding tax.    

At St. Moritz, the Ferraris and Bugattis are small wonders

The Little Car Company is once again taking to glitzy St. Moritz in the Alps to show off an array of scaled-down automotive classics that will include a Bugatti Baby II, Ferrari Testa Rossa J (for junior) in both base and Pacco Gara models, and an Aston Martin DB5 Junior. The elegant, electrified miniatures, all available for test drives, will be assembled at the upcoming International Concours of Elegance at St. Moritz this Friday and Saturday to entertain the rich and famous, and others perhaps not so well positioned. The Little Car Company is a U.K.-based firm that has re-created everything from a pint-sized Bugatti Type 35 to a life-sized dune buggy based on a Tamiya R/C kit from the 1980s. Their cars run on electric power. Other models are put on static display, and one of those at St. Moritz is to be its newly launched Bentley Blower Jnr. "A step into new territory for the brand," the company says, the Blower Jnr is an 85 percent scale electric version of the British manufacturer's legendary original, and is The Little Car Company’s first road-legal automobile. Said CEO Ben Hedley, "This year will be the third time that we have participated in this wonderful event, so it is only right that we bring even more unique pieces for guests to get behind the wheel of, but also that we bring something new for guests to look at: the Bentley Blower Jnr." Operating for about five years, the Little Car Company hand-builds licensed products in entertaining partnerships with some elite manufacturers. Its cars are aimed mainly at collectors but can be driven. Among its recent offerings, the Testa Rossa was launched in 2021 as a 3/4-scale replica of the legendary "red head,” powered by a 12kW battery and able to reach a top speed of 47 mph, Little Car Company planned to build only 299 examples of the Testa Rossa. One of them was on display at Harrods in London just before Christmas, priced at just about $100,000. A terrific gift, but youÂ’ll need a bigger tree.   Featured Gallery The Little Car Company at St Moritz Design/Style Aston Martin Bentley Bugatti Ferrari Electric