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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.    

Bugatti surprises with Vitesse 1 of 1 edition

Bugatti had plenty to showcase at Pebble Beach this year, unveiling not only the final Legend edition but also bringing the entire series together for one big happy family reunion at the same location where, one year ago, it presented the first such special edition. But those weren't the only special edition Veyrons on hand in Monterey this week.
When we first saw this yellow and black Veyron driving around Alsace last month and figured at the time that it must have been the final Legend edition in tribute to Elisabeth Junek. It turned out to be neither when the series closed out with the Ettore Bugatti edition with a decidedly different color scheme, which left us scratching our heads as to what the Bumblebee treatment was all about, but now we know.
In addition to the Ettore Bugatti edition, the most exotic French automaker also arrived at Pebble Beach this year with the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse 1 of 1 edition. Commissioned by a customer in Singapore, this one-of-a-kind Vitesse roadster revives a favorite color scheme of the Bugatti family that adorned many of its vehicles from the company's heyday, including a Type 41 Royale, a Type 55 and a Type 44 like the one beside which it was presented, furnished for the occasion by the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, CA.

Rimac is reportedly close to buying Bugatti from the Volkswagen Group

Croatia-based Rimac is finalizing a deal to purchase Bugatti from the Volkswagen Group, according to an unverified report. If the rumor is accurate, the sale would propel Rimac to the top of the automotive industry, guarantee that Bugatti's future is electric, and mark the beginning of Volkswagen's efforts to divest its empire. Executives in Wolfsburg gave the deal the green light in September 2020, according to anonymous sources who spoke to British magazine Car, but the company's supervisory board hasn't approved it yet. Selling the French company isn't as simple as sending company founder Mate Rimac an email with an account number. Insiders explained Volkswagen would likely trade Bugatti and all of its assets for a significant stake in Rimac that would be transferred directly to Porsche, which already owns 15.5% of the brand. Officials hope to increase that figure to about 49%, meaning Bugatti is theoretically worth about 33.5% of Rimac, which was founded in 2009. Bugatti told Autoblog it can't comment on speculation. Mate Rimac gave us a similar answer. Rumors of a Bugatti sale have hovered around the automotive industry for several years, and they've never materialized. In theory, spinning off the brand would be relatively easy because it's not as deeply integrated into the Volkswagen Group as its sister companies. It doesn't share its W16 engine with another carmaker, for example. And yet, Car speculates Lamborghini, SEAT, ItalDesign, Bentley, and Ducati will also be sold in the coming years, leaving Volkswagen with its namesake division, Skoda, Audi, Porsche, Scania, and MAN. Volkswagen is having an estate sale to fund the development of electric, autonomous, and digital technologies. Its downsizing will send ripples through the auto industry. Porsche could move upmarket if it doesn't have to worry about stepping on Lamborghini's toes, for example. Spinoffs are always risky, so some companies may not survive if they're not bolstered by economies of scale. As of writing, there's no word on who will pick up the brands being divested under this scenario. And, keep in mind none of this is official. Volkswagen hasn't commented on the report. We'll update this developing story as more information becomes available.