Bugatti “Le voiture noire”: the most expensive car of all time

skier madrid of british origin Jan Farrell, who competes in the World Cup of Speed Skiing is, along with other investors and directors of The Little Car Company, one of the drivers of Bugatti Baby II.

Coinciding with the 110 anniversary of Bugatti, at the beginning of this year, the brand gave the surprise to the attendees of the Geneva motor show with the presentation of the first prototype of the Bugatti Baby II as a model printed in 3D. An idea that really thrilled the lovers of the automotive industry, and still more by announcing that it would be a limited edition of 500 cars.

“The motor world is one of my great passions and this project so special could not be better to start business in the sector. The launch of a new edition of the legendary Type-35 is more than the launch of a toy, since this model is reaches top speeds exceeding 45 km/h and can be used by adults. Its acceptance has been so extraordinary that the quota of pre-sale was sold out in a matter of weeks.”, says Jan Farrell.

The project pays homage to the masterpiece of Ettore Buggatti and his first functional prototype, called the XP1 has been presented this Wednesday in The Grande Fête de Molsheim.

“When a company with a history as brilliant as the Bugatti meets 110 years, you can afford to look for the rearview mirror a little more than you normally would . Therefore, to celebrate our anniversary, we consider it very timely to reprint the Bugatti Baby”, says Stephan Winkelmann, president of Bugatti. “The Bugatti Baby II has grown to become a teenager, and I admit that I’m very excited to see one driving by our facilities in Molsheim”, he adds.

The toy become car

Based on the iconic Bugatti Type 35, the Baby II c ombina the concept of toy Baby original with the technology of the TWENTY-first century. To allow the Baby II is driven as much by adults as by children, the vehicle has grown of the scale of the 50% of the original to a replica of the 75% of the Type 35, including pedals for parents and grandparents to share the passion of driving with their children and grandchildren.

To Ben Hedley, CEO of The Little Car Company, “has been a great honor to participate in this project with Bugatti. The Baby II is a key part of the heritage of Bugatti , and we wanted to create something worthy of that name. We set out to design something that was respectful of the original but also very fun to drive and, the first testimonies of the clients tell us that what we have achieved”.

“From my experience in sports marketing and media production, we have produced content of first level for this amazing model, plus enjoy putting to test the limits of the little vehicle,” explains Farrell.

The first step for the engineering team Baby II was digitally scan each one of the components of a Type 35 Grand Prix de Lyon 1924.

from there, designers have adapted the masterpiece of Ettore Bugatti , introducing a modern powertrain electric with lithium-ion batteries and regenerative braking.

Other items were subtly redesigned for the modern era. Have been replicated innovative alloy wheels of eight spokes, although now incorporate Michelin tires modern. It has been reproduced its characteristic front axle is hollow and lightweight, as well as the elegant mechanism of suspension and steering of the original.

In the body, the classic four-spoke steering wheel is situated in front of a dashboard of aluminium with instruments Bugatti custom. While the car original had a tachometer with oil pressure gauges and fuel, these have been replaced by a speedometer, a battery level indicator and a power meter (seen for the first time in the model Veyron). The clock used to measure the performance of the race is maintained.

The pump of fuel pressure has also been replicated digitally and reused how a control of forward/reverse , and all vehicles come with a horn, rearview mirror, hand brake, headlights, and a remote control to turn off the car from a distance of up to 50 metres in the case that the driver lacks in driving experience.

In the center of the dashboard there is a plate with the chassis number only to the Baby II, and in the front of each car is the famous badge ‘Macaron’ Bugatti, made of 50 grams of solid silver, like the Bugatti Chiron.

“The experience of getting behind the wheel of a jewel of automotive as the Bugatti Baby II is unique, because in addition to preserving its essence in terms of design and performance, technological innovations that have been incorporated in the Baby II, it has become an amazing vehicle,” added the skier.

The Baby II has been designed to be fun to drive. The chain of rear-wheel-drive comes with two power modes, selectable for drivers with different experiences: one from 1kW ‘kids mode’ with the maximum speed limited to 20 km/h, and another 4kW mode ‘adult’ with the maximum speed limited to 45 km/h . In addition, for those enthusiasts who want more speed, some versions come with a “key speed”, just like his older brother, Chiron, that allows a power of up to 10kW, and disables the speed limiter. Fortunately, there is a limited slip differential to help drivers make the most of the available torque at the rear wheels.

“The engineering team has worked relentlessly to reinvent the Baby original, taking as a base the Type 35 and going back to do the engineering to reduce it to 75%. The result is impressive, with a level of attention to detail and reliability that do honor to the legacy of one of the cars most important classics of history and of Bugatti, the brand of commercial vehicles fastest in the world,” says Farrell.

as standard, the car will be painted in color French Racing Blue with black leather interior, but there will be other options available for both outdoor and indoor. These include the opportunity of having his Baby II painted in the same colors solid contemporary that Chiron, or alternatively there is a selection of vintage colors, each one dedicated to a pilot, or an event famous in the history of Bugatti.

Although the 500 units of the Bugatti Baby II were sold out in the three weeks following the announcement of creation at the Geneva motor show, customers can still sign up on the reserve list in case of the withdrawal of a possible buyer or receive the first notification of any future model.

The starting price is 30,000 euros (plus tax and shipping) and the production starts at the beginning of 2020. The car will be manufactured by The Little Car Company in the United Kingdom, and the 500 cars will be produced between 2020 and 2021.