Bugatti News

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Tyler Rampersaud – July 19, 2022

Bugatti Has Made England Home For Over 90 Years With The ...

Bugatti’s long history has an important chapter in London, where its owners’ club was first founded. The scene couldn’t be more indicative of the Bugatti brand. It was on December 18, 1929, that three Bugatti owners met over a meal to discuss the foundation of an owners’ club for those who are passionate about their Bugatti cars, and the restaurant they met at was London’s famous Simpson’s in the Strand. By the time the first issue of Bugantics, the Bugatti Owners’ Club Magazine in which this meeting was described, was released, the club had organized loose-surface hill climb courses in England for Bugatti owners to show their mettle with their famously capable cars. However, the club wanted a permanent place to call home. MUST READ: Prestige Imports Offers Bugatti Type 35 Racing Replicas By Pur Sang Argentina It was in 1937 that the Prescott Estate and country house were purchased by one of the men at the first meeting at Simpson’s with his brother. They saw the potential for racing in the worn drive of the house and got to work getting the surface ready for motorsport. The first runs on the hill were held in April 1938, led by the owner’s Type 18 Bugatti “Black Bess.” The first timed runs on the hill in May 1938 were led by Arthur Baron with a time of 50.70 seconds in a Type 51 Bugatti, beating Jack Lemon Burton’s similar car by a scant 0.04 seconds. By 1939, Jean Bugatti and the company’s Le Mans-winning driver, Jean-Pierre Wimille attended the Bugatti Owners’ Club’s first international event. The car Bugatti brought was a Type 59 that unfortunately did not take the fastest time of the day. Ettore Bugatti also brought a Type 51 to the event, and it is said that the car he brought is possibly one that a modern Bugatti Owners’ Club member has rebuilt and restored. While the house was since sold, the Bugatti Owners’ Club still has ownership of the 69-acre estate and the course. In less than a mile, the course rises 200 feet and goes through both slow and fast corners, short straights, and a challenging hairpin. Bugatti cars of old still drive the track after more than 80 years, in the midst of the legendary Cotswolds, and the estate is also home to the Bugatti Trust, which is responsible for keeping over 27,000 historic Bugatti documents and 10,000 Bugatti images. Both of these organizations are dedicated to keeping Bugatti's history alive and passion for Bugatti in the United Kingdom and all over the world alive, as well. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Tyler Rampersaud – July 14, 2022

Bugatti's Signature French Racing Blue Color Will Be Upda...

Bugatti plans on painting its new era in its most iconic hue. It’s no secret that Bugatti has a favorite color, and the brand’s signature blue adorned the factory in which the iconic EB 110 was built, and a specific, highly important shade of blue has been a hallmark of the Bugatti brand from as early as the Bugatti Type 35 models. The color, French Racing Blue, is speculated to have been inspired by the light blue packaging of Ettore Bugatti’s wife’s favorite Gauloises cigarettes. MUST READ: The New Bugatti Dealership In Katowice, Poland Features A Restaurant And Helipad Through the years, the shade of blue evolved, from the racing Bugattis of the 1930s to the EB 110, to the Veyron, the Chiron, and most recently the Bugatti Bolide. As Bugatti enters a new era as Bugatti Rimac, however, the rich history and incredible legacy of the brand comes with it, and French Racing Blue is at the forefront of that. The brand is already hard at work finding a new “Bugatti Blue” to define the brand as it enters this new chapter of its history, as “La Vie en Bleu” has become synonymous with Bugatti’s determination towards the highest performance and luxury. As luxury, sustainability, performance, and engineering are all defined by new standards and Bugatti redefines itself, the new French Racing Blue will be its way of saying that it’s still on top. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

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By Tyler Rampersaud – July 13, 2022

The Owner Of A Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport Took It On A 1,50...

Few cars are better for a journey through Scotland than the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport. As one of the greatest hypercars in the world, the Bugatti Chiron builds on Bugatti’s legacy of pushing boundaries and reaching unthinkable heights of speed and performance, and the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport applies those principles to downforce and dynamics. This agility-focused hypercar is incredibly nimble and built to take on the world’s most beautiful and challenging driving roads, and Scotland is where some of those roads can be found. MUST READ: Bugatti Chiron Price, Specs, Photos & Review A Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport owner embarked on a five-day journey that covered over 1,500 miles of Scottish roads, and the sharp Chiron Pur Sport tackled mountain passes and winding roads with ease, performance, and pleasure. While many think that hypercar ownership involves delicate garage-keeping, the performance of these cars was built to be put to use and enjoyed, especially since few other cars in the world can even compare to what the Chiron Pur Sport is capable of. As a matter of fact, part of the trip involved the odometer clocking in over 10,000 miles on the car, which were all traveled by the owner after delivery of the car was taken. This incredible journey is proof that cars like the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport are built to be driven. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BUGATTI (@bugatti) Source: Instagram/Bugatti

By Tyler Rampersaud – July 12, 2022

The New Bugatti Dealership In Katowice, Poland Features A...

The Bugatti experience comes to one of Poland’s Silesia region. Katowice is one of Poland’s largest cities, and it has undergone an amazing transformation into a modern cultural and economic center in the Southern Polish region of Silesia. It has become the perfect place for Bugatti to expand its dealer network. Bugatti’s new Katowice facility will feature an incredible Bugatti experience, with not only a showroom, but a car spa center, restaurant, art gallery, and helipad. Bugatti’s hypercars will be situated in an exclusive area with historic Bugatti designs, luxury furniture, and the brand’s signature technology all around, and the rooftop of the facility will feature a bee sanctuary, producing honey for the restaurant. MUST READ: Discover The New Limited-Edition Champagne Carbon ƎB.03 for The Bugatti Bolide The restaurant, La Squadra, is a fine dining Italian restaurant that sits next to the Bugatti showroom. Through large windows, guests at the restaurant will be able to see Bugatti’s masterful creations while being served excellent Italian cuisine. Pietrzak Group, Bugatti’s partner in this venture, was established in 1994 and specializes in exclusive luxury cars. The group operates eight dealerships in the Silesia region and Warsaw. The addition of this new showroom continues Bugatti’s presence in Poland, which has existed since the 1920s and continues to impress and amaze to this day. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Tyler Rampersaud – July 01, 2022

The Bugatti Asprey La Voiture Noire Gold Sculpture And NF...

Bugatti’s flagship NFT and sculpture have been auctioned. At the center of a collection of 261 smaller sterling silver sculptures of the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, which were delivered with NFTs is the flagship piece of the Bugatti Asprey collaboration: a gold sculpture of the legendary car which was delivered with an exclusive NFT. At the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale hosted by Phillips Auction House in London, the NFT and sculpture were sold for an incredible £378,000, which is roughly equivalent to over $450,000. The buyer, with the purchase, is also able to commission an additional Noire version of the sculpture for an additional cost. Painstakingly crafted over the course of six months by silversmiths in Asprey’s London workshop, the sculpture is a stunning rendition of the La Voiture Noire that continues what the car did in bringing its legend to the future. MUST READ: The 24-Karat Gold Decorations On The New Bugatti Chiron L’Ébé Took 5 Years To Develop The “La Voiture Noire” name for the one-off Bugatti came from the legend of Jean Bugatti’s own Type 57SC Atlantic that was lost in World War II, and if found may be the most valuable car in the world. The La Voiture Noire of today is a one-off Bugatti that evokes the artistry and mystery of the lost car, and the sculpture and NFT speak to how the La Voiture is more than just a car, it’s an incredible story with a mystery that decades later still begs to be solved. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Tyler Rampersaud – June 29, 2022

The 24-Karat Gold Decorations On The New Bugatti Chiron L...

When it comes to craftsmanship, Bugatti is the gold standard. Bugatti has always represented automotive excellence and opulence, and the meticulous way in which its cars are built, with the absolute finest materials and most painstaking attention to detail is unmatched just about anywhere else in the automotive industry. However, if we know one thing, it’s that Bugatti is not a brand that refuses to rest on any laurels, and the luxury, quality, and artistry of a Bugatti spares absolutely no expense, and this is even more true in the case of the new Bugatti Chiron L’Ébé, which for the first time for Bugatti, is decorated in 24-karat gold. MUST READ: Bugatti Unveils The Chiron L’Ébé, A Special Edition Series Honoring Ettore Bugatti’s Daughter This feat, achieved in conjunction with Bavarian minting and embossing company Poellath GmbH & Co. KG, is not only an effort that displays unbridled craftsmanship but also an engineering challenge that took five years to overcome, as pure gold is soft and sensitive. The process of applying and polishing the gold on the Macaron emblem involves taking the sterling silver, nickel-plated Macaron and applying a thin layer of gold which is then polished, and the mostly manual effort takes more than ten hours. Along with the Macaron, the “EB” logo and other accents also feature the gold, and against the “Blue Royal” carbon bodywork and the Silk/Lake Blue interior, the car is a stunning homage to the Art Deco era of style, a time that was a golden age for Bugatti and an age the car’s namesake, L’Ébé, Ettore Bugatti’s daughter, was known for. As the L’Ébé makes up the final three Bugatti Chirons, Bugatti had no choice but to let the iconic hypercar go out with a bang. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Tyler Rampersaud – June 24, 2022

Bugatti Brings Three Record-Breaking Hypercars Together F...

The Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrates automotive legends, which is why Bugatti had to take part. Especially today, there’s no way you can talk about amazing feats in the world of cars without mentioning Bugatti. Since the introduction of the Veyron 16.4 in the 2000s, Bugatti has been a brand known for ruthlessly breaking records, and continuing to innovate and engineer some of the greatest cars the world has ever seen without resting on its laurels. Those record-breaking cars made an appearance together at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. MUST READ: Bugatti Unveils The Chiron L’Ébé, A Special Edition Series Honoring Ettore Bugatti’s Daughter The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, and the Chiron Super Sport 300+ all achieved feats previously thought impossible in the automotive world and rewrote the rules of what cars were capable of in an incredibly short amount of time. In a legendary union, the three cars came together for the Goodwood Festival of Speed to take on the famed hill climb. The Veyron Super Sport World Record Edition is being driven by Bugatti’s Pilote Officiel, Pierre-Henri Raphanel, while the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Edition is being driven by Olivier Thévenin, Le Mans veteran, and the Chiron Super Sport 300+ is being driven by the driver who set the record with the car, Andy Wallace. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Tyler Rampersaud – June 23, 2022

The New Bugatti Newport Beach Showroom Is The First In No...

With a new showroom, Bugatti’s Newport Beach dealership leads the charge in North America for the new Bugatti. The Newport Beach Bugatti showroom in Orange County, California, has been in operation since 2019 in one of the world’s premier supercar markets. In 2021, the Newport Beach location was one of the top retailers for the brand, which is why it’s been chosen to be the inaugural location to show off Bugatti’s new brand identity. That new Bugatti brand identity is translated to visitors to the showroom through a modern and sleek design and open floorplan that embraces the pleasant climate of the Newport Beach area, making an incredible space for the Bugatti events that will be hosted there. MUST READ: Bugatti Unveils The Chiron L’Ébé, A Special Edition Series Honoring Ettore Bugatti’s Daughter The opening event will feature the new showroom, where visitors can see current Bugatti models and purchase Bugatti branded merchandise, and it will also feature a hand-rolling experience provided by Payne Mason Cigars, personalized leather products from Royce New York, Carbon Champagne, and a display of incredible ultra-luxury watches from Jacob & Co., all there to mark the beginning of an exciting new presence for the Bugatti brand in North America. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Jordan Aquistapace – June 20, 2022

Bugatti Unveils The Chiron L'Ébé, A Special Edition Serie...

Three stunning Bugatti Chiron models created by a father's love for his daughter. While the Bugatti name is built from the ultimate pursuit of design, performance, and technology, the brand still operates with the same family values as when Ettore Bugatti opened his doors in 1901. After decades of adapting with ongoing changes within the automotive industry, Bugatti continues to celebrate its historic beginning and the influential individuals that help to shape it into one of the most popular hypercar manufacturers in the world. Bugatti is proud to unveil a special Chiron collection that pays homage to L’Ébé Bugatti, the daughter and eldest child of Ettore. The exclusive Bugatti series that honors L’Ébé includes three European delivered hand-crafted examples, featuring a Chiron and two Chiron Sports design in house at the Molsheim factory. Bugatti Being the pride and joy of Ettore, the Bugatti Chiron draws inspiration from L’Ébé’s love of Art Deco style and incorporates characteristics from the famous Bugatti Type 57 G Tank that won Le Mans in 1937. The exterior showcases an exposed blue-tinted carbon fiber finish with gold accents that shimmer against the elegant body lines of the Chiron. Gold highlights are also found on the “EB” badging, the famous horseshoe grille and parts of the 8.0-liter W16 engine cover. The signature of L’Ébé is subtly hidden on the underside of the retractable rear spoiler that engages when the Chiron takes on its aggressive track-mode stance. The factory lightweight sport wheels also present an elegant gold design, contrasting against the shape of Bugatti’s traction-grabbing source. Bugatti The minimal interior design mirrors the exterior, using ‘Silk’ leather and ‘Lake Blue’ highlights to reverse the one-of-a-kind configuration. Welcoming its lucky new owner, the Bugatti Chiron presents its tread plates and sport-style seats with L’Ébé’s signature in gold. Each door panel features a motif of the visual evolution of Bugatti’s most iconic cars, from early Grand Prix racers through to EB110, Veyron and Chiron. L’Ébé’s numerous bespoke touches perfectly showcase Bugatti’s limitless creativity and craftsmanship when it comes to exclusive tailor-made projects. The three exclusive Bugatti Chiron L’Ébé mark the end of Chiron and Chiron Sport in Europe. The Bugatti Chiron L’Ébé and a Chiron L’Ébé Sport have already been delivered, and the third model will be delivered by the end of the month. View all of the current Bugatti examples for sale on duPont REGISTRY by clicking on the link below. Check back into duPont REGISTRY for more upcoming luxury lifestyle and hypercar news. VIEW ALL BUGATTI FOR SALE

By Tyler Rampersaud – June 14, 2022

The First Bugatti Centodieci Has Finally Been Delivered T...

One of Bugatti’s rarest pieces of automotive excellence has finally come to fruition. Years of anticipation have built up for the Bugatti Centodieci, and that’s because the Centodieci is the intersection of Bugatti legends. It combines the W16 engine that changed the automotive world forever with the legend of the Bugatti EB 110 supercar of the 1990s. On top of that, Bugatti has shown painstaking effort in making the Centodieci an incredible and capable hypercar despite only 10 of them being built, which is why we have had to wait so long for one to finally be delivered to its customer. However, that wait is finally over, as Bugatti has delivered the first Centodieci to its customer. MUST READ: Bugatti Releases Its Second ‘UYN for Bugatti’ Apparel & Footwear Collection The car is finished in EB110 Blue, a color that is most known for the EB110 that the Centodieci is inspired by, as even the factory that it was built in in Campogalliano, Italy was finished in that color. The reason for this is that the owner of this Centodieci also owns an EB110 GT in the same color. Since the introduction of the Centodieci in Bugatti’s 110th anniversary year of 2019, all 10 Centodiecis were immediately accounted for, and EB110’s began to sell for amazing numbers at auction, most recently for over $2 million by RM Sotheby’s at Amelia Island. Now that we’ve seen what this well-deserved hype has led to, it’s time for the era of the Bugatti Centodieci to begin. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

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