French

Turn that bbq back on, pop that bottle of chamgpagne you've been saving, and strike up a tune because it's time to celebrate; the king has returned. It's official, the Bugatti Veyron is once again the fastest car in the world. We should clarify, a Bugatti Veyron is the fastest car in the world. This isn't your kid brother's Veyron, it's the all new 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, and never has a car more completely lived up to that name.

At Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessian, the same track where James May forever erased his nickname "Captain Slow", chief Bugatti Test Driver Pierre Henri Raphanel climbed into the fastest office on four wheels and headed out onto the 12 mile oval. Guinness World Record officials were present as the Super Sport headed out onto the course. To set an official record you have to do a run in each direction, and they take the average. You have one hour to complete it, and no one can touch the car. On the first pass the Veyron SS passed at 265.91MPH (427.933km/H). On the second pass that speed increased to 269.81 MPH(434.211km/H), for an official average of 267.86MPH (431.072km/H).

We can tell you from personal experience that collecting 1:18 scale (or 18 times smaller than the real thing) model cars is a fun hobby. They’re just big enough for lots of detail, yet small enough to not take up a massive amount of shelf space. Plus, they’re fairly affordable (handbuilt wonders from the likes of CMC and Exoto excluded). In fact, we can’t think of a single model that’s worth anywhere near the kind of coin its fullsize counterpart is...

Apparently, that factoid annoyed Munich, Germany’s Robert Gulpen and Liverpool, England’s Stuart Hughes enough that they decided to craft a trio of 1:18 scale Bugatti Veyrons…out of solid gold. Almost everything visible is made out of 24 karat gold or platinum, and some of the bits that aren’t visible are hiding behind the 7.2 karats worth of diamonds found in the front grille and elsewhere.

The Bugatti 16C Galibier is being teased like no car ever before, as the company's first modern-day sedan inches towards production. In September 2009, it made an appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show but only to a choice audience. And then again at the Geneva Motor Show, the car was in attendance but only visible to a select few. So, it has never really been officially unveiled for the public, just presented quietly in exclusive viewings like the one setup in Beverly Hills. 

Nobody knows for sure whether the 16C Galibier will ever actually get stamped out but Bugatti is continuing to whet everyone's appetite nevereless. This time they have unleashed a new round of photos showcasing the uber-tourer in black, as opposed to the blue and silver two-tone model that's been seen in the past. Insiders are still betting that the Galibier goes up for sale in 2013 at a price around $1.5 million, but with no green light, we all must wait with baited breath. 

So, in the continuing saga of the Bugatti lake crash footage that we showed the other day, new details have just emerged. In a strange twist of fate, we have learned that the driver was Andy House, who just happens to own Performance Auto Sales, a company that actually restores wrecked exotics for resale. Is this starting to sound a little too much like the Balloon Boy incident?

In any case, he bought the 2006 Bugatti Veyron EB for $1.25 million last month and it was fully insured. But let me ask you this... How come it only costs $8,000 per year to insure a Bugatti (according to the article) but my 7 year old Acura runs me $3,600 in the state of California? ...Sorry to digress. What's really cool is that some unenlightened motorists (who thought it was a "Lambo") caught the actual crash on their video cam. And we didn't see no stinkin' pelican. Check out the footage after the jump. Beware, due to excessive swearing it is NSFW, so turn the volume down.

After a very long wait, the Bugatti Galibier 16C Concept has finally landed on US soil, making its public debut in Los Angeles. Let's just cut to the chase; this is the greatest sedan ever made. Sure it has its blemishes and it won't keep up with a CTS-V on the 'Ring, but as a whole it is simply incredible. I have since forgotten that other luxury cars even exist. I know there's one that starts with an “R”... 

So, what's our take? The body of the Bugatti Galibier looks like a stone polished by hundreds of years in a stream. The long hood reminds us of the incredible cars of the 20's, 30's and 40's. Back then, the hood made room for big engines, but it became a symbol of luxury, like a procession arriving ahead of a king. The profile rises early then slowly wraps around into the tail like a coupe. Even the hydraulic wing seems soft. The split rear window is a rare but wonderfully timeless cue.

For quite some time now there have been rumors of a four-door supersedan from Bugatti. Previously referred to as the Bordeaux, we now know that this new potential offering will be dubbed the Bugatti Galibier Concept. "Galibier" is the name of one of the most treacherous stretches of alpine roadway along the Tour de France. But it also was a version of the Type 57 C that was built between 1937 and 1940. This new concept is definitely a re-invigoration of this stellar saloon.

The Bugatti Galibier Concept was just unveiled in all its glory at the conclusion of the company's 100 year celebration in Molsheim, France. This vehicle is designed to be "the most exclusive, elegant, and powerful four door automobile in the world." And it looks like it has accomplished its goal. That said, the President of Bugatti indicated that this concept is just one of several models the company is considering going forward.

The Bugatti Veyron has had its fair share of special editions including the Pur Sang, Sang Noir, Bleu Centenaire, Fbg Par Hermès along with aftermarket creations like the Linea Vincerò by Mansory. There have also been many other one-off custom jobs sanctioned by high rollers in the Middle East. But the Grand Sport, which is the new targa-top model of the Veyron, has, until now, been left out of the unique variations game. However, debuting at Pebble Beach this weekend during Monterey Car Week, the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport "Sang Bleu" will be unleashed on the world. This is fitting since the original Grand Sport (chassis 001) was unveiled at the Concours d'Elegance last year. It then went to auction by Gooding & Company and sold for $2.9 million.

Last year, at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the GTbyCitroen was unveiled in concert with the folks from Polyphony Digital, the creators of the award winning Sony PlayStation game Gran Turismo 5. This far-out ride came about from a collaboration between Citroen designer Takumi Yamamoto and Kazunoria Yamauchi, the head of Polyphony Digital. The Citroen GT was the fruit of their labor but was only supposed be a virtual car for the video game itself and never actually destined for the road.