Bugatti blew the Pebble Beach crowd away this summer with the all-new 1,600-hp W16 Mistral, an ostentatious swan song for its W16 engine. At the same time it debuted the car publicly, it made billionaire outsiders the world over extremely jealous by revealing that all examples were already sold out. This month, it makes the children of those Mistral-less tycoons equally jealous, announcing the classically styled Bugatti Baby II Carbon Edition kid's car available exclusively to Mistral buyers. It's similarly gorgeous carbon fiber style, just smaller and less powerful.
Bugatti developed the 2.8-m-long (9.2-ft) Baby II Carbon Edition in cooperation with The Little Car Company, deriving some of the shrunken vehicle's remarkable detail directly from the W16 Mistral. The mini car resembles the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid that influenced the design of the W16 Mistral more than it does the Chiron-based roadster itself, and that's because the Bugatti Baby II concocted in 2019 is a modern-day recreation of Ettore Bugatti's Bugatti Baby, first made in 1926. The modern version is a 75% scale model of the Type 35 roadster with 4 to 10 kW of electric motor power. Details like the readapted classic gauges and four-spoke wood steering wheel join the car's timeless form in paying homage to the great Type 35.
The Carbon Edition's modernization begins with its namesake carbon fiber build. Visible carbon elements can be found around the radiator and grille, dashboard, interior panels, mirror mount and steering wheel center. We can't make it out from the photo angles Bugatti has presented so far, but the company says the LED headlamps feature a horizontal design that ties together with the W16 Mistral's stacked eyes.
The side-mounted spare wheel and carrier that come on other Bugatti Baby II models have been removed to create the lighter Carbon Edition spec. We're not sure it will ultimately help performance, but the Bugatti Baby II lineup can reach speeds of up to 68 km/h (42 mph, dependent upon model and market) using a specially designed top speed key like the one on the actual Chiron.
As that speed suggests, the "Baby" name is purely for historical purposes. The modern Baby II models are larger and more serious than the 20th century originals, advertised for children 14 years or older. The driving age is ultimately at the discretion of the owner, though, since the cars aren't street legal and are meant for use on private property. The adjustable aluminum billet pedals can customize the drive position for younger children or fully grown adults up to around 1.9 m (6.2 ft) tall.
Usually an €80,000 (approx. US$84,950) price tag would be the largest hurdle standing between a consumer and a child's car, but in this case, actually holding one of the 99 reservations for the $5 million W16 Mistral will be the much larger barrier. Each buyer will be able to tailor the Bugatti Baby II to their Mistral specifications, ensuring that their child's ride is every bit as exclusive and custom as their own.
Source: Bugatti
