Bugatti is reviving its famous Bugatti Baby to celebrate its 110th anniversary – and bringing it bang up to date.
The original was first produced in 1926 when Ettore Bugatti, with his son Jean, built a half-scale version of its all-conquering Type 35 for Ettore’s youngest son Roland’s fourth birthday.
Not a bad present, then, and a touching celebration of a car that would go on to triumph in around 2000 amateur and professional races – in fact, it averaged more than 14 a week at its zenith.
Its mini-me was similarly successful, too. It was conceived as a one-off, but proved so popular that it became an official Bugatti and around 500 were produced between 1927 and 1936.
Now its back – albeit with a new hi-tech makeover.
The Bugatti Baby II, which was launched at the Geneva Motor Show, is a thoroughly 21st-century reworking of Ettore and Jean’s creation that remains faithful to its progenitor.
Like the original, it has a rear-wheel-drive, battery-powered electric powertrain. However, unlike the 1926 version, 2019’s has been 3D-printed, designed using a digital scan of a Type 35 built for the 1924 French Grand Prix in Lyon.
