Well! This one is not going to go transcending and set any earth-shattering speed record, yet it’s a Bugatti. It’s definitely something which rich kids with developing taste in cars would love to have, more so as it’s a bit grown up now. It’s the Bugatti Baby 2 which we first saw as a 3D printed model at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and it is going to have a limited edition run. Bugatti will be manufacturing only 500 units of the Baby 2 and 500 lucky teenagers have already got one in their cart. Yes! It’s completely sold out.
In fact, Stephen Winkelmann, President of Bugatti who also has a history of working with fast car brands is intrigued by the model and is excited to see it driving around the Bugatti premises. Incidentally, the Baby 2 also marks Bugatti’s 110th birthday. It has partnered with The Little Car Company to make this junior car. The first prototype, called the XP1, is already ready for test drives at La Grande Fete in Molsheim. To allow the Baby II to be driven by both adults and children, it has grown from the 50 percent scale of the original to a 75 percent scale replica of the Type 35 and includes a sliding pedal box for drivers of all age. In the first stage of its inception, the engineering team digitally scanned every single component of a 1924 Type 35 Lyon Grand Prix car. Then it got a new electric powertrain with lithium-ion batteries and regenerative braking along with few more redesigned elements to suit the need of modern age. It gets the same eight-spoke alloy wheels shod in new Michelin tires and it gets new hollow front axle along with the suspension and steering mechanism from the old Type 35.
The old oil and pressure meters in the Baby 2 are now replaced with battery level, indicator and power gauge and the four-spoke steering wheel continues to be there.
The cockpit gets the same four-spoke steering wheel ahead of the aluminum casing which sports Bugatti’s signature instruments. The old oil and pressure meters are now replaced with battery level, indicator and power gauge but the clock used to measure race performance in the iconic Type 35 remains as a symbol. The fuel pressure pump from the Type 35 has been digitally replicated and repurposed as a forward or reverse control, and all cars will come with a horn, rearview mirror, handbrake, headlights and a remote control to disable the car from up to 50 meters. In the centre of the dashboard is a plaque giving the unique chassis number of the Baby 2 and displayed on the nose of every car will be Bugatti’s famous ‘Macaron’ badge, made of 50g of solid silver, just like the Chiron.
It also gets a rear-wheel drive powertrain and comes with two selectable power modes for drivers of a different experience. A 1kW ‘child mode’ with the top speed limited to 20 km/h, and a 4kW ‘adult mode’ with the top speed limited to 45 km/h. That said, there is also a Speed Key for experienced and confident drivers which takes the total power output to 10 kW and bars the speed limiter. It also comes equipped with a limited-slip differential which channelizes all the torque to the rear wheels. The car will come with two sizes of a removable battery, a standard 1.4 kWh pack and a long-range 2.8 kWh version. While the exact range will depend on driving style, the larger pack is expected to give a range of more than 30km.
The standard car will be painted in French Racing Blue with a black leather interior, but other color options will be available for both the exterior and interior. Additionally, all owners of Baby IIs will receive membership of The Little Car Club, and be able to attend events where they, their children and their grandchildren can drive their cars at famous motor racing circuits. The Baby 2 is available in the European markets for 30,000 Euros.
