The Bugatti Chiron is set to turn a profit for parent company Vokswagen.

Volkswagen and Bugatti are set to start delivering the Bugatti Chiron, the successor to the Veyron, this Fall. 

Back in 2005 Bugatti's parent company, Volkswagen, charged it's engineers with one task. Create the worlds fastest production car. When they set out on this venture the goal was never to make an actual profit, but to prove that their engineers could produce a 1,000+ horse power car. That is why the Bugatti Veyron lost the company almost $5 million on every one of the 450 examples sold. All though it wasn't all for nothing. The engineers at Bugatti did accomplish their goal when the Veyron made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the only production car to ever hit 267.7 MPH. Now Bugatti is hoping to beat that once again with the Chiron.

Using some of the engineering from the Veyron with upgrades, the Chiron will get a significant increase in power to an astounding 1,479 HP, although the versions that will be available for purchase will be electronically limited to only 261 MPH. While a lot of the engineering that went into the Chiron is still being guarded, what we do know is that the Monocoque will be an all carbon fiber design. As for the engine, the Chiron will use the same 8.0-liter W16 engine as the Veyron but will have four newly designed, larger Turbochargers. To keep the monstrous engine cooled, the Chiron uses 60,000 liters of air and 800 liters of water pumped through the block every minute.

The Chiron will be limited to only 500 examples and will have a starting price tag of $2.61 million. Bugatti speculates that the Chiron will generate at least $1.3 Billion in revenue.

Sometimes customization can go a little too far, maybe?

I know this isn't my normal thing to report on, but since technically I am about to show a Volkswagen, I guess I should be alright. A Reddit user named bowie-in-space found this interesting specimen in a parking lot in New York.

At this angle you can see some odd, yet functional mods. It may be completely out of the ordinary to see a Volkswagen Beetle with a Bull bar, winch, and KC off road lights. However it isn't a completely useless idea. Certainly the roof rack adorning this custom Bug is nothing if not useful. If you take a moment to look at the picture and pay attention to the details you will see the spare tire on said roof rack. Why does it matter, you may ask? Just take a second and look at it... go ahead... That tire doesn't look like any tire that would ever belong on a Beetle. If we walk around to the rear end and look at the other side:

Now it all makes sense. Someone took the time, effort, and money to put a lift kit on this Volkswagen Beetle along with the aforementioned oversize tires. What makes this whole custom job seem like a waste of time is the fact that the only Volkswagen Beetle that was ever produced with Volkswagen's 4motion All Wheel Drive system was the RSi version that was produced from 2001 to 2003 with the VR6 engine in it. This most certainly is not one of those models. Whether it is a front wheel drive vehicle or some sort of custom all wheel drive system, no one can argue that this isn't an interesting Beetle. It certainly looks like it can get some work done.

The newest Mercedes-Benz S600 gets the premium armor treatment

Imagine you have just fought your way got elected into the Dictatorship of your very own country. Obviously all of your constituents love and adore you, but every leader has enemies. How do you not only protect yourself when you are on the move, but also do so in absolute luxury and style? The only logical answer to that question is the new Mercedes-Benz S600 with factory armor and bullet proofing. Mercedes-Benz now offers VR10 armoring on it's flagship vehicle. What the heck does that mean, you ask? Most armor is rated for small arms and rifle fire. VR10 is rated to stop a steel core assault rifle round! This protection applies to the windows as well.




As was the case with the first Guard model S class from the 90's, this latest version was designed from the frame up with the ability to add in the armor. This fact alone is what ensures that you will be comfortable in you rolling fortress. Aramid composite armor elements and anti-splintering polycarbonate layers for the inner windows are just a couple of new technologies and materials that Mercedes used. They also managed to carve out a few extra inches of rear passenger leg room by sacrificing some trunk space. After all you being able to sit comfortably in the rear of your car is of paramount importance.




So how much money would you have to divert from your countries coffers to buy one of these beauties? Not as much as you may think. The Mercedes-Benz S600 BRV (Bullet Resistant Vehicle) will only cost you around $500,000. However if you want to upgrade to the S600 Pullman Limousine then you can expect to pay around double that amount.

FCA brings the Alfa Romeo 4C's bigger brother, the Quadrifoglio, state side

The 2017 Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio, like any good Italian has all the curves in all the right places.

Last week I wrote about the 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C coming to North America. Now I would like to give a small introduction to the 4C's bigger brother, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. While FCA has not given out much information about this beautiful car, her is what we do know.

At launch it will come standard with a 505 HP 2.9-liter Twin Turbo V6. All 505 horses get sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. After the Qudrifoglio hits showroom floors next year it will be available with a 276 hp 2.0-liter four cylinder with the same six-speed manual transmission. That model will also come standard as rear wheel drive but an all wheel drive option will be available.

As of yet no pricing has been released.

What does a $4.3 million dollar Mercedes Benz look like?

What do you get when you take a $500,000.00 Mercedes-Benz SLR and customize it with 500 rubies and gold plating? Well one guy did it so we can see what it looks like!

Ueli Anlicker from Winznau, Switzerland is, among other things, a Restaurateur, a night club owner, a cafe lounge owner, an owner of a modern art/design studio, and his crown jewel which is a museum dedicated to  his custom designed red and gold Motorcycles and Cars.

His custom creations make for an impressive resume but there are a few that stand out. At one point he owned a custom 550 hp Ferrari 512 BB and a custom built 180 hp Honda CBX1000. Both of which he topped out at 205 miles per hour! Of course though his prized creation is his Mercedes-Benz SLR which he calls "Red and Gold Dream".











Love it or hate it, you won't forget it.

If you know Swedish you can check out his website www.anliker-ueli.ch for more info.

FCA and Alfa Romeo are finally bringing the $c to the states.

As a long time lover of the Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep brand I was skeptical of how Fiat would handle the market over here. I own and drive Jeeps and while I wouldn't consider myself a Jeep purist, I would still hate to have some European company ruin my beloved brand. With the Jeep Renegade aside, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has done a good job of bringing in new customers while still being able to keep (most) of the purist happy.

One thing I was wondering from the very beginning though, was when would we get to see the beautiful and sexy Alfa Romeo 4C over here in the states. In 2014 FCA revealed the North American version of the 4C at the New York Auto Show that would hit show room floors that spring. With only 850 examples coming over for that first run, it was certainly not a car you would see zipping down every highway in America. Sadly it wasn't until this year at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show that I got to see one up close and personal.




The 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C boasts a mid-engine 237 hp turbo 4-cylinder that pushes it's sub 2500 pound body to 60 from 0 in just 4.2 seconds. Power gets to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic which sadly, is the only option. You won't be using this car for road trips or grocery runs due to the lack of cargo space inside but none of that really matters once you sit down inside of it. The contoured seats hug your body, truly making you feel like you are in a cock pit. Sadly, I was not able to drive it but with such a high power to weight ratio I can only imagine that it would accelerate like you are in a cockpit as well.




From the front the Alfa Romeo 4C looks a bit whimsical with it's buggy looking headlights and recognizable Alfa Romeo front grille. From the side and rear though you can really see the Italian design in it's DNA. The body lines that channel the air into the vents located in front of and on top of the rear wheels just scream sports car.




The 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C is available in either a hard top coupe version, or you can opt for the Targa top. The 4C gets a 24 city, 34 highway MPG out of it's 10.5 gallon tank. Pricing starts at $57,495.00. At that price you can get yourself into a fun, sporty, Italian sports car that won't leave your bank account drained.