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A Front-Engine Bugatti May Be What The Carmaker Needs to Spice Things Up a Bit
by Dim Angelov, onRimac is now a major shareholder in Bugatti, with 55 percent being owned by Rimac Automobili and 45 percent owned by Porsche. With this, new opportunities are being presented for both companies. Rimac will benefit from Bugatti’s expertise in building hypercars, while future Bugatti products will make good use of Rimac’s high-performance electric drivetrains. We already know that a V-8 hybrid version based on the Chiron is being planned, but what if Bugatti, under Rimac, come up with a new model, and what if it’s front-engined?
Bugatti Made Front-Engined Cars Before
If the idea of a front-engine Bugatti sounds absurd, hold your horses.
In its 112 years of existence, the brand has made mostly front-engine cars, with the Type 35 and Type 57 being the most notable of the bunch
. Rain Prisk – an automotive designer – has given us his vision of what a front-engine Bugatti would look like. The artist mentions that it was just a quick over-the-weekend project.
The Chiron-like front end looks surprisingly natural on what seems to be a 2+2 grand tourer. The car’s profile actually resembles an Aston Martin Vanquish or Ferrari Roma, although plenty of changes have been made to set the front-engine Bugatti apart.
Actually, Bugatti romanced the idea of a front-engine model (twice) not that long ago. In 2015, they presented the Rembrandt – named after the influential 20th century sculptor. Around the same time, the Atlantic was also conceived as a concept, but due to Volkswagen’s “Dieselgate” Scandal, it was never unveiled.
The point is, a front-engine Bugatti would surely find a market, as it will be the more GT-oriented car in Bugatti’s lineup.
Moreover, the Atlantic we mentioned was planned to have a V-8 hybrid powertrain, which resonates with what Bugatti and Rimac are supposedly cooking at the moment.
Although Rain Prisk’s weekend project only gives us a vague idea of what a front-engine Bugatti would look like, we believe it’s very possible that we’ll get one in the near future.
Source: Rain Prisk
