Alike most of the automotive luxury brands out there, Bugatti has embraced green technology by reviving one of its classic models. To rejoice the brand’s 110th anniversary, Bugatti is relaunching its 89-year-old model electric vehicle ‘Baby’, which was originally built by the company’s founder, Ettore Bugatti, in 1926 for his son Roland.
The Bugatti Baby was entirely built for the younger drivers. However, the child-sized replica of the Bugatti Type 35 racecar is suitable for adults and children too. This hand-built electric vehicle is created on the original Type 35 design blueprint.
Bugatti has relaunched its 89-year-old classic model Baby as an EV | Image: Bugatti
Much like the original model, the new ‘Baby’ operates on a rear-wheel-drive configuration as well. There is one distinct element between the two generations of Baby – the removable lithium-ion battery pack. If you run out of battery during the drive, you can simply replace the battery with a spare one within moments.
Christened ‘Baby II’, the model harnesses the current EV technology with a limited-slip differential that diverts torque of a wheel to the other wheel in case one loses traction. There is a feature of regenerative braking as well, which converts some of the kinetic energy resulting from the braking back into electric energy to increase total mileage.
The car has both novice and expert modes. The power of the novice mode is limited at 1 kW, with the top speed capped at 12 mph. In the expert mode, the limit is 4 kW, with an achievable high speed of 27 mph. Moreover, there is a Speed Key upgrade available, which disables the speed cap and upregulates power up to 10 kW.
Bugatti Baby was originally built in 1926 | Image: Bugatti
The car comes in three different models – Base, Vitesse, and Pur Sang. The base model has a 1.4 kWh battery pack, which delivers 1.3 horsepower in novice mode and 5.8 horsepower in the expert mode. Vitesse and Pur Sang each has 2.8 kWh battery packs. Vitesse has a carbon fiber bodywork, whereas Pur Sang has hand-shaped aluminum bodywork.
Limited edition Baby II is the cheapest way to own a Buggati | Image: Bugatti
Bugatti unveiled the Baby II at the Geneva auto show earlier this month and aims to manufacture limited edition 500 units, which is the same number as Roland’s original Bugatti Baby. The cost will be $34,000, which makes it the most affordable way to get a genuine Bugatti.