Rumormill: Bugatti developing secret Continental GT-based electric supercar

[HighestOfHigh]

With production of the Veyron coming to an end, speculation has been rampant over what Bugatti will build next. A super-sedan based on the 16C Galibier concept could still get the green light. A 1,200-horsepower "Super Veyron" has also re-entered the rumor mill of late. Even an entry-level roadster was mooted at one point. But a new project could give us a clearer (and more radical) picture than ever before.

According to the rumormongers over at Auto Express, Bugatti is currently working on a massively powerful electric supercar that could eclipse the notions of what was previously thought possible with battery power. A test mule based on sister-company Bentley's ubiquitous Continental GT is reportedly undergoing testing at present, powered by two giant electric motors and an advanced lithium-ion power cell to deliver the equivalent of 800 horsepower and some 1,600 lb-ft of torque, all available instantly from a standstill. Yowza!

Such technology would doubtlessly draw from the work sister-company Audi has been doing with its successive e-Tron concepts. But as AE points out, this wouldn't be the first time Bugatti has experimented with electric power: Back in its heyday under founder Ettore Bugatti's direction, the original company built the Type 56. Originally built as a one-off, public demand prompted the Molsheim marque to bring it to market.

The rumored Continental-based prototype may be strictly a one-off at the moment, but if demand could force the Type 56 to market in the 1930s, it certainly could do the same today.

- Rumormill: Bugatti developing secret Continental GT-based electric supercar — Autoblog

 

[Centurion]

This can turn out to be amazing, and amazingly expensive. Having already conquested the gasoline powered engine by developing a monsterous 400km/h powered by 16 cylinders, there is hardly anything petrol powered they can do that will eclipse the Veyron. Because let's face it, as striking as the Galibier is, a 700-800hp under the bonnet will only raise a few eyebrows. Electric drive trains is really where VAG can make a difference, so bring on the alien technology I say. Whatever battery technology they develop can then incrementally be distributed to every single other brand in the family portfolio.

Potential power source? This:

 

[HighestOfHigh]

Report: 800-HP Electric Bugatti Supercar Built, But May Never See Daylight

Sneaking an 800-horsepower electric supercar onto the scene is a bit like sneaking an 800-pound gorilla into a dinner party. But that looks to be just what Bugatti has done, if the latest reports are to be believed.

Claims that Bugatti has already built a prototype 800-horsepower electric supercar are emerging out of Europe, though it has yet to be confirmed by outside eyes. In addition to the 800-horsepower, all-wheel output, the mythical Bugatti is thought to deliver a stunning 1,624 pound-feet of torque from 0 rpm.

It's not yet clear if that's actual crank torque, or wheel torque, as the infamous Audi R8 e-tron initially claimed a bountiful 3,319 pound-feet before it was revealed that the astronomic figure was produced after gear multiplication.

The battery-powered Bugatti promises "unbelievable" acceleration, according to the report, but discharges completely in just minutes--and we thought the regular Veyron was impractical.

- Report: 800-HP Electric Bugatti Supercar Built, But May Never See Daylight - MotorAuthority