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Bugatti Type 51 Goes Ice Racing, Battery-Electric Baby II Acts as the Safety Car

Bugatti’s marketing wheels have started spinning for 2022, aided by a Type 51 and a Baby II, which proved that they’re not afraid of snow and ice, putting their money where their mouths are in something called ‘skijoring.’
Bugatti Ice Racing 2022 18 photos
Photo: Bugatti
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‘Skijoring’ means ‘ski driving,’ and it is a transportation mode-turned sport that “first came to Zell am See, home of the Porsche family, in winter 1937,” Bugatti says, reminding that it inspired the original Professor Ferdinand Porsche Memorial Race, on February 10, 1952.

Eight years later, a Bugatti Type 35 graced the GP Ice Race, next to two motorcycles, and a plane, and in 2022, the Molsheim brand returned to the competition, hosted between January 28 and 30 in Austria, with two special models. These were the Type 51 and a Baby II, inspired by the Type 35, which acted as the 'safety car.' Due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic, spectators were not allowed to attend the event, yet in the past, around 10,000 people watched it live each year.

The Bugatti Baby II that showed what it’s made of was a Pur Sang range-topping model, in the specially-commissioned ‘Ice Spec,’ dressed in the French Racing Blue colors and adorned with the GP Ice Race livery, and ‘#35’ on its bodywork, honoring the Type 35, which regarded as the most successful racer ever. Studded tires and a limited-slip differential were part of the special upgrades.

Elsewhere, the Baby II Pur Sang gets two driving modes, named the Novice and Expert, just like the mid-range Vitesse, as well as additional performance from its upgraded powertrain. Tipping the scales at 230 kg (507 lbs), it has up to 13.6 ps (13.4 bhp / 10 kW) on tap, can sprint to 60 kph (37 mph) in 6 seconds, depending on the weight of the driver, and will max out at 70 kph (44 mph). The entry-level variant, known as the Base, uses the same electric powertrain, enjoys up to 5.5 ps (5.4 hp / 4 kW), and has a 45 kph (28 mph) top speed.

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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
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After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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