2020 Bugatti: Limited Production of Bugatti Baby II

Bugatti will produce 500 Baby II 75% scale models of the Type 35 in partnership with The Little Car Company. Prices start at $36,600.

Bugatti Baby II with adult driver
Bugatti Baby II © Bugatti

Bugatti announced that it will produce 500 electric Bugatti Baby II vehicles in partnership with The Little Car Company. Baby II is a 75% scale model of the Type 35 racing car of the mid-1920s. The electric Baby II has a range of 31 miles with a top speed of up to 42 mph. Apparently, most Baby IIs have already sold, despite prices ranging from $36,600 to $71,000. Rich children always get the best toys.

Bugatti to Produce Baby II Scale-Model Cars

Bugatti Baby II and Type 35 in Profile
Bugatti Baby II and Type 35 © Bugatti

Bugatti introduced Baby II at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show as a 75% scale model of the Type 35 racing car of the 1920s. Upping the size from the original 50% will make larger “children” fit in the vehicle too.

In partnership with The Little Car Company, Bugatti will produce just 500 of these 75% scale Type 35 vehicles. While a majority of the units have been accounted for, a small amount of the build slots have been reserved for Bugatti customers and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Bugatti Baby II Performance

Bugatti Baby II and Type 35
Bugatti Baby and Type 35 © Bugatti

The Bugatti Baby II can be enjoyed by multiple generations of collectors and enthusiasts. Each model, built on an electric, rear-wheel-drive platform, offers short and long-range battery options with a range of up to approximately 31 miles, depending on driving style (and presumably the weight of the driver too).

Owners will enjoy the combination of authentic Type 35 handling and modern technological elements, including regenerative braking, adjustable dampers, and the famed Bugatti Speed Key, giving drivers the ability to reach the top speed of 42 mph.

Prices and Specifications

Bugatti Baby II side view
Bugatti Baby II © Bugatti

The three versions of the Bugatti Baby II include the Base starting at $36,600, the Vitesse at $53,000, and the Pur Sang at $71,400, the latter offering handmade aluminum bodywork.

The Base model is available in French Racing Blue with black leather interior, while the Vitesse and Pur Sang offer a line of vintage colors that pay homage to Bugatti’s memorable racing liveries and drivers in history. Also available for these two models is a contemporary palette that features colors offered for the Chiron, allowing existing customers to match their new Bugatti Baby II to their current vehicle. 

Once purchased, owners receive automatic membership to the prestigious Bugatti Owner’s Club and The Little Car Club, both offering the chance to drive their Bugatti Baby on some of the world’s most celebrated racing circuits.

During 2020, Chiron production reached 250 — the halfway mark in the planned series of 500.

Bugatti Baby I and Type 35 at Auction

1930 Bugatti Baby: The hammer came down at €78,000 at the Artcurial Paris 2017 Retromobile sale.© Artcurial

The original Bugatti Baby was a one-off product: a fourth birthday present for the son of Ettore Bugatti. This car was a 50% scale model of the Type 35 — by many definitions the most-successful racing car ever built. Baby attracted much attention and finally became an official Bugatti vehicle (sometimes termed Type 52 Bebe) with around 500 produced between 1927 and 1936.

It is unknown how many of the 500 survived but they do come up at auction from time to time. In 2017, Gooding sold one for $88,000 at the Scottsdale auction and a few weeks later Artcurial achieved €78,000 at the Paris Rétromobile sale in France — over $90,000 after charges.

The full-scale Bugatti Type 35 of course cost a bit more. In the same 2017 Scottsdale auction, Gooding set a new Type 35 model record at $3.3 million and increased it to $5,233,550 at the Gooding Passion of a Lifetime sale in London in 2020. At least eight Type 35s have sold for over a million dollars since 2014.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.