Building the world's most powerful, fastest and expensive road car was just the beginning for supercar maker Bugatti.
The Volkswagen-owned French brand is considering entering the mainstream sportscar market with two affordable models, according to respected German motoring weekly, Auto Bild.
The report says Bugatti plans to take on the likes of the Lotus Elise and Exige pair and Porsche's Boxster and Cayman with a mid-engined coupe and roadster pairing inspired by the iconic Type 35 - a simple two-seater produced by Bugatti during the late-1920s.
Although yet to be officially confirmed, the new rear-wheel-drive models are said to be the first steps in a plan to provide Bugatti with a full range of models following the ascension of its Veyron to the top rung of the supercar ranks.
Bugatti's president, Thomas Bscher, has regularly dropped hints about expanding the rejuvenated French car maker's line-up, although his comments until now have centred on a car using the same engine as the Veyron, which is powered by a monstrous 8.0-litre W16 unit producing 876kW.
"If we do another model it would most likely use the same engine, although it could well be placed in a different position," Bscher told Drive last year. "The engine has been the single biggest investment, so it would make sense to base any future Bugatti model around it."
However, the new Bugatti models outlined by Auto Bild are much simpler and with a rumoured price tag of just about $83,000 they would cost a fraction of the $3 million Veyron.
The new Bugatti models are said to be based around a lightweight aluminium space frame that will allow them to be built in limited volumes of about 6000 a year.
Unofficial sketches with the report suggest the new cars' appearances will borrow heavily from the Veyron, although, once again, Bugatti refuses to comment on suggestions it may be eyeing a move downmarket.
One engine being considered for the new Bugattis, says Auto Bild, is VW's turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder direct injection petrol engine used in the Golf GTI, among other VW and Audi models. In standard tune it produces 150kW, although with further tweaks, including the adoption of a twin-turbocharger arrangement, Auto Bild says power could climb as high as 240kW.
If VAG is honest about pushing Lamborghini towards Lotus-esque disciplines, then I would think that Bugatti would be at the forefront of whatever all of VAG experiments with. Here's hoping....
