When Bugatti unveiled the new Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport this weekend, it said the very first model will be auctioned off at Pebble Beach through Gooding & Company. A video of the whole auction has popped up on YouTube and we can now tell you that the first Veyron drop-top has sold for a total of $2.9 million.

Not bad for whoever has that kind of money since Bugatti announced the pricing of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport at just over $2 million.

Bugatti will only be producing 150 units of the Veyron Grand Sport, 50 of which have already been registered to existing Bugatti customers – meaning there are only 99 models up for grabs which we expect to sell out very soon.

Check out our original post on the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport for more details.

Click through for the video.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport:

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

Source: WorldCarFans

Volkswagen’s new Passat CC will go on sale in North America in the fourth-quarter of 2008. Along with all the other Passat CC models, with prices starting under $27,000, Volkswagen revealed its first special-edition Passat CC model this weekend at Pebble Beach.

The Volkswagen Passat CC Gold Coast Edition adds a premium touch with Pepe Pepper exterior paint (a mix of gold, brown and silver) and a “Latte Macchiato” and “Cornsilk” leather interior trim. Other upgrades include a rear-spoiler and 19-inch wheels.

Power for the CC Gold Coast Edition comes from a 3.6 liter TFSI producing 280-hp mater to 6-speed automatic transmission.

Click through for more images.

Volkswagen Passat CC Gold Coast Edition:

Bugatti has released new images of its new Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport showing its reveal at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this past weekend.

If this is your first time seeing the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport you need to visit eGMCarTech more often – we’re just kidding. To give you some updates, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is powered by the same W16 1001-hp engine with a top speed of 253mpg with the top closed and 190mph with the top off. With the folding roof in place top speed is limited to 81mph – we have no idea why.

Bugatti will only make 150 Veyron 16.4 Grand Sports – 50 of which have already been saved for existing Bugatti customers that have more money than they know what to do with.

Check out more images of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport in our original post.

Click through for more images.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Reveal:

GM gave journalists a sneak peak at the 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe Saturday night at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this weekend. While no photography was allowed, GM did announced that the production CTS Coupe will make its debut at the 2008 LA Auto Show in November.

The production version is expected to remain unchanged from the CT Coupe Concept that made its debut at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show earlier this year.

GM didn’t announced any powertrain specs as of yet but GM has previously said that the CTS Coupe will be designed to accommodate a range of engines including the CTS Sedans popular 3.6L Direct Injection V6 and the new 2.9L turbo-diesel. There is no confirmation on CTS-V Coupe but we wouldn’t drop the rumors just yet.

Production of the 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe will begin in 2009 at GM’s Lansing Plant.

Cadillac CT Coupe Concept :

Source: InsideLine

While we didn’t have the chance to head down to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this weekend, our good friends from Garage419 were down there with their video cameras getting some exclusive interviews and some inside details on what Lamborghini is up to.

CEO Stefan Winkelmann denied rumors of a two-wheel-drive Lamborghini LP560-2 and confirmed that Lamborghini’s Motorsport future. An official announcement will come within a few weeks.

Check out the video after the jump and remember to subscribe to Garage419’s YouTube Channel.

Click through for the video.

Source: Garage419

Pininfarina has taken the wraps off the Hyperion – a one-off custom-built car based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe at the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach. Roland Hall, the owner of the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe asked Pininfarina to build him a car that would resemble the cars of the 1930s.

The Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion give the Phantom Drophead Coupe a new front and rear fascia along with a new hood. Pininfarina also added two compartments to the front of the windscreen that hold small items such as Hall’s hunting rifles.

The body is made of carbon fiber with the doors made of solid wood. Under the hood resides the same 6.75L V12 from the Phantom Drophead Coupe that produces 450 horsepower.

Click through for more images and the press release.

Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion:

Press Release:

Pininfarina presents the Hyperion, a one-off custom-built car derived from the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe which made its world debut at the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, America’s most important competition for historical classic and one-off cars and a prestigious annual event.

The car is named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology, to underline its architectural and figurative power.

Andrea Pininfarina: “The car as an artistic expression”

“It is not the first time that the Pininfarina Special Projects Division has designed a unique car from a standard production model,” said Andrea Pininfarina, Chairman and CEO of Pininfarina SpA. “In the recent past we have reinterpreted Ferrari engineering, as in the case of the Pininfarina Ferrari P4/5 of collector Jim Glickenhaus, or Peter Kalikow’s Scaglietti “K”. In the case of the Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion, Roland Hall, a collector and the owner of a Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, asked us to create a custom-built car that would evoke the appeal of the sumptuous cars of the 1930s. It might seem paradoxical, but today more than ever before, there is a desire on the part of a very elite clientele to return to the idea of the car as an artistic expression. As it was in the 1950s. With the Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion, our team of designers and engineers was able to express its creative skills and to apply Pininfarina expertise without limits, save that of coming as close as possible to the type of car that our customer had in mind. The result was a custom-built unit that is firmly rooted in the values of the Pininfarina and Rolls-Royce brands, with lines and dimensions that are hard to find in a 21st century model. The Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion takes up the legacy of other Rolls-Royces designed by Pininfarina, the Silver Dawn saloon of 1951, for example, or the Camargue coupe of 1975.”

The concept in brief

The history of Pininfarina offers plenty of examples of special cars built on “noble” bases. Which is why the company naturally welcomed Roland Hall’s proposal to work on a Rolls-Royce floorpan. For the new Pininfarina one-off, however, the Special Projects Division wanted a new idea, something absolutely unique, which only an individual in love with the car as an abstract, and not merely utilitarian, concept could appreciate. And so the Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion project was born, in the Autumn of 2007.

In terms of the styling, the first brainwave came when thinking of some of the cars of the 1930s, with their majestic, regal bonnets, and a body that surrounded the driver and a single passenger. Distinctive features of a car which, thanks to its strength and elegance, does not need to move to draw attention to itself.

Like all the cars designed by Pininfarina, the secret of the Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion lies in its absolute harmony between masses and volumes, and the perfect balance of every proportion. Structurally, we moved the driving position further back (400 mm) and took out the rear seats. We designed a new hood, which folds behind the seats under a wood-lined cover. In front of the windscreen we created two compartments for small items or for sports equipment, such as Mr. Hall’s hunting rifles.

The bodywork is made of carbon fibre, while the details are applied using a technology adopted in boat building. The doors were made of solid wood by craftsmen who specialise in creating components for luxury boats. This is another aspect of the programme of Pininfarina special cars: offering customers unique stylistic and technical solutions that are not possible on mass produced cars.

Some of the best international firms contributed to the realisation of the project: Re Fraschini for the carbon, Isoclima for the glazed surfaces, Proxi engineering for the drawings of the car, Triom for the lights and headlights, Fondmetal for the wheel rims, and Materialise for components created using fast prototyping.

The styling decisions

Romantic and noble. These two words sum up the styling of the Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion. The archetype of the special car, an opulent two-seater roadster that conveys the luxury of the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, from which it derives, at the highest figurative and architectural levels. At the same time, it harks back to the past, and the cars of the pre-war period that now populate the world’s most prestigious concours d’elegance.

To repeat the proportions of those unforgettable cars (a short tail end and majestic bonnet that “surges” forward), we had to extend the roof and shorten the rear end. To balance the volumes, the Pininfarina designers tried to achieve soft, fluidly flowing surfaces. The front sports the classic Rolls-Royce grille, which has been slightly inclined. A trapezoid plane creates a more aerodynamic dashboard, while the recessed Bixenon headlights and LED technology convey sportiness and elegance. The spectacular bonnet is underlined by the muscular, taut wings, while the line that embraces the front wheels is drawn back until it disappears into the hood cover, giving a sense of movement even when the car is stationary. This feature is counterbalanced by a small tooth under the door that runs towards the rear wheel. The shape of the rear end recalls Pininfarina’s legendary sports “berlinettas” of the Fifties and Sixties, with their cut-off tails, strongly inclined downwards, with a flat closure borrowed from boat-building.

The interiors were practically unchanged, maintaining the perfect sense of high luxury in the passenger compartment that distinguished the original car. One precious detail of the instrumentation underlines the unique environment: the watch designed specifically for the Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion by Girard-Perregaux, which can be removed from the dash and attached to a bracelet to be worn on the wrist.

Pininfarina and Girard-Perregaux: the emotion of excellence

Combining the excellence of a watch and a car that are out of the ordinary. This was the goal of the collaboration between Pininfarina and luxury Swiss watchmakers Girard-Perregaux. The meeting of two prestigious names that embody artisan tradition and cutting edge technology has created a refined timepiece with a sophisticated mechanism. Girard-Perregaux have personalised one of their sophisticated watches, the Vintage 1945 Tourbillion with gold bridge, for the Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion. Thanks to an ingenious anchorage system, this timepiece can be mounted on the car’s dashboard, or removed from its mount to slip on to its owner’s wrist.

The pure lines of the white gold case, inspired by a model of 1945, contain a gold bridge tourbillon. This mechanism, which is faithful to the original design created by Constant Girard- Perregaux in the 19th century, stands out for its complexity: only an expert watchmaker could assemble the cage that weighs just 0.3 grams, carrying no fewer than 72 elements. The automatic movement was painstakingly built by the company.

The Vintage 1945 Tourbillion with gold bridge blends perfectly with the Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion, starting from the colours of the face which match those of the bodywork. A sophisticated “spring-ball” system allows it to be extracted from the leather bracelet so that it can be mounted on the dashboard in a support in the shape of a whirlwind, or tourbillon, the hallmark of the Girard-Perregaux brand. This unique piece suggests the link between the worlds of prestige cars and outstanding watchmaking. Cult objects that transcend their function to arouse emotions that are constantly renewed.

Pininfarina and Girard-Perregaux: outstanding watches and cars share numerous common denominators: the notion of time, a fundamental factor of motor racing; increasingly refined techniques; and ever-present passion. In these two worlds, admiration for historical models goes hand in hand with the appeal of the most recent performances; the classic design shares the stage with daring concepts; cutting-edge technologies and noble materials are the key words of every successful innovation. High standards of quality, beauty, power and perfection even in the smallest detail, are essential components.

Girard-Perregaux bases its relationship with Pininfarina on a common conceptual approach, underpinned by a striving for excellence, emotions and beauty. And when passion encounters technical capabilities, the dream takes shape, producing the most refined mechanical structures.

Update: We have added a video of the reveal of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport after the jump – courtesy of our friends from Garage419.

Bugatti has official revealed the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - the open-top, convertible, targa top or whatever you want to call it Veyron. Bugatti didn’t just pull the roof off the Veyron coupe – engineers made a few changes to create the world’s fastest roadster.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport has a slightly higher windscreen, re-styled daytime running lights and a lightweight transparent polycarbonate roof. It was the removable roof that was the main challenge for engineers. The monocoque structure has been strengthened around the side-skirts along with a stiffened B-pillars using carbon fiber support. The interior features moisture-resistant backstitched leather with some new features such as a reversing camera with a 2.7-inch monitor in the rear-view-mirror and the Puccini sound system.

Power comes from the W16 1001 horsepower engine that allows for a top speed of 253mph with the top closed and 190mph with the roof off. With the folding roof in place top speed is limited to a very low 81mph.

Bugatti will produce only 150 units of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport – 50 of which are already going to registered Bugatti customers. The first unit will be sold to at the Pebble Beach Auction with the proceeds going to charity.

Click through for more pictures and the press release.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport:

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Reveal:

Press Release:

New Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport to be unveiled on 16 August 2008 at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Molsheim/Pebble Beach, August 16, 2008 – The world’s most significant celebration of the automobile takes place annually in Monterey, California. This year, it will see some of the most elegant, exclusive, and valuable vehicles ever produced in over 100 years of motoring, with Bugatti set to play a prominent role. On the evening prior to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the highlight of the event, the marque renowned for impeccable automotive solutions, aesthetics and driving dynamics will unveil a second model to the world – the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with a unique removable roof.

In response to customer demand, significant modifications have been made to the vehicle’s complex structure to make possible open-top driving, thereby adding a new dimension to this high-performance sports car. Incorporating a host of new and innovative safety and equipment features, it is the world’s fastest and most exciting roadster. It is immediately recognizable as a result of its slightly higher windscreen, stylized daytime running lights, and lightweight, transparent polycarbonate roof.

The main challenge in developing the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with removable roof resulted from the unique structure of the fixed-roof Bugatti Veyron. An optimum combination of rigidity and lightweight engineering ensures the monocoque passenger cell of the original model is extremely strong while weighing an absolute minimum – it is a central element of the vehicle’s structure. As the roof is an integral part of this, removing it meant the load paths had to be completely redesigned to maintain the vehicle’s rigidity and crash safety, and to offer additional protection from side impacts and rolling.

As a result, the monocoque structure has been reinforced around the side skirts and the transmission tunnel. The B-pillars have been cross-stiffened using a carbon fibre support, and a central carbon plate has been positioned beneath the transmission tunnel to ensure the vehicle suffers from less torsional flexing than any other roadster.

The doors of the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport are made of carbon fibre, and house an integrated longitudinal beam.

In the event of an accident, this transfers the load from the A to the B-pillar, thereby dissipating impact energy. Furthermore, the two redesigned air intakes for the 16-cylinder mid-engine now feature 10-centimetre wide carbon-fibre elements to offer protection should the car roll.

Along with moisture-resistant, backstitched leather, a range of new equipment features has been added to the interior, including a reversing camera with 2.7-inch monitor in the rear-view-mirror, and the “Puccini” sound system with digital signal processor. When the roof is closed, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport can reach 407 km/h, while speeds of up to 360 km/h are possible with roof off. Should it rain, an innovative folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be opened up like an umbrella at any time.

When this folding roof is in place, the car can travel at up to 130 km/h. Assembled by hand at the company’s headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport will be available from March 2009 at the price of 1.4 million euros (excluding tax). Just 150 examples will be made, with the first 50 of these going exclusively to registered Bugatti customers. The first vehicle is certain to be highly sought after, and Bugatti has taken the decision to donate this specific car to charity. It will be sold to the highest bidder at the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company.

As we told you earlier this week Nissan will show off the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible at Pebble Beach - and here it is. Nissan released a side image of the G37 Convertible which will be shown all its glory at the 2008 LA Auto Show in November.

The retractable G37 hardtop is powered by a 3.7 liter V6 engine that produces 328-hp and is mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission.

The 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible will arrive in dealerships in mid-2009.

2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible:

Lexus is known for its SC 430 Pebble Beach Edition each year at Monterey. This year Lexus comes to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with the first-ever LS 600h L Pebble Beach Edition and that may because it won’t ever come back with the SC model since plans to produce a next-generation model have been canceled.

The Lexus LS 600h L Pebble Beach Edition gets a Truffle Mica exterior paint along with a two-tone Alabaster and Black leather trim with Dark Grey Bird’s-eye maple wood trim. It also gets 19-inch 5-spoke wheels and  Pebble Beach badging around the car.

Both, the 2009 SC 430 and LS 600h L Pebble Beach Edition, will go on sale in September and October 2008, respectively.

Click through for more photos and the press release.

Lexus LS 600h L Pebble Beach Edition:

Press Release:

Lexus Introduces First-Ever Pebble Beach® Edition LS 600h L and Sixth Annual Pebble Beach Edition® SC 430

Limited Edition LS flagship hybrid sedan and SC hardtop convertible debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Lexus Fashion Preview

August 14, 2008 – Torrance, CA – Lexus introduced the first-ever LS 600h L Pebble Beach Edition and the sixth SC 430 Pebble Beach Edition to commemorate its continuing partnership with Pebble Beach Company. The vehicles were unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Lexus Fashion Preview on August 15, 2008. Production of these 2009 Pebble Beach Edition vehicles are limited to 50 LS 600h L flagship hybrid luxury sedans and 300 SC 430 hardtop convertibles. Pebble Beach Edition owners have the opportunity to customize their ownership experience by selecting from one of three distinctive merchandise packages: Callaway Golf Experience, Travel Package or Epicurean Encounter.

The LS 600h L’s distinctive L-finesse styling is complemented by a unique exterior/interior color combination exclusive to the Pebble Beach Edition with a Truffle Mica exterior paint combined with an exclusive two-tone Alabaster and Black leather trim interior with Dark Grey Bird’s-eye maple wood trim. Additional styling cues include 19-inch, five-spoke wheels with a unique finish, Pebble Beach interior badging, premium black floor mats with stainless steel badging, and blue illuminated scuff plates. The Pebble Beach LS hybrid comes standard with the Advanced Pre-Collision System (APCS) which incorporates the world’s first system designed to help detect pedestrians in the vehicle’s path, as well as world’s first Driver Monitor System that helps warn drivers if it senses an obstacle ahead of the car and that the driver’s head is not facing forward. The APCS system helps prepare the car for evasive action or collision by triggering appropriate sensors in the car and retracting the front seatbelts. Furthermore, the Pebble Beach Edition LS 600h L is equipped with the Advanced Parking Guidance System, Rear-Seat Entertainment System (RSES), power rear-door sunshades and rear-seat side airbags.

Celebrating its sixth year, the new Pebble Beach Edition SC 430 receives an exterior/interior color combination with a Mercury Metallic exterior paint and an exclusive two-tone Ecru and Black leather trim interior with Black Bird’s-eye maple wood trim. The retractable hardtop convertible includes special-edition brushed chrome badging on the front fenders and center console, and an Ecru The Lone Cypress™ logo embroidered on black carpeted floor mats. It also features a color-keyed rear spoiler, 18-inch Machined Tourmaline alloy wheels, and white illuminated scuff plates. All-season run-flat or summer run-flat tires are available.

The Lexus partnership with Pebble Beach Resorts initiated in August of 2003 with the debut of the first Pebble Beach Edition SC 430. This established Lexus as the Preferred Vehicle of Pebble Beach Resorts and has offered Pebble Beach Edition Lexus owners a variety of amenities designed to evoke the exclusivity that comes with an excursion to the Pebble Beach Resorts. Presently, guests of Pebble Beach Resorts can experience the on-going partnership with complimentary time in a Lexus test-drive vehicle or transportation service to and from several locations in a Lexus Guest Transportation vehicle.

In February 2008, the Pebble Beach Edition RX 350 and ES 350 models were introduced into the collection. The LS 600h L is the fourth vehicle model to receive a Pebble Beach Edition package.

The 2009 SC 430 and LS 600h L Pebble Beach Edition vehicles go on sale in September and October 2008, respectively.

Lexus Personalization Program
Owners of an RX or ES Pebble Beach Edition can customize their ownership experience with the Lexus Personalization Program. Three distinct categories of packages are designed to invoke the unparalleled feel of the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts: The Callaway Golf Experience, Travel Sets, and Epicurean Encounter. Owners can select from item(s) in one of the packages.

The Callaway Golf® Experience
Four exclusive packages are designed to improve the look and performance of one’s golf game. One dozen personalized Callaway Golf Tour ix Golf Balls can be combined with a Callaway Golf Ft-I driver or Callaway Golf Hyper X driver and one X Hybrid. Three Callaway Golf X-Forged wedges and one Odyssey White Hot XG 2-Ball putter are matched to one dozen personalized Callaway Golf Tour ix Golf Balls. One case (12 dozen) of personalized Callaway Golf Tour ix Golf Balls is also available.

Travel Package
Pebble Beach Edition owners can carry style and refinement from their vehicle into a luxury hotel with one of three luxury luggage packages. A café-colored three-piece leather luggage set includes two cabin duffels, one carriage duffel, and personalized embossed luggage tags. Two pairs of Callaway Golf Eyewear complement the café-colored leather briefcase or the café-colored leather tote bag.

Epicurean Encounter
Those owners interested in improving their culinary skills can choose the Epicurean Encounter. They can select a six-piece Viking® Santoku Cutlery Set including 10-slot maple knife block or a four-piece Viking Cookware set. Both come with a Viking Cooking School $200 gift card redeemable for cooking classes or merchandise online at vikingrange.com. The package also offers the option of a café-colored leather wine tote and a diverse selection of wines from member wineries of the highly regarded Napa Valley Vintners.

About Lexus
Lexus has become synonymous with luxury since its introduction in 1989. By offering some of the finest quality luxury vehicles and providing benchmark customer service, Lexus has remained the top-selling luxury nameplate in the United States for eight years in a row. Lexus and its 223 dealers have repeatedly achieved high honors for both the products they sell and the customer service they provide.

About Pebble Beach Company
Pebble Beach Company, headquartered in Pebble Beach, Calif., owns and operates the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts®, including The Lodge at Pebble Beach™, The Inn at Spanish Bay™ and Casa Palmero®. The company also operates four renowned golf courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Spyglass Hill® Golf Course, The Links at Spanish Bay™ and Del Monte™ Golf Course. Its other famed properties include the scenic 17-Mile Drive® and The Spa at Pebble Beach™. In addition to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Resorts® annually hosts the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, The Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational. Pebble Beach Golf Links® has hosted four U.S. Opens, four U.S. Amateurs, one PGA Championship, and will host its fifth U.S. Open in 2010.