A compact Bugatti for the shopping

When you don’t want to take the low- slung Veyron or Chiron into the city during peak- hour traffic, what is a Bugatti owner to do?

Designer Narendra Singh reckons a compact crossover could be just the ticket. Of course, with seating for only two, it’s not the most practical of highriding crossovers. Then again, the word “practical” has never been in the same post code as anything to do with Bugatti.

You have to admire the way the essence of the recently released Chiron hypercar is captured here, with roof scoops, signature grille and brightwork all present and accounted for. There’s no word from the designer on what might be under the bonnet. Given that — as far as anyone is aware, the design study is to remain just that — it’s probably a moot point.

Weimagine the power- toweight ratio of the Chiron’s 1119kW/ 1600Nm 8.0- litre, 16- cylinder quad turbo engine in such a compact body would be . . . well, probably uncontrollable.

Still, once upon a time people laughed at the notion of a Lamborghini SUV . . .

You may remember, about a year ago, when patent application papers for what looked unmistakably like a crudely- drawn prototype flying car were leaked to media. Ha, we all smirked; here we go. Some crackpot shed boffins with their head in the clouds still intent on bringing to fruition the flawed retro- futuristic dream of personal air travel in car- form.

Then everyone realised it was a patent application filed by Toyota. As in Toyota, the biggest carmaker in the world. And the eyebrow- ometer rose off the chart.

The idea won’t go away. Toyota has fessed up even more of its desire to bring airborne mobility to the family- themed masses. And it has announced something of a deadline to make it a reality – in concept form at least; the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020.

Toyota wants the Olympic flame to be delivered to the 2020 games’ opening ceremony by flying car, no less. It may even be piloted by a press- ganged athlete, who will no doubt be thinking “I didn’t sign up for this when I started playing [ insert sport of choice here].”

But rather than a simple folly to titillate during the theatrics of the opening ceremony, Toyota means to continue with the flying car project well beyond 2020. To that end, it has tied its tether rope to a start- up called Cartivator Resource Management.

The two companies are working on getting an initial piloted prototype airborne by 2019, with a view to showing off a streamlined and safety- checked version swooping and soaring ( or at least stably hovering) above the heads of IOC dignitaries and before an audience of millions at the Tokyo Olympics the following year.

We’re not prepared to suggest the idea of the flying car remains anything but troubled at best, but part of us really hopes Toyota achieves its deadline. Picture / Supplied