Driving the Bugatti Veyron and Chiron to Examine Auto History's Most Spectacular Gamble

This was a car company built around an engine—and not even the one its cars ended up using. The origin story really does involve a sketch on the back of an envelope, the one on which Volks­wagen boss Ferdinand Piëch scribbled his proposal for an 18-cylinder powerplant in 1997. At the same time, he was leading VW through its empire-building expansion, crushing his enemies and delighting in the lamentations of their women. The company was then also deep in negotiations to buy Rolls-Royce. Piëch seems to have been thinking of a motor worthy of this proposed acquisition. Read the full car article here.