Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. I just throw in a little opinion of mine because I can. This week:  

• Volkswagen shows off 400 horsepower Golf concept, hints at production

• Bugatti releases another special Veyron to honor its past and it likes gold

• Morgan celebrates their 100th year as only they can

• Four-cylinder power returns to Porsche in the Macan

Volkswagen Golf R 400

There was an auto show in Beijing this week, and while Volkswagen was there they decided to reveal one of the wildest hatchbacks they could conceive of (besides that one with the Bentley engine in the back). The Volkswagen Golf R 400 is just a concept as of now, but Autoweek confirms that VW confirms that VW’s R&D chief said it was heading to production. This is a good thing, because this Golf should be mental if/when it hits the road. As the name suggests, this VW Golf R has 400 German horsepower (roughly 395 horsepower over here) and 332 lb.-ft. of torque on tap supplied by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four with heavy influences from their WRC racing motor. Whatever those influences are, they’re good ones because this power figure represents a 100 horsepower increase over the standard Golf R. Because nearly 400 horsepower to the front wheels sounds insane, VW has given the R 400 the same 4 Motion all-wheel drive system as found in the Golf R. According to the pictures, the transmission of choice is a six-speed manual even though the press release clearly states it comes with a DSG dual-clutch automatic. If it goes on sale I guess we can expect both. With one of these transmissions, 0-62 mph takes just 3.9 seconds. Yes, a practical Volkswagen Golf can do that. Its impressive power output and intelligent all-wheel drive certainly helps but so does its 3,130-pound weight (considerably less than the Golf R). The exterior is as flashy as a car of this caliper would be, with carbon fiber accents everywhere and flared wings as a sort of tribute to the 1988 Rallye Golf G60. The interior is purposeful with motorsport shell seats in Alcantara and carbon leather as well as plenty of carbon fiber and contrast stitching to spare. If this does go into production like someone said according to someone who told it to someone, it should be on hell of a ride. [Sources: Volkswagen, Autoweek]

Bugatti Black Bess Veyron

Bugatti has been releasing a handful of special edition Veyrons over the past year or so which all pay tribute to important or figures and cars from the early days of Bugatti. The Les Légendes de Bugatti series is now on its fifth of six parts with this one, the “Black Bess”, which may be my favorite one yet. The Black Bess celebrates the legendary Type 18, which was the fastest road car in the world when it was introduced in 1912. This was proven when company founder Ettore Bugatti drove it to a class win in the 1912 Mont Ventoux Hill Climb. After this impressive victory, aviator Roland Garros became an owner of a Type 18, one of only seven others. His car, which today is one of only three known to be in existence, was named Black Bess after a British racehorse. Black Bess, and every Type 18, was powered by a 5.0-liter inline-four producing 98 horsepower and was capable of about 100 mph. This Black Bess is a bit faster than that. Based off of a Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, the new Black Bess is powered by a 8.0-liter W16 producing 1,183 horsepower and 1,106 lb.-ft. of torque and is capable of 254 mph. Oh, how we’ve progressed. The name isn’t the only thing taken from the original Black Bess, with its gorgeous paint scheme being a similar black with gold accents. Not all of the gold is just paint either, as real 24-carat gold makes up the horseshoe grille-frame up front. I hope they’ve got low-speed collision avoidance on this one. The interior features matching beige and brown leather with crimson accents on the steering wheel and door panels with an etched Type 18 and a Morane Saulnier Type H, Garros’ airplane which he flew across the Mediterranean with (the first one to do so). The original Black Bess resides in the Louwman Museum at The Hauge in the Netherlands while the new Black Bess will probably do the same somewhere else. Only three of these will be built, each being priced at about $3.45 million. [Source: Bugatti via Autoweek]

Morgan Plus 8 Speedster

There have been a lot of automotive birthdays recently, specifically 100th birthdays. Aston Martin celebrated theirs last year and Dodge is about to do the same, but this week the beloved Morgan Motor Company is celebrating theirs with a “new” special model. The Morgan Plus 8 Speedster is how Morgan is going to celebrate their first century in existence and all the cars they’ve built since then by building what is probably their coolest yet. The Plus 8 Speedster in a nutshell: chopped windshield, side vents, leather straps, no bumpers, and a handful of gorgeous paint schemes that suit the car’s stunning looks perfectly. The car which looks like it was born on the Goodwood hill climb is powered by a BMW-sourced 4.8-liter V8 which supplies the car with 367 horsepower and 370 lb.-ft. of torque. That power is more than enough in a car that weighs just 2,425 lbs, which means it could probably do the Goodwood hill climb or any other track in spectacular fashion. You get a choice between a standard six-speed manual or an automatic, but a car like this demands the manual just because. When it isn’t broken, the Plus 8 Speedster can hit 60 mph from a standstill in 4.2 seconds and will keep going until it reaches 148 mph. If the thought of 148 mph with a small windshield doesn’t sound appealing (why wouldn’t it?) it looks like you can opt for a larger windscreen with a canvas top. There’s also a track-day-ready roll-bar which might do something if you crash, but it probably won’t protect you from splinters. The limited production run begins in June and pricing for UK buyers starts at £69,995 ($117,732 US) which is actually considerably cheaper than the regular Plus 8. It seems like this is a UK-only gig, which isn’t so bad because I’ve been wanting an excuse to go visit Britain again. [Source: Morgan via that guy at Autoweek who appears on our podcasts or something]

Porsche Macan getting a four-cylinder

The Porsche Macan is in the news again after its debut in Beijing. The last time I talked about it was when we saw it for the first time. This week, we all know what it looks like by now, but there’s still something about it we haven’t seen yet which was just revealed this week. In fact, it’s something we haven’t seen since the 90’s. Four-cylinder power hasn’t been seen in a production Porsche since the 968’s run was over, but it will soon return with the new entry-level Macan. The new to Porsche turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 is borrowed from Volkswagen and is similar to the one found in the Golf GTI. The baby Cayenne will work with 234 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft of torque which gets transferred to the wheels through a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic. The Volkswagen power plant can propel this Porsche from 0-62 mph in a respectable 6.9 seconds and on top a top speed of 139 mph. Exact mpg figures aren’t available yet, but this same motor does rather well in that regard in the other cars it powers. With its peak torque available between 1,500 and 4,500 RPM, which is where the engine will be 99.9% of the time, great comfort, good efficiency, and a ride which is supposed to be stellar for a vehicle like this, the 4-cylinder Macan should be a great option for the practical, sensible buyer that thinks buying a luxury compact crossover is sensible. Pricing info and North American availability have not been confirmed yet. [Source: Porsche]