Edmonton teen fulfills dream of riding in a Bugatti during trip

An Edmonton teen got the chance of a lifetime to see some of his favourite cars, including an extremely rare Bugatti that he took a ride in.

One day, while riding his bike when he was eight years old, Toby Lagrazon suffered a stroke.

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He underwent brain surgery, but was unable to speak or walk for months afterward.

Now 13 years old, the teen was happy to talk to CTV News Edmonton about his recent trip to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

The trip was funded by Alberta Dreams, a charity that helps grant the dreams of sick and chronically ill children.

Toby could only describe the trip as "amazing."

Toby Lagrazon in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. (Mignon Lagrazon)

The museum houses a collection of antique and rare vehicles, including a 1952 Ferrari 212/225 Inter Barchetta, a 1956 Chevrolet Corvette SR and a 2022 Apollo Intensa Emozione.

"They went above and beyond what we would have expected," Mignon Lagrazon, Toby's mom, said.

"I was crying the whole time because you could see that it was his Disneyland; it was his happy place."

Toby Lagrazon seeing a Bugatti Divo in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. (Mignon Lagrazon)

The museum also had a special surprise for Toby; it brought in a Bugatti Divo for his visit, though he wasn't able to ride in this Bugatti. Only 40 Divos were produced worldwide.

"They weren't supposed to have a Bugatti at that time, because a lot of them were going to be in the big car show (Concours d'Elegance) in Pebble Beach," Mignon said.

Staff told her they had been trying to arrange for Toby to be able to ride in a Bugatti, but hadn't been able to - until the last day of the family's trip.

One man heard about Toby's dream and brought a different Bugatti down to L.A.

"Hearing the story, knowing Toby was in town for this visit inspired him," Alecia Vleeming with Alberta Dreams said of the Bugatti's owner.

"He bought the car specifically so that he could fulfill Toby's dream and be able to take him for a ride."

This car was a Bugatti Chiron Noire, one of only 20 ever produced.

For all his love of fast cars, Toby said when he gets his driver's license, he wants to drive a Toyota Tundra.

Alberta Dreams has helped over 1,200 children in the nearly 40 years it's been operating.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa