Named for the tiny mechanism that maintains precision in high-end watches, the new Bugatti Tourbillon arrives on the scene exactly 20 years after the launch of the Veyron, which was the most powerful and fastest road car of its era. The heir of the Chironlaunched in 2016 and now at the end of its production in the French plant in Molsheim, is about to take its place in the production lines of the transalpine factory starting from 2026. Obviously this machine will not be for everyone, indeed for very few: just 250 copies and a base price of 3.8 million euros.
The enthusiasm of the Bugatti board
Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugattidefines the Tourbillon as “art on wheels, a painting in movement” and states that he wanted to continue the company’s focus on “bend the laws of physics“. Although the Tourbillon will be a limited and expensive proposition, the CEO acknowledged the enormous profile of the Bugatti brand and the influence it can have outside of its core customer base: “We won’t change everyone’s lives, but everyone can be inspirational“.
When Rimac acquired Bugatti in 2021, the French company was in the early stages of developing a “electric coupé-SUV“, an idea that the owner thought was absolutely wrong for the brand. “Luckily I won that argument“, said Rimac, on the occasion of the presentation of the its new 16-cylinder hypercarunderlining the appeal of a low silhouette and a huge, roaring engine.
A 16-cylinder engine
There Bugatti Tourbillon uses an – to say the least – extravagant approach to electrification, in fact after abandoning the gigantic W16 engine that equipped the Chiron and the Veyron, it opted for a 1775 HP plug-in hybrid system focused on a Centrally aspirated V16.
This engine, the first of this format to power a road car since the very rare Cizeta-Moroder V16T of 1991, was designed in collaboration with Cosworth after the decision not to hybridize the W16 or develop a purely electric Bugatti model. CEO Mate Rimac recently said he sees no reason why Bugatti should go electric in the immediate future, given its low volumes and low mileages of its cars. “We have developed a new V16 engine and want to use it for a while, and maybe also for other models“, he said, “and I don’t see why it would be impossible“.
The Tourbillon’s 8.3-liter engine is enormous, measuring about a meter from end to end, but weighs just 252 kg, thanks to the massive use of light metals and composite materials. It produces 986 hp on its own, making it one of the most powerful combustion engines ever installed in a road car, but with a trio of electric motors supplied by Rimac – two on the front axle and one on the rear – which they provide another 789 hp. This makes the Bugatti Tourbillon comfortable the most powerful combustion car on the market. Only Rimac Nevera, Lotus Evija and Pininfarina Battista have more power, but only by around 100 HP.
Mind-boggling numbers
The priority of electric motors is to enhance throttle response and provide torque during gear changes, but the 25 kWh battery which powers them should guarantee an electric range of over 60 kilometres. Unusually for a PHEV, the battery is equipped with a 800 V charging system for a charging time from 0 to 80% of just 12 minutes.
To understand the potential of the vehicle, it is necessary to rely on the numbers: the Tourbillon will go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.0 seconds. At full throttle, 200 km/h is reached in around 5.0 seconds. 300 km/h arrives in just 10 seconds and 400 km/h in 25 seconds. The maximum speed is limited to 380 km/h, unless the special Speed Key is installed. When this is activated, the Tourbillon holds its huge rear wing down while the speed rises to 445 km/h.
A purely Bugatti design
The design, while influenced by a unique and colossal powertrain, remains true to the principles established by the Chiron and Veyron. The “C line“, a distinctive feature of the W16 cars, inspired by Bugatti’s first road cars, has been faithfully reproduced. As well as the horseshoe front grille, the central dividing line along the hood and roof and the two-tone paint.
But if the Tourbillon is immediately recognizable as one descendant of the Chironits silhouette is defined most prominently by the nature of its new powertrain and its targeted capabilities, in particular to reach a top speed of over 400 km/h.
“The ability to travel at more than 400 km/h requires that every single surface, indentation and particle is finely honed to ensure that it is not just aerodynamics but also thermodynamics that unleash the car“, says Bugatti, underlining how the bodywork has been sculpted not only to optimize airflow at high speeds, but also to cool the colossal engine behind the passenger compartment.
This attention to aerodynamics manifests itself in a number of new distinctive features, including a rear wing which remains submerged even at top speed with no impact on its functionality, and a massive rear diffuser tunnel that extends from the rear of the cabin to the rear bumper, remaining largely invisible with the bodywork in place. To discover it better, here is the gallery.
Precious interiors
The key to keeping the charm intact”timeless” of the Tourbillon, according to Bugatti, is to use an analogue language, thanks to its clearly visible internal mechanisms and the strong dependence on physical commands. A technology that never goes out of fashion, not like today’s touchscreen-based systems. Made up of over 600 tiny components and using precious materials such as titanium, sapphire and ruby, the instrument panel mechanisms weigh a total of just 700g and have been designed with a tolerance of no more than 50 microns (0.05mm).
The steering wheel is mounted on a fixed hub, with the spokes fixed to the back of the switchgear, meaning the indicators are always visible, regardless of the steering angle. The internal workings of the controls on the center console are all very clear too, although there is a small touchscreen with Apple CarPlay functionalitythis is hidden in the dashboard and is activated electronically only when the driver requests it.
