Bugatti Tourbillon: The One That Turns Back Time
To understand the new Tourbillon, perhaps one needs to delve a bit deeper into the VW Group and its history. This is because the revival of the Bugatti brand was, against all reasoning, a boardroom decision by Ferdinand Piëch. In his role as Chairman of the Board of Volkswagen AG, he acquired the brand rights to Bugatti in 1998, shortly thereafter purchasing the Château and property in Molsheim, Alsace, and brought together what belonged together. And he developed the first car for one million euros.
Bugatti as Anti-Rimac: So there's room for both
The brand has now established itself, and the former W16, with its (once) four turbos, was an enormous effort, especially in terms of air supply and cooling — something you don't just discard. However, electromobility is now questioning this more than ever. Enter Mate Rimac, who, with a not-so-weak electric motor from a forklift in his 3-series BMW, outperformed all competition in acceleration races. In April 2011, the Croatian hired his first three employees and continued to work on E-machines and their surroundings. He received more and more development contracts from OEMs, and with additional injections of capital, he brought the Nevera, with 1,914 HP, to life — leaving the Bugattis of this world simply standing still.
Now, Porsche also noticed him and tied him a bit closer with a stake, creating a kind of hypercar division within the VW Group together with Bugatti. And because in this class one prefers the sound of combustion engines over the whirring of E-machines, they decided to position Bugatti quite differently than Rimac: 2024, more classic than ever, meaning they stuck with 16 cylinders now in a V-configuration (for which they brought Cosworth on board), increased the displacement to a gigantic 8.3 liters, achieving 735 kW or 1000 HP. This is not sooo overwhelming and new, so they treated themselves to three E-machines with an 800-volt architecture, which send an additional 588 kW or 800 HP to the wheels, bringing the combined system output to 1324 kW or 1800 HP. Additionally, there's 900 Nm from the naturally aspirated engine and 3000 Nm from the front E-machines. The rear adds 240 Nm each, though you shouldn't just simply add that all up. Nevertheless, the torque rises into the four-digit range.
And while the 16-cylinder is allowed to rev up to an impressive 9,000/min, the E-machines are indulged with up to 24,000 revolutions per minute. The power is distributed via an eight-speed dual-clutch.
Up to 60 km of purely electric range
They stayed modest with the battery, which offers only 24.8 kWh gross capacity, allowing up to 60 km of purely electric driving, whether for shopping, going to a boutique or for a manicure... With the V16, the monster sprints to 100 km/h in under two seconds, to 200 km/h in under five seconds, and to 300 km/h in under ten seconds – in under 25 seconds – and 400 km/h should be reached, with a top speed of 445 km/h. This means that special tires are again needed for this, which Michelin bakes in the form of Pilot Cup Sport 2: in the size of 285 / 35 R 20 at the front and 345 / 30 R 21 at the rear. They should be changed after each top-speed run, costing a bit more than normal Michelins...
They also kept the weight in check: Bugatti specifies an empty weight of ‘under’ 1995 kg, the length remains manageable at 4.67 meters as does the height at 1.19 meters. Only the width stands out at 2.05 meters (2,165 mm with mirrors). Wheelbase? A generous 2.74 meters.
Interior (Finest) Mechanical Displays instead of Screens - well, one mini screen remained
All right, we know a bit about this and it was also expected – that Bugattis would be electrified. But the real surprise is in the interior: Instead of screens, they have created primarily mechanical displays in the style of a Richard Mille chronograph – pure fine mechanics! And we can be curious whether there will also be hyper-special editions here as with the expensive chronographs... Currently, Bugatti plans to build 250 units of its grand ‘clock,’ which will be manufactured in the Bugatti (watch) factory in Molsheim at a net price of 3.8 million euros. With the hope that they do not become ‘stand clocks’ for the brand. Delivery is scheduled to start from 2026...
The tourbillon continues a lineage - the V16 remains. | Photo: Bugatti
Only at 445 km/h does it end. | Photo: Bugatti
He remains mighty - but at least under two tons of empty weight. | Photo: Bugatti
Familiar Proportions. | Photo: Bugatti
At the rear, the spoiler can brake along and generate considerable downforce. | Photo: Bugatti
It remained with the horseshoe grill. | Photo: Bugatti
Visually an evolution, not a revolution. | Photo: Bugatti
Arches dominate the lines. Bugatti-unique. | Photo: Bugatti
Interior as a work of art in rendering. | Photo: Bugatti
The 16 cylinders also come out pretty well drawn. | Photo: Bugatti
Trotzdem wurden dem Kunstwerk von Verbrenner etwas Vitamine in Form von E-Maschinen zugegeben. | Foto: Bugatti
What does that mean?
No one needs an 1800-HP Bugatti hybrid. What amazed us, however, was the hardcore TURNING BACK of the clocks! A naturally aspirated engine that generates its power through ample displacement and visible mechanical indicators instead of screens inside – that makes you sit up and take notice. That's why we're less excited about the car itself and more about the signal it sends!
Translated automatically from German.
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