The wait is finally over! Bugatti has unveiled its newest hypercar, ushering in a new era for the century-old French automaker. Ditching its recent tradition of naming the hypercars after notable drivers, Bugatti has chosen a very unconventional name for Chiron’s replacement. The latest seven-figure is called the Tourbillon – named after a mechanism used in expensive mechanical watches that counter the negative effects of gravity. But the unique name is just the tip of the iceberg; almost everything about the French marque’s newest creation is extraordinary. The first Bugatti model created under Mate Rimac’s leadership is such an exceptional piece of automotive art that there seems to be an endless list of things to talk about. However, here are 7 things you should know about the Bugatti Tourbillon.
Familiar yet completely bespoke
At first glance, you might mistake the Bugatti Tourbillon for a sleek variant of the mighty Chiron. Some of its design elements might even force you to think that it’s cool concept based on the marque’s outgoing hypercar. The idea was to draw from Bugatti’s 115-year-old design philosophy, preserving the instantly recognizable styling. The French automaker says it wanted the Tourbillon to be unmistakably Bugatti. But don’t let the familiar design fool you. The Bugatti Tourbillon is completely bespoke, sharing not a single part or component with the Chiron or its derivatives, which is absolutely crazy!
While the new hypercar is not longer than its predecessor, it sits 1.3 inches lower and the glasshouse is narrower to reduce drag. The famous horseshoe grille has also undergone a transformation, which is broader and shorter than before. Inspired by the iconic bolted central fin of the Type 57SC Atlantic, a center line runs from the new grille all the way to the rear. The slimmer headlights are topped by aero fins that direct air to the engine, while the hypercar features a one-piece taillight that beautifully contours the curvaceous rear. If that was not all, the new Bugatti comes with upward-opening doors.
Brand new hybrid powertrain
For its new hypercar, Bugatti ditched the lunatic quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine that powered all the modern Bugatti hypercars and put an all-new, Cosworth-developed 8.3-liter, naturally aspirated V16. In fact, the automaker had teased the wild combustion engine a few months before the launch. But now we finally have all the information, including the details of the electric side of the powertrain. Eschewing forced induction, the V16 engine can spin up to 9000 rpm, producing 986 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque.
The high-revving combustion engine is assisted by three electric motors: two at the front axle and another at the rear. The trio of e-motors produce 789 horsepower, taking the total output to 1775-hp. The motors draw power from a surprisingly big 25.0-kWh battery pack that sits at the center of the car and give the hypercar an all-electric range of 30 miles.
Mindboggling performance figures
With close to 1800hp on tap, the Bugatti Tourbillon is destined to be blisteringly fast. The French automaker claims that the new hypercar can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in less than 2 seconds and reach 250mph in about 25 seconds. While it’s unclear if the hypercar will set a new top speed record, the Tourbillon is limited to 277mph for its customers.
Now, let’s put that top-speed figure into a hypothetical context. At 277mph (or 445 km/h), the new Bugatti hypercar could circumnavigate the Earth in just 90 hours—that’s the equivalent of three days and 18 hours! Imagine driving at a constant top speed on an endless straight around the world, covering the Earth’s circumference of approximately 40,075 km. For comparison, ‘around the world in 80 days’ sounds almost leisurely. Even more impressively, at full throttle and without breaks, you could reach the moon (384,400 km away) in just 36 days.
Inspired by Haute Horlogerie
Watchmaking and luxury cars have shared close links for many decades, spawning countless special edition timepieces inspired by high-end automobiles. In fact, Bugatti’s collaboration with Jacob & Co. has created several crazy limited-edition timepieces. However, this is the first time the world has seen a highly exclusive vehicle that’s strongly inspired by Haute Horlogerie. The influence is most evident inside the cabin, which, unlike the exterior, is completely different from the hypercar’s predecessors. The switchgear and the instrumentation of the Bugatti Tourbillon pay tribute to the art of making highly complex mechanical watches.
Reinventing the wheel
One of the biggest highlights of Bugatti Tourbillon’s cabin is the insanely beautiful instrument cluster and the steering wheel that rotates around it. Let’s start with the instrument console. When the entire industry has moved towards digital displays, Bugatti chose to equip its new hypercar with the most complex instrument cluster with mechanical gauges. The clocks were developed in partnership with Swiss watchmakers and are designed to look like skeleton watches with their intricate gear train on display.
Furthermore, Bugatti has paired it with the most complex steering wheel system we’ve ever seen. The instrument cluster appears to float in the middle of the fixed-hub steering wheel, which features a complex planetary gear system.
Every single component is a work of art
Mate Rimac’s obsession with making the Bugatti Tourbillon the most outstanding modern automobile is clearly visible. Be it the exposed V16 engine wrapped in oodles of carbon fiber or the way a tiny entertainment screen pops out from the center console, the attention to detail is unparalleled. The center console is also a work of art, which is composed of crystal glass and aluminum. However, the obsession with aesthetics also extends to things that are not visible to the eye. Case in point, the rolling chassis of the car crafted out of carbon fiber is so beautifully designed that it’s no less than an achingly beautiful piece of sculpture.
More exclusive than its modern-era predecessors
Bugatti has announced that the production of the Tourbillon will be limited to just 250 examples, which makes it twice as exclusive as the Chiron. Mate Rimac said the production run will start close to 2026 and will be completed within 2.5 years. As for the pricing, the Bugatti Tourbillon starts at $4 million.
