It was in 1998 when the Volkswagen Group revived Bugatti to push the boundaries of automotive engineering and build the world’s most technically advanced hypercars. Over the next two decades, Bugatti set several speed records, culminating in breaching the hallowed 300mph mark in 2019. Bugatti’s test driver Andy Wallace breached the seemingly insurmountable 300mph barrier in Chiron Super Sport 300+ and registered a top speed of 304.73mph. It was such a major achievement for the French hypercar manufacturer that the then-president of Bugatti, Stephan Winkelmann, said the company was finished chasing speed records. However, a lot has changed over the last five years. With a new leader at the helm, Bugatti could be looking for more titles.
During this year’s Monterey Car Week, The Drive had the chance to speak with Bugatti’s CEO Mate Rimac, who took over the control of the legendary French automaker in 2021. When Rimac was asked if Bugatti is finished with speed, the 36-year-old Croatian genius quipped: “It was. It isn’t.” Bugatti now has a brand new tool to set new standards in the hypercar market, the Tourbillon, which is powered by a cutting-edge hybrid V16 powertrain capable of churning out 1800hp.
Rimac’s hints at the company’s renewed intention to set new speed records were also supported by the company’s CTO Emilio Scervo. “Bugatti in the future for me is going to be high speed but not at heavy cost. It has to [have] better aerodynamics, with a lighter car, with the more emotional engine,” Scervo says. “So we’re still going to pursue to move this barrier higher, but keeping this in a way is very Bugatti, very comfortable. It is not like a scary high speed drive, but it’s getting more emotional and more sophisticated in the way it delivers it.”
The young Croatian also spoke about how he built his eponymous company and the struggles faced to keep the EV brand afloat. “You don’t know how many near-death situations the company had, how much struggle I had, how many existential survival questions and issues,” he remembered. “We just barely, barely, barely made it. Barely.” He also spoke about one of his heroes, Elon Musk, while talking about what it takes to be at the helm, admitting he can’t imagine keeping this pace for that long. You cannot have a normal life and do this,” Rimac said.
