Bugatti’s back with something new, the Tourbillon hyper-GT. This replaces the Chiron with a svelte recognisable look, and a hybridised V16 engine without turbos. Oh, and it aims to become the world’s fastest road car, just like Chiron. Plus, it inherits the mantle of the world’s most powerful combustion machine yet.
Named after a watch mechanism that ensures accuracy, the Tourbillon dots down exactly two decades after the Veyron blasted onto the scene and instantly became the most powerful road car of the era.
The follow-up Chiron launched in 2016 and production at the Molsheim factory in France has just ended. The factory is regearing for the Tourbillon, the first deliveries of which start in 2026.
Like all Bugattis, this will be a limited production run of just 250 examples. And since you’re wondering, the starting price is £3.2 million or roughly $NZ6.6m. Captains of industry and Powerball winners, step right this way.
Bugatti’s CEO, Mate Rimac, described the Tourbillon as “art on wheels, a moving painting”. He also mentioned that he wanted to continue the company’s legacy of “bending physics”. “Everybody can be inspired,” he said.
Rimac acquired Bugatti in 2021 when the firm was considering an electric SUV coupe but he felt that was not right for the brand. He said the emotional appeal of a low-slung silhouette with a huge engine won out. He said “It has to feel special”, incomparable, or it is no longer a Bugatti.
So while the Tourbillon does embrace electrification, the W16 makes way for a naturally aspirated V16, outputting 1324kW thanks to its plug-in hybrid status. The engine was designed in partnership with Cosworth, and Rimac says there is no good reason for Bugatti to go fully electric, at least in the near future.
The 8.3-litre engine is a metre long by a metre wide but weighs just 252kg, thanks to liberal use of lightweight metals and composites. That compares with 400kg for the former W16.
It produces 735kW and is supported by three Rimac-supplied electric motors. Two drive the front axle and one the rear, adding 588kW to the mix. It takes pure-electric Rimac Nevera, Lotus Evija and Pininfarina Battista to add more punch, and even then by less than 75kW.
The motors are there to enhance throttle response and provide in-fill torque. They are powered by a 25kWh battery, giving an electric range of 60km. With 800V charging hardware, a rezip to 80 per cent from nil takes 12 minutes.
And the other question everyone will be wondering about – what is vmax? Chiron managed 420km/h and cracked 300mph in 2019 with some tweaking. Tourbillon is said to have done 444km/h already but according to Rimac it wasn’t maxed out. For the record, the 0-100km/h claim is 2.0sec, while it scorches to 200km/h in under 5sec. So it is amongst the world’s quickest-accelerating cars as well.
You’d not mistake the styling for anything other than Bugatti, the huge engine having a major influence on things. The characteristic C-line is still in evidence, harking back to Bugatti’s early offerings, as well as Chiron and Veyron. So too the horseshoe front grille and the central bisecting line on the hood and roof.
Bugatti says “The ability to travel at more than 400km/h requires every single surface, inlet and ridge to be finely honed to ensure it is not only aerodynamic but also beneficial to the car’s thermodynamics”. The aero focus is seen in the rear wing that remains ‘submerged’ even at top speed, and enormous rear diffuser tunnel. The designer didn’t want a wing so compromised on its size and used a hidden active rear spoiler instead.
Tourbillon features dihedral doors for easy entry and a dramatic arrival but the designer’s overall focus was on elegance compared with some of its aero-aggressive competitors.
The interior is full of analogue appeal and physical controls, the antithesis to the touchscreen era. That’s also why the workings of the Tourbillon’s instrument cluster are on show. They were designed and built by Swiss watchmakers, down to a tolerance of 50 microns.
The inner workings of the centre console controls are like the driver instruments. There is actually a small touchscreen present, with Apple CarPlay functionality, but it is hidden in the dashboard and only deploys when it’s required.
Christophe Piochon, Bugatti president, said the interior design is Bugatti through and through. Like Bugattis of yore, the Tourbillon “is a work of art, stunning in every detail, recognisably Bugatti and also a masterpiece of packaging and engineering.”
Beneath all the elegance is a car that weighs in at under 2000kg. It is said to be lighter than Chiron, despite the hybrid drivetrain, battery pack and trio of motors. Contributing is a carbon fibre shell, and 3D-printed subframes and suspension.
Bugatti has even reworked the front end to increase the size of the frunk for bespoke Tourbillon luggage. We can’t wait to never drive it.
