Do you think your job is tough? Bugatti has one job: to create the perfect car and then do it again.
Bugatti introduced the company’s latest hypercar, the Bugatti Tourbillon, at a gala event at the company headquarters in Molsheim, France, on June 20, 2024. To most of the world, Bugatti was doing what the automaker does: unveiling a new hypercar after selling the limited-edition allocation of the previous hypercar, in this case, the last Bugatti Chiron. In other words, from most outsiders’ perspectives, Bugatti was performing as a car company.
For Bugatti’s staff, however, the Tourbillon unveiling culminated the entire company’s efforts to achieve the impossible: to create the next perfect car.
Why the Tourbillon creation process matters
The principle of perfection is the legacy of founder Ettore Bugatti, who claimed nothing was too beautiful or expensive for a Bugatti car.
Bugatti is a dream company, not a car company. Rather than building cars it can sell, Bugatti creates the cars it must to allow dreams and fantasies to come true. In some respects, Bugatti is similar to Disney; each company honors its founder’s legacy as it imagines, designs, and creates physical representations of ideals. Disney builds parks where families can spend time in a magical setting. Bugatti builds
The difference between Bugatti and Disney and Bugatti and other car companies is that Bugatti’s pursuit of perfection reigns supreme, with no limits and no excuses.
Bugatti hypercars
The Bugatti Tourbillon, the car on the far right in the photo above, is the latest Bugatti hypercar. The Veyron, Bugatti’s first hypercar, was introduced in 2004. The Veyron had an 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine that made 1,001 horsepower — it was the first production street car with more than 1,000 horsepower.
The Chiron was Bugatti’s second hypercar. Launched in 2016, the W16 engine was developed to deliver 1,500 horsepower. Its top speed is over 300 miles per hour. Bugatti recently built L’Ultime, the last Chiron of a limited edition of 500 cars.
Bugatti is currently building limited runs of the Mistral Roadster and the Bolide, a hypercar for the track built for drivers without track experience. The Mistal and Bolide both use the W16 engine.
The Bugatti Tourbillon does not use the W16 engine. It has an entirely new powertrain: a hybrid gas and electric powertrain. Below is more on the Tourbillon powertrain.
The Tourbillon’s development: Built for eternity
Bugatti CTO Emilio Scervo summarized the decision process for the Tourbillon’s powertrain.
“The powertrain was perhaps the most important decision that we had to make, considering every option available to us: reengineering the W16, going fully electric or creating something entirely new. Ultimately, we chose the hardest possible option, creating a powertrain from scratch and pairing it seamlessly with a complex system of e-motors, a new generation eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and more, all developed from the ground up specifically for the Tourbillon. But it was important to us that this car retained that pure and raw analog feel of a naturally aspirated combustion engine while pairing it with the agility and ability provided by electric motors.” – Emilio Scervo
The Tourbillon also breaks with Bugatti’s hypercar naming tradition. Rather than naming the new hypercar after a winning Bugatti racecar driver, as was the earlier practice, the Tourbillon name refers to a time-keeping instrument. Tourbillon is a French word for a mechanism invented more than 200 years ago that is still used today in the highest-quality watches to keep time consistent by compensating for the effects of gravity. The name reflects the precision engineering in the Tourbillon and the aspect of timelessness in a car built for eternity.
Bugatti Tourbillon performance
The Tourbillon has an 8.3-liter V16 engine and three electric motors. The gas motor is naturally aspirated, which means it doesn’t have turbochargers or a supercharger. A 25 kWh oil-cooled 800V battery powers the electric motors, with two motors for the front wheels and the third for the rear axle.
The gas motor creates 1,000 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque and has a maximum RPM of 9,000. The electric motors, which spin at a maximum of 24,000 RPM, produce a total of 800 hp, Bugatti says, with 2,213 lb-ft of torque at the front wheels and 177 lb-ft at the rear axle. So, overall, the Tourbillon has 1,800 hp.
The Tourbillon’s rated top speed is 238 mph under limited usage or 278 mph with a separate Speed Key. Again, according to Bugatti, the Tourbillon accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in two seconds, 0 to 124 mph in five seconds, 0 to 188 mph in 10 seconds, and 0 to 248 mph in 25 seconds.
Bugatti does not currently have fuel consumption and emissions figures for the Tourbillon, but it does state that the car can travel up to 37 miles solely using electric power.
Bugatti Tourbillon design principles
The Tourbillon design includes elements implemented in earlier Bugattis carried forward by tradition but also for their effect on vehicle aerodynamics or esthetics. The Troubillon’s horseshoe-shaped grille is inspired by the Type 35 racecar, which initially used that form to guide the streamlined car’s shape.
The front of the car is lowered, the term for which is Surbaisssé, first used with the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, considered one of the most beautiful cars ever built. The lowered front end also lowers the roofline, similar to tipping the brim of a hat, which gives the car the appearance of being ready to pounce. The lowering also directs airflow for good effect.
Another traditional Bugatti look is dual-tone paint. In this case, the color split occurs along the Bugatti line, another element. This additional design feature was first used with the Type 41 Royale, an immense Bugatti luxury car built from 1927 to 1933.
Bugatti Tourbillon aerodyamics
The Tourbillon is built for traveling at exceedingly high speeds, nearly 280 mph, using a separate speed key. Therefore, the car’s streamlined shape and any accent or design element, such as the lowered front end, are, as commonly expressed at Bugatti, “shaped by speed.”
Thermodynamics is also important. The Tourbillon has a V16 engine, three electric motors, and a high-performance battery, so the cooling effect of directed airflow is a significant consideration.
The Tourbillon design includes several technologies based on the development of the Veyron and Chiron that help maintain equilibrium at top speeds when the forces involved are greatest. A new air diffuser concept in the side of the body from just behind the Tourbillon’s cabin also helps keep the car stable.
The new car has a rear wing, but because of aerodynamic equilibrium, it doesn’t extend beyond the car’s surface at high speeds. The wing extends for greater traction at slower speeds and stability by acting as an air brake during deceleration.
Bugatti Tourbillon driver perspective
The Tourbillon interior may surprise many first-time viewers, with no digital displays in sight. With its company vision of its cars on display at Concours of exotic vehicles one hundred years from now, Bugatti intentionally chose to use what appear to be solely analog gauges. The instruments, made of titanium and gemstones, were designed and built by Swiss watchmakers.
The steering wheel gauge cluster is on a fixed hub and does not rotate, allowing the steering wheel to rotate around the cluster. The design, which includes steering wheel spokes that attach behind the instruments, allows the driver a clear view of the gauges at all times.
The center console, made of aluminum and crystal glass, also has a surprise. When needed, a high-definition digital screen with vehicle data and mobile connectivity can surface from the top of the console.
The Tourbillon seating concept has an interesting primary feature: the seats don’t move. The pedals are in a single box and can move to fit the driver. With a stationary seat, which saves a significant amount of weight, Bugatti says the car’s interior is spacious. Also, to save space and weight, the Tourbillon’s audio system has no speakers or woofers but employs audio exciters, another name for transducers. Exciters throughout the car use vibrations on door surfaces and other panels to create sound.
Bugatti Tourbillon production
The Bugatti Tourbillon’s starting price is 3.8 million euros, or $4,123,190. Bugatti’s customer process involves a series of interviews with prospective buyers to ensure the fit is correct for all involved before the build process commences. Each car is handmade at Molsheim by a small team of craftspeople.
The Bugatti Tourbillon will be limited to 250 cars. Construction will not begin until Bugatti finishes the last Bolide and W16 Mistral models. Bugatti anticipates the first customer deliveries will occur in 2026.
