Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto

Bugatti Solidifies Its Spot as Hypercar King With Track-Only Bolide

Joel Patel
By
Bugatti Bolide Concept in garage from front..

Bugatti’s hypercars are built to do one thing: Go extremely fast in a straight line. More recently, the automaker has revealed that it can build cars that can tackle corners at insane speeds with hypercars like the Divo and Pur Sport. Bugatti really wants to be taken seriously when it comes to track-oriented vehicles. So, it did what any other automaker would do — create a radical concept. The Bolide concept that came out in December 2020 was Bugatti’s way of flexing its muscles and now, it’s putting the vehicle into production.

Related Guides

At The Quail Motorsport Gathering, Bugatti announced that 40 units of the Bolide would be built. Each one will cost around $4.8 million, making it one of the most expensive track specials ever built. For that kind of money, wealthy individuals would be able to purchase a few seasons of racing in a GT3 championship. That, though, is far from the point. Anyone with money and track experience can get a GT3 racer. Only someone with lots and lots of money can purchase a Bolide.

Recommended Videos

The concept version of the Bolide featured a quad-turbocharged W16 engine rated at 1,825 horsepower and 1,365 pound-feet of torque. In the production version, the engine has been tuned down to 1,578 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque. The difference comes down to what kind of fuel the engine can run on. The concept was tuned on 110-octane race fuel, while the production version has been tuned to run on premium gas from your local gas station.

Related
1 of 7
Bugatti Bolide Concept from front.
Bugatti Bolide Concept from rear end.
Bugatti Bolide Concept on track from back right corner.
Bugatti Bolide Concepton track back right corner.
Bugatti Bolide Concept from above.
Bugatti Bolide Concept rear end.
Bugatti Bolide Concept in garage front left corner.

Bugatti hasn’t confirmed what kind of transmission the Bolide will come with, but the concept featured a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The company’s all-wheel-drive system was also included. You don’t really expect a track-only car to come with all-wheel drive, but with roughly 1,600 horsepower on tap, we think drivers will be happy to have some help putting that power down safely.

Beyond the powertrain, Bugatti has obviously spent a lot of time designing the body to raise hell on the track. When creating the Bolide, Bugatti managed to keep weight down to roughly 3,200 pounds, which is a featherweight level compared to the brand’s other hypercars. The track car has a carbon-fiber monocoque, doors that fold upward like an LMP1 racing car, and an aggressive body kit. Bugatti has also kept things raw with the Bolide, as the track car has 60% more visible carbon fiber than its other vehicles.

Bugatti Bolide Concept front end from above.

A cross between a spaceship and a Le Mans racer, the Bolide is absolutely bonkers. One of our favorite features is a central fin that starts at the bottom of the roof scoop and flows into the rear wing. Speaking of the rear wing, Bugatti claims it produces roughly 4,000 pounds of downforce at 199 mph. The roof scoop has “morphable outer skin” that remains smooth at low speeds, but bubbles up when the car begins to flow in the air to reduce drag by 10% and lift by 17%.

The Bolide may look crazy and have insane performance figures, but it’s been designed to fully meet the FIA’s safety regulations for a race car. That means owners will find a HANS-compatible device, an automatic fire extinguisher, a bladder fuel tank, and polycarbonate windows. The goal, after all, is to offer its own exclusive track days where owners can really explore the vehicle’s limits without having to deal with traffic.

When the concept came out, Bugatti claimed the Bolide would be able to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 5:23, which would make it 4 seconds slower than the current record holder, the Porsche 919 Evo. The track-only hypercar is expected to be able to lap Circuit de la Sarthe in 3:07, roughly 8 seconds quicker than the Toyota TS050.

1 of 3
Bugatti Bolide Concept interior.
Bugatti Bolide Concept interior focusing on steering wheel.
Bugatti Bolide Concept steering wheel close up.

Bugatti president Stephan Winkelmann stated that the automaker was done chasing speed records after the Chiron Super Sport became the first production car to hit 300 mph. At the time, we didn’t quite know what Bugatti would focus on next. With the Bolide, it looks like the automaker has found its latest priority: Giving the wealthy a car to set lap records in.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Joel Patel
Joel Patel
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joel Patel is a Northern Virginia native that became enamored with cars at a young age when he was tasked with holding the…
Rolls-Royce Returns To Coachbuilding the Nautical-Inspired Boat Tail
Rolls-Royce Boat Tail

Rolls-Royce used to be the leader in the coachbuilding business, back when consumers wanted to flaunt their wealth instead of schlepping themselves around in a basic form of transportation. From the 1926 Phantom Brougham de Ville and 1928 17EX to the 1934 Phantom II Continental drophead coupe and 1972 Phantom VI limousine, Rolls-Royce specialized in coachbuilding to give wealthy consumers a bespoke vehicle that no other could match.
 
Since then, things have cooled off with Rolls’ coachbuilding services, as the last one the British marque pumped out was the Sweptail in 2017. In a return to form and the good ol’ days of catering to the 1%, the automaker has come out with a new Rolls-Royce Coachbuilding department that just came out with the swanky and ultra-exclusive Boat Tail.

 
Three Boat Tails will be built, all of which will be to each customer’s specific specifications. Being a product of the brand’s new coachbuilding department, the Boat Tails will feature unique styling elements, features, colors, and trim specifications. So far, Rolls-Royce has only built one model – the all-blue-everything model you see here – that took four years and 1,813 new parts to make.
Related Guides

Read more
Cadillac’s CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwings Mark the End of an Era
2022 Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwings

If you’re hanging out at home, crack open a beer, because Cadillac’s done it again. The American luxury brand recently debuted two of its most-awaited vehicles: the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing. Both sedans, on paper, look far superior to their successors, the ATS-V and CTS-V, respectively. Enjoying that beer you’re drinking? Well, it’s time to pour some out. Shortly after the two Blackwing models were introduced, Cadillac made another shocking announcement – these will be the last performance cars to wear a V badge to solely be powered by an internal-combustion engine. In every sense of the words, these two truly do represent the end of an era.

Before we get too sappy, here’s the rundown on the two sedans. The compact CT4-V Blackwing (finished in red) is the smaller, more affordable of the two. Under the hood, the sedan utilizes a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 engine that’s good for 472 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque. Over the old ATS-V, the CT4-V Blackwing has grippier Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, an updated version of magnetorheological dampers as standard equipment, larger brakes, and aluminum housing for the electronic limited-slip differential. Of course, the cabin is filled with modern equipment, like a special AKG audio system and a digital gauge cluster, but these are secondary points to the performance.
Related Guides

Read more
The Bugatti Divo is a Heavyweight Hypercar Designed for the Track
bugatti divo

It must first be said, the Bugatti Veyron was no slouch when confronted with a decreasing radius or off-camber turn. In fact, during my initial outing with the world's first hypercar, I was floored at how the Veyron (the third fastest car in the world) felt as if Bugatti lied about its hefty proportions as it danced on its tippy toes while I merrily kept the throttle open through increasingly tight turns.

And though I've yet to get behind the titanium and leather steering wheel of the Bugatti Chiron (the fourth fastest car), there's little doubt it too can slice a road like a butcher slices oven-roasted turkey. That said, neither takes Lotus founder Colin Chapman's infamous zeal to lightweight everything to heart. Until now.

Read more