Discover the Bugatti Tourbillon, the 1,800 hp hybrid replacing the Chiron

First there was Veyron. Then came Chiron. Now Whirlwind. Revealed today, Bugatti’s new 1,800 hp hypercar delivers even more shock and awe than its predecessors. Gone is the famous 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine. In its place is a new 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V16 producing 1,000 hp, paired with a trio of electric motors producing 800 hp. This combination makes it the most powerful Bugatti ever designed.

Although the design of the full carbon composite body is clearly derived from the characteristic lines of the Veyron and Chiron, its roofline is lower, the body lighter and more aerodynamic, and the iconic horseshoe grille more imposing. Yet the star feature will likely be the car’s all-new interior, featuring a skeletonized instrument cluster in titanium and sapphire crystal inspired by Swiss watchmaking (“tourbillon” referring to a mechanical complication that increases the precision of high-end watches).

“Beauty, performance and luxury constituted the model of the Tourbillon. What we have created is a car that is more elegant, more emotional and more luxurious than anything that has come before it,” Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti-Rimac, told Flight report during an exclusive preview in the company’s new design studio in Berlin.

He explained that four years ago, when the Tourbillon concept was on the drawing board, there were many suggestions about what an all-new Bugatti could look like. Options included an SUV, a coupe-like crossover, and a four-door luxury sedan. Then there was the choice between a hybrid or fully electric powertrain.

“The proposal to make it electric was an obvious choice. We had our (Rimac) Nevera, with which we could easily transfer our technology and revamp the body. But I felt it was not good for Bugatti,” Rimac said. “I wanted a successor to the Veyron and the Chiron, a real hypercar with a thermal engine. Our customers agreed.

To create it, Rimac teamed up with Cosworth, a renowned British engine manufacturer, to help develop the naturally aspirated V16 engine. Designed to rev at 9,000 rpm, the engine offers power similar to that of the quad-turbo W16 in the original Veyron. To increase performance, Rimac and his team used their proven expertise in electric propulsion to pair the V16 with two electric motors driving the front wheels, and a third at the rear. For battery power, a 25 kWh oil-cooled 800-volt pack is integrated into the chassis and located behind the passengers. It’s powerful enough to give the Tourbillon an electric-only range of around 37 miles.

As you would expect, the Tourbillon was developed to be extremely fast. According to Bugatti technical director Emilio Scervo, early prototype testing suggests acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 2.0 seconds, zero to 200 km/h in 5.0 seconds and zero to 186 km/h in 10.0 seconds. The top speed target is 445 km/h (276 mph), but with a speedometer reading up to 550 km/h (341 mph), we expect there to be more to come .

“For us, it was important that the car retained the pure, raw analog feel of a naturally aspirated combustion engine, while combining it with the agility and capability provided by electric motors,” said Scervo.

The engine itself sits low in the Tourbillon’s new ultra-rigid body structure, formed from next-generation T800 carbon composites. It features a forged aluminum multi-link suspension (front and rear) that replaces the previous steel double wishbone setup used in the Chiron. The 3D-printed aluminum control arms and uprights, as well as the AI-developed, 3D-printed hollow aero arm at the rear, are nothing short of works of art.

For the exterior lines, Bugatti design director Frank Heyl explained that the styling influences came from three iconic Bugattis of yesteryear: the Type 35 racing car from the 1920s, the kilometer-long Type 41 Royale built from 1927 to 1933 and the legendary Type 57SC Atlantic of the 1930s.

“The focus was on Bugatti’s iconic horseshoe grille. It’s significantly wider and lower than that of the Chiron, and that’s where all of the car’s lines come from. It defines the car,” said Heyl, who added that another signature element is “the new central windshield wiper, which continues the line that starts on the hood and runs up along the roof. Like on the Atlantic. »

Set back from the grille are two rows of very thin LED lights measuring less than half an inch thick. Between them is a narrow panel on the hood that lifts to reveal a “trunk” large enough for a set of custom-designed luggage.

In profile, the “Bugatti line” around the doors – a defining feature of the Veyron and Chiron – is even more striking with the car’s lowered roofline. At the rear, huge exhausts, a Le Mans-style carbon fiber diffuser (twice the size of the Chiron’s) and a wave of LED lights with glowing “Bugatti” lettering add to the visual drama. And to allow spectators to gaze upon that V16 engine – and for cooling purposes – the engine is open to the elements.

As you open the “scissor” dihedral doors and enter the cockpit, you discover arguably the most spectacular feature of the new Tourbillon; a skeletonized instrument cluster inspired by the art of Swiss watchmaking. Made up of more than 600 components, it is constructed of titanium with sapphire crystal faces and details incorporating rubies.

The three-dial cluster is fixed, with the double spokes of the flat-bottomed steering wheel rotating around it. The unit is built in-house to remarkable horological tolerances of 50 microns, the average cross-section of a human hair. The entire cluster weighs only 25 ounces.

Cascading from the middle of the dashboard is the center console featuring crystal glass formed in 13 distinct steps to ensure strength and clarity. The aluminum elements are anodized and milled from a single block.

To add a bit of theater to starting this big V16, there’s a prominent aluminum button on the center console that you pull to start and press to shut off. It’s another nod to Bugatti models of yesteryear. What you won’t see, however, are touchscreens. Heyl thinks the main thing that dates a car is an oversized screen. “What was cutting edge 10 years ago is ugly today,” Heyl said. “The Tourbillon is designed to be timeless. »

In the Bugatti tradition, the Tourbillon will also be very exclusive. Only 250 copies are planned, each starting at 3.8 million euros, or 4.08 million dollars at the current exchange rate. The first customer cars are expected to be built at the Bugatti workshop in Molsheim, France, from 2026.

“Yes, it’s crazy to build a new V16 engine, integrate it with a new battery and electric motors, and have 3D printed suspension parts and a real dashboard from a Swiss watchmaker” , noted Rimac. “But that’s what Ettore Bugatti would have done.”

Click here for more photos of the 1,800 hp Bugatti Tourbillon hypercar.