Every now and then Bugatti brings something which takes our collective breath away. This time, it has applied the same technique as we see on Swiss watches hence, the name Bugatti Tourbillon. This term belongs to an intricate mechanism that remains exposed on watches while that exact ethos has been drenched onto this car.
Not many would be built as only 250 of these mechanical wonders would be there prowling about but Bugatti has always been about exclusivity. The Tourbillon is also not an updated Chiron or even following what the Veyron did. Instead it takes a new path with electrification along with a gigantic new engine. There is no W16 as you get a V16 which is naturally aspirated while packing in a plethora of electric motors plus engineering witchcraft.
Complicated powertrain
As always, the Bugatti Tourbillon is governed by speed which aerodynamics dictate its streamlined proportions. Of course, this car is ‘shaped by speed’ and being engineered to run above 400km/h. It all starts with the engine as that runs the show here.
Bugatti customers wanted combustion engined cars and that is what we have received with an all-new 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V16 engine, developed with the help of Cosworth, while it is combined with a front e-Axle with two electric motors and one electric motor mounted at the rear axle. It is a complicated powertrain but amazingly it weighs less than the Chiron too despite being a hybrid.
Engineered to run above 400 km/h
The electric motors are also powered by a 25-kWh oil-cooled 800V battery housed in the central tunnel and behind the passengers. Of course, it gets four-wheel-drive and full torque-vectoring while it promises a decent electric only range too.
Yes, you can potter around in this Bugatti in utmost silence while also supplementing the colossal power of that engine. Power figures are in the region of 1,775 bhp too while the top-speed is 445 km/h- a sizable increase from the Chiron and showing how far the power race is going today.
Analogue masterpiece inside
The design is new but still the same as it nestles within the Bugatti ethos of the horseshoe grille plus the hallowed the Bugatti line. The front end is Chiron like while the rear has a menacing stance as well. However, adding a dash of drama are also the dihedral doors which are plucked from the supercar rulebook.
Inside, it is an analogue masterpiece with a careful distance being taken from the digital world. The Tourbillon is all analogue while dipped in Bugatti values and that is exactly how it should be as in this rarefied segment, buyers do not care about how many screens or buttons.
Hand-assembled
The talking point in the Bugatti Tourbillon is the instrument cluster which is plucked from a Swiss watch as the mechanicals are beautifully drenched in detail for us to fondle them. There are 600 parts and is made from titanium as well as gemstones such as sapphire and ruby while the skeletonized cluster weighs just 700 g.
The steering wheel also rotates around it with being a fixed hub affair and this whole process is just incredible to witness. Even the centre console is made up from crystal glass and aluminum while the workings of the switches are exposed for us to see. That said, there is a hidden screen which reveals itself only when desired. Everything else also has been changed including the structure, suspension, and the brakes while more technology has been poured to make it nimbler this time!
Hybrid Bugatti Tourbillon: Starts at $4.1 million
It is indeed an all-new Bugatti and takes the torch from the Chiron while upping the ante in terms of craftsmanship, luxury while the powertrain on offer is a unique blend of being a sensory experience plus a numbers machine.
Hand-assembled at the Bugatti Atelier in Molsheim, the Tourbillon is easily the most intriguing hypercar as it goes beyond speed while putting the focus on emotion along with craftsmanship.
Somnath Chatterjee grew up around cars and most of his childhood was spent obsessing over supercars. Years later he decided to start writing about them and hasn’t looked back since. While he has had his fair share of cars, the world of automobiles never ceases to amaze him. Travelling all over the world to drive them along with sharing that experience is what ultimately keeps him going. He hopes to drive a Ferrari 288 GTO someday because, well, do you really need a reason?
