Bugatti redefines the hypercar with the Tourbillon

Before 2004, ‘supercar’ was at the topmost end of the spectrum of high-performance cars. Ferrari, Lamborghini and other notable sportscar manufacturers had representatives in the limited supercar segment.

Then Bugatti came out with the Veyron, a sportscar which produced 1,001 bhp from its 16-cylinder engine. Its performance led to the creation of a category above the supercar – the hypercar. Bugatti continued to push the edge of the envelope and in 2016, it launched the Chiron with the world’s first 1,500 bhp engine.

Now, 20 years after establishing the hypercar class (which today has become a class in the World Endurance Championship), the century-old French carmaker enters a new era with the Tourbillon. The name, taken from the watchmaking world, redefines the hyper sportscar completely with an entirely new powertrain and platform.

“The development of the Bugatti Tourbillon was guided at every step by the 115 years of Bugatti history and the words of Ettore Bugatti himself. His mantras ‘if comparable, it is no longer Bugatti’ and ‘nothing is too beautiful’ were a guiding path for me personally, as well as the design and engineering teams looking to create the next exciting era in the Bugatti hyper sportscar story,” said Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti.

The Tourbillon  is, however not powered by the same W16 engine. In fact, it is the first Bugatti in over 20 years not to use the iconic powerplant. Also, the tradition of naming core models after legendary Bugatti racing drivers of the past is no longer applied.

Instead, the name Tourbillon was chosen as the perfect encapsulation of this car’s character. A French word, and a subtle reference to the carmaker’s French heritage, the tourbillon is a watchmaking invention of a Swiss-born genius living in France in 1801. The mechanism of a tourbillon helps to counteract the effects of gravity on a watch to ensure more consistent time-keeping. And over 200 years later, it is still revered as the pinnacle of watchmaking.

The mechanical timelessness of the tourbillon is also embedded in the Bugatti hypercar which will be displayed for a long time to come. Technology can become obsolete, so the Tourbillon therefore utilizes a number of design and engineering techniques that will never age.

These include a completely analogue instrument cluster crafted by Swiss watchmakers and finished with the same care and attention you find in the world’s greatest timepieces. While digital displays may be high-tech but can date eventually – whereas analogue displays remain appealing, just like timepieces.

As with every Bugatti of the modern era, the Tourbillon is ‘shaped by speed’. The ability to travel at more than 400 km/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. This is the guiding principle of the Tourbillon, which is then evolved around four Bugatti design elements inspired by history: the horseshoe grille, the Bugatti Line, the central ridge and the dual colour split.

Using over 20 years of expertise from developing the Veyron and Chiron, the Tourbillon features a number of patented technologies. As a result, the rear wing even remains submerged during top-speed runs, with a perfect equilibrium of forces generated by these new innovations.

The wing is utilized to establish higher downforce at slower speeds and as an airbrake for improved stability under deceleration. Much of this aerodynamic equilibrium is thanks to the new diffuser concept, which starts to climb from just behind the passenger cabin, rising at an ideal angle to keep the Tourbillon in perfect balance.

A set of advanced, electrically actuated dihedral doors not only allow for easy entry into the vehicle but provide a dramatic sense of arrival, able to be opened and closed from the key fob, the door opening button found just underneath the Bugatti Line and on the centre console.

Ever since digital screens and touchscreens appeared in cars, the rate of progress has been so rapid that within less than a decade, the technology appears outdated (in the opinion of Bugatti). Imagining the Tourbillon on concours d’elegance lawns not just in 10 years but perhaps in 100 years, the design philosophy of the interior focused on timelessness.

Inspired by the world of horologie, in which wristwatches over 100 years old can still be worn and used today, integrated into modern fashion and lifestyles seamlessly, the design and engineering teams instead chose to pioneer an authentic analogue experience in the cabin.

The horologie philosophy is taken to its most literal conclusion, with an instrument cluster designed and built with the expertise of Swiss watchmakers. Made up of more than 600 parts and constructed from titanium as well as gemstones such as sapphire and ruby, the skeletonized cluster is built to the largest tolerance of 50 microns, with the smallest at 5 microns, and weighs just 700 gms.

This intricately engineered masterpiece remains a focal point of the driving experience, fixed in place as the rim of the steering wheel rotates around it – a set-up known as a fixed hub steering wheel. Through this ingenious concept Tourbillon drivers have an unobstructed view of their instrumentation independent of the steering angle because the spokes reach around the back of the instrument cluster.

The centre console is a blend of crystal glass and aluminium, revealing the intricate workings of the switches and the engine start ‘pull’ lever that it hosts. This glass was developed over 13 separate stages to ensure it was both perfectly clear and extremely strong and safe in the event of an accident.

The act of igniting the all-new naturally aspirated V16 engine and electric powertrain has been crafted to be a physical experience, recalling the rituals of historic automobiles – a pull to start and a push to cease.

But there is still a digital screen – hidden until required. This displays vehicle data and offers seamless mobile connection. An intricately engineered mechanism deploys the touchscreen from the top of the centre console; portrait mode for the reversing camera in just 2 seconds and full landscape mode in 5 seconds.

The Bugatti W16 engine was unlike any other automotive engine in the world when it was revealed. With its 4 turbochargers and those 4-digit power figures, it set a new benchmark for the limits of combustion engine technology. Now, comes another masterpiece of internal combustion engineering, this time paired with the immediate torque and flexibility of electric motors.

This new powerplant for the Tourbillon is an 8.3-litre naturally aspirated V16 engine – engineered with the help of Cosworth – paired with a front e-Axle with two electric motors and one electric motor mounted at the rear axle. . Constructed from lightweight materials, the engine weighs just 252 kgs.

In total, the Tourbillon engine produces 1,800 bhp with 1,000 bhp – without turbochargers – from the petrol engine itself and 800 bhp from the electric motors. With 4-wheel-drive and full torque-vectoring, ultimate traction and agility I guaranteed. While power, throttle response and torque-fill are priorities for the electric powertrain, the relatively large energy content of 25 kWh allows for a very usable all-electric range of more than 60 kms.

In the automotive industry, it is expected that each new model is heavier than its predecessor. Especially in case the new model adds a hybrid powertrain or more performance. But with this all- new Bugatti, the which has significantly improved performance, a very powerful electric powertrain, and a large battery pack , the overall weight is less than the Chiron.

“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 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox and more, all developed from the ground up specifically for the Tourbillon,” Emilio Scervo, Bugatti’s CTO.

The Tourbillon is now in its testing phase, with prototypes already on the road in anticipation for customer deliveries in 2026. A total of 250 hypercars will be built, with a starting price of 3.8 million euros (about RM19,14 million).

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