Bugatti replaces the W16 engine with a high-revving V16 engine without a turbo to increase driving pleasure. Instead of a turbo, the Tourbillon has three electric motors.
Constantly outdoing yourself is a difficult art, but that’s exactly what Bugatti seems to have succeeded in once again. Now under Mate Rimac’s leadership.
As we previously reported, Bugatti is retiring the iconic 1,001-horsepower W16 engine that debuted in the 2005 Veyron. With the successor Chiron, which was launched in 2016, the effect was sharpened up to 1,600 horsepower in the sports model Bugatti Chiron Super Sports and Mistral.
A new generation requires even more power. 0-100km/h in 2 seconds flat is a new standard (and at the limit of what street legal tires can do) and it requires more power. The new Bugatti Tourbillon has a system output of 1,800 horsepower.
1,000 horsepower without turbo
Power is not the only source of driving pleasure. Sound and engine character are other important ingredients. To make the Tourbillon more fun to drive than the Chiron, the W16 engine with four turbo units has been scrapped and replaced by a 40 cm longer naturally aspirated V16 engine without a turbo.
The engine was developed together with Cosworth and revs to 9,000 r/min. It weighs 252 kilograms and produces 900 Nm of torque. The cylinder volume is 8.3 liters.
To trump the Chiron with 200 horses, the Tourbillon has three electric motors. One that is connected to the gearbox at the rear and which together with the V16 engine drives the rear wheels. At the front, an electric motor drives each wheel. In total, the electric motors produce 800 horsepower and they can be used for torque vectoring.
The energy for the electric motors is supplied by a 200-kilogram 25 kWh battery that is centrally located in the gimbal tunnel behind the cockpit to optimize weight distribution. The battery is oil cooled.
The electrical system uses 800 volts and the range on electricity alone is about six miles. It may be needed in some cities with an environmental zone, but the battery is mainly sized so that there will always be power for “active driving”.
Holds the weight
Despite the larger internal combustion engine and a large battery, the Tourbillon is no heavier than the Chiron. The scale stops at 1,995 kilos.
The length has grown by about 15 cm to 467 cm. The width is 205 cm and the height 119 cm.
The chassis and body are completely newly developed and at the back there is a large active wing to adapt the ground pressure.
Bugatti Tourbillon – price and performance
The name Tourbillon means whirlwind in French and is a designation for a kind of advanced movement in exclusive mechanical watches. Therefore, the driver’s instruments are also reminiscent of Swiss watch movements. As with watches, digital display would feel cheap.
The fact that the Bugatti Tourbillon does 0-100 km/h in 2.0 seconds makes no one raise an eyebrow. More impressive is the 0-200 time of under five seconds. 0-300 km/h takes less than ten seconds and 0-400 km/h in less than 25 seconds. So hold on to your hat!
The top speed is limited to 380 km/h if you do not have access to the car’s speed key, which allows you to drive at 445 km/h.
The Bugatti Tourbillon will start production in 2025 and the basic price is 3.8 million euros. It will be roughly 42.7 million with today’s Swedish krone exchange rate.
When the Tourbillon has become commonplace in the upper spheres, we can expect even faster and more exclusive special versions. A Tourbillon Super Sports with at least 2,000 horsepower feels like a given.
Read also:
This is how much it costs to own a Bugatti Veyron
The “saviour” Rimac makes electricity from diesel
