It’s a momentous day for hypercar royalty. The Bugatti Tourbillon has arrived, and this next-generation hypercar shares absolutely nothing with its predecessors. It rides on an all-new platform, is draped in all-new coachwork, and features an entirely new engine. It’s the Bugatti for the next decade, and while it isn’t electric, its blend of an insane engine and modern electric assistance is one for the ages.
Beneath the deck lid of the Tourbillon sits an entirely new 986-horsepower 8.3-liter naturally-aspirated V16 engine. Developed in partnership with Cosworth, this 9,000 rpm motor is, in fact, the first traditional V16 in any production car since 1937. Combined with three electric motors (two on the front axle and one in the rear) and a 25 kWh battery pack, this electrified powerplant pumps out an enormous 1,775 horsepower without the need for pesky, laggy, sound-dulling turbochargers, and can launch this hypercar from zero-to-62 mph in two seconds.
The launch control procedure for the Tourbillon is particularly fascinating. Because the electric motors provide so much instant torque, the car slips the clutch off the line, locking in full combustion power at around 50 mph. From there, the V16 provides heaps of thrust, the motors fill in any power dips up at the top of the rev range, and voila — savage acceleration well into extralegal speeds. Bugatti claims that the zero-to-124 mph dash is done in fewer than five seconds, the zero-to-248 mph dash is dispatched within fewer than 25 seconds, and with the right stretch of tarmac, the Tourbillon will go on to a top speed of 277 mph, so long as the special high-speed key is along for the ride.
As a bonus, that battery pack and those electric motors make this plug-in hybrid hypercar capable of driving 37 miles on electric power alone, at least on the WLTP cycle. Add in a carbon composite structure, an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, forged aluminum control arms, and a curb weight less than that of the Chiron despite the addition of electrification, and the Bugatti Tourbillon is an all-encompassing hypercar for the next generation.
Visually, the Bugatti Tourbillon adopts a more longitudinal form than the rounded Veyron and Chiron. Emphasis on visual length, along with a silhouette 33 millimeters lower than the Chiron’s, imbues the new car with an enormous sense of speed, all while maintaining trademark Bugatti cues. The two-tone paint, the signature C-line, the strong C-pillars. Up front, slim headlights flank a wider grille and enormous bumper air intakes, all taking influence from limited-run and one-off models from the recent past.
Speaking of addition, the Tourbillon is the first mainline Bugatti since the EB110 to feature doors that go up. Yep, the trademark hypercar visual showpiece has made it back to Bugatti. However, the biggest visual departure from Bugattis of past is out back, where a curvaceous one-piece taillight, a positively gargantuan rear diffuser, and exaggerated hips add a huge dose of wedge and drama to this V16 hypercar.
On the inside, Bugatti has taken careful steps to help the Tourbillon age well, with the most striking element being a timepiece-like instrument cluster with sapphire glass, rubies, and a heavy emphasis on analog elements including concentric speedometer and tachometer dials. After all, it just makes sense — screen-based digital clusters age quickly, dials don’t. In normal operation, there’s no visible infotainment screen, but select reverse or press a button, and a hidden screen rises from the dashboard. It’s about time we brought that back. Speaking of rare elements we’ve seen once or twice before, the driver’s airbag stays fixed while the steering wheel rotates around it, a bit like on an old Citroën C4. Interestingly, the spokes of the wheel fall behind the gauge cluster, so it’s always visible. Talk about a great piece of design.
Of course, with such absurd craftsmanship, speed, and technology, the Bugatti Tourbillon won’t exactly be what you’d call inexpensive. It starts at €3.8 million before taxes, or around $4.5 million in freedom currency, but that doesn’t matter.
All 250 cars Bugatti plans to make are pre-sold. The 2000s had the Veyron, the 2010s had the Chiron, and the 2020s have the Tourbillon. With added electric punch and the drama and specialness of a naturally aspirated V16, Bugatti is here to show every other hypercar company that it’s still the king.
I gotsta get me one of these!!! Oh, wait…
The worst thing about this, is that I will probably never be able to hear that V16 in person. It has to sound amazing.
The interior is beyond gorgeous too.
This is the first hypercar I’ve actually liked in ages. That interior is awesome,kind of like what Pagani does.
Hagerty’s Henry Catchpole made a brilliant parallel comparison in his video synopsis. He equated the current electrification of cars (and the democratization of serious power) to the “quartz crisis” that the Swiss watch industry experienced in the 70s. In that crisis, the best made mechanical watches could no longer compete with the cheap quartz movements coming out of Japan. They pivoted to embrace the craftsmanship and mechanical art of haute horology. Bugatti is doing exactly this in the face of the electrification of hyper cars. I certainly can’t afford it, but I can appreciate it for what it is.. an insanely beautiful piece of analog automotive art.
Hagerty’s Henry Catchpole made a brilliant parallel comparison in his video synopsis. He equated the current electrification of cars (and the democratization of serious power) to the “quartz crisis” that the Swiss watch industry experienced in the 70s. In that crisis, the best made mechanical watches could no longer compete with the cheap quartz movements coming out of Japan. They pivoted to embrace the craftsmanship and mechanical art of haute horology. Bugatti is doing exactly this in the face of the electrification of hyper cars. I certainly can’t afford it, but I can appreciate it for what it is.. an insanely beautiful piece of analog automotive art.