The Bugatti Tourbillon continues the tradition of an all-new Bugatti model being a bombshell moment in the automotive industry
Getting a new Bugatti model in our time is quite a rare feat and even that particular moment marks an iconic time in the automotive industry. It happened in the early 2000s with the legendary Veyron and, in 2016, the Chiron was another bombshell moment. And now, Bugatti have done it again with the Tourbillon hypercar. This has come just in time in an age where electric as well as other ICE hypercars had started making the Chiron sweat and the Tourbillon is Bugatti’s way of a mic-drop moment.
There are many reasons why the Bugatti Tourbillon will have bragging rights over other hypercars, V16 naturally aspirated reasons to be exact. Yes, you read that right, the old legendary 8.0-litre W16 quad-turbo engine is no more and in comes an 8.3-litre 1,001 hp naturally aspirated V16 petrol engine. Co-developed with Cosworth, this 90-degree V16 engine soothes the senses with screams of up to 9,000 rpm. The Tourbillon also marks a first for Bugatti. It uses electrical assistance with the V16 paired to three 250-kW (340-hp) electric motors, two at the front and one at the rear, for a mind-boggling combined figure of 1,800 hp! The electric motors are juiced by a 24.8-kWh battery pack that offers a claimed pure-electric range of more than 60 km.
A new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic funnels the power and the numbers speak for themselves: 0-100 km/h in 2.0 seconds, a sub-10-second sprint to 300 km/h and just 25 seconds to the 400 km/h mark. While the 380 km/h top speed sounds shocking for a hypercar, the Speed Key raises that figure to 445 km/h. Though this still doesn’t quite match the 490.48 km/h top speed run reached by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, we wouldn’t rule out Bugatti coming up with a Super Sport version and attempting to beat that feat in the near future.
The fun doesn’t end there as the hypercar is equipped with Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2 tyres, 285/35 R20 front and 345/30 R21s rear, wrapped around light alloy wheels. There’s an all-new carbon composite chassis for this hypercar, complemented by multi-link aluminium suspension and carbon-ceramic brakes that use a brake-by-wire setup. As far as design goes, it may have a strong resemblance to the Chiron, but the Tourbillon looks a lot more elongated and meaner than its predecessor. This is apparent with the more aggressive lines all over especially with the chunky rear diffusers. Also, look closer, and the connected LED tail-light strip has the ‘Bugatti’ lettering illuminated, blending in nicely with the lighting.
What truly makes the Bugatti Tourbillon stand out and, more importantly, live up to its name is in the cabin. To be more specific, it is an old-school analogue instrument cluster made out of 600 parts, with the help of Swiss watchmakers, and the layout is an absolutely timeless work of art. The rest of the cabin is gorgeous too with no digital screens apart from a hidden screen on top of the centre console that allows for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
Being a new hypercar titan means an equally exorbitant price tag. 3.8 million euros (roughly Rs 34 crore) to be exact and only 250 units will be made. On top of this, production will only commence after the final W16-powered Bugatti models, Bolide and W16 Mistral, with deliveries commencing by 2026 at the earliest. Sure, it is a long wait, but the Bugatti Tourbillon makes the statement of a rebel. It rejects the overload of digital gizmos and even gives the naturally aspirated V16 reasons to live against the plethora of turbocharged contraptions. And, of course, it continues the Bugatti tradition of blowing away everything in its path, giving it a long straight and a stopwatch.
