Whilst the new hypercar closely resembles the Veyron and Chiron at first glance, the new car by Legendary French automaker Bugatti exudes beauty, performance and luxury. Unlike previous cars which garnered their names from the company’s racing drivers, the Tourbillon actually draws its name from the tourbillon, an 1801 watchmaking invention that helped increase the accuracy of timepieces.
The Tourbillon is the first car introduced under the collaborative partnership of Bugatti and Rimac and also was announced at Bugatti’s Molsheim headquarters. Driven by Bugatti Pilote Officiel Andy Wallace, the car's appearance marked the first major gathering there since the 110-year celebrations in 2019. Featuring an all-new chassis and performance-honed body, along with an all-new V16 engine and electrified powertrain, it could go from zero to 60 mph in two seconds and reach 248 in under 25 seconds. With the Speed Key it can top at 276 mph while the top speed is electronically limited to 236 mph.
It’s the first Bugatti with an all-new gasoline engine and breaks from convention with its naturally aspirated V16 engine and hybrid powertrain. Co-developed with British automotive engineering expert Cosworth, the naturally aspirated 8.3-liter V16 engine produces 1,000-hp, is lightweight at 555 lbs and redlines at 9,000 rpm. The hypercar’s three electric motors sees a front e-axle with two electric motors and a single motor at the rear axle, giving the car an additional 800-hp.
“The Bugatti Tourbillon represents the latest creation in our relentless pursuit of perfection. With the Tourbillon, we pay tribute to the vision of Ettore Bugatti, melding the beauty, luxury, and performance that define our heritage,” said Christophe Piochon, President of Bugatti.
Inspired by watchmaking and fine details, the car was “designed and built with the expertise of Swiss watchmakers,” Bugatti said in its press release. Instead of the current trend of interactive digital instrument displays, this unique car features 600 intricate mechanical parts, resembling the intricacies of a watch’s function. The skeleton cluster is made up of exotic materials and gemstones like titanium, sapphires and rubies and separates itself from other hypercars of its class.
From the classic Bugatti horseshoe front grille, the Bugatti line, the central ridge and the dual-color split, the hypercar has electric-actuating dihedral doors. Inside the knurled aluminum switchgear and crystal glass and aluminum detailing are fine tuned, while the speakers are actually in the interior panels to help save weight and keep a seamless design.
With a base price starting at $4 million (€3.8 million), Bugatti will only build 250 examples of the Tourbillo with deliveries to arrive by 2026.
