Bugatti's latest hypercar trades turbos for a V16 hybrid powerplant

Shawn Knight

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Forward-looking: Bugatti has taken the wraps off its next hypercar, pushing the category-defining brand to a new level of performance and luxury. The successor to the Chiron, the new Bugatti Tourbillon features an all-new 8.3 liter, 64-valve V16 that ditches the quad-turbo forced induction system for natural aspiration.

The engine pumps out 1,000 horsepower and revs all the way to 9,000 RPM, no doubt delighting the senses.

The Tourbillon additionally features a pair of electric motors that supply an additional 600 horsepower to the front wheels, while a third adds an extra 200 horsepower at the rear. A 25 kWh, oil-cooled 800V battery powers the electric motors, and delivers an all-electric range of around 37 miles. Combined, you're looking at 1,800 total horsepower and as you can imagine, performance is off the charts.

According to Bugatti, its new hypercar can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in two seconds, and reach 186 mph in less than 10 seconds. Keep the pedal to the floor and you'll be soaring past 250 mph in about 25 seconds en route to a top speed that's been limited to 277 mph.

The Tourbillon sits on a bespoke set of Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2 tires - 285/35 R20 at the front and 345/30 R21 at the rear. A new world record is no doubt within grasp, but Bugatti wants to focus on launch first.

Despite its impressive performance, the Tourbillon is a luxury vehicle first and foremost. That's no more obvious than in the interior, where comparisons to a work of art aren't a stretch.

The instrument cluster is "designed and built with the expertise of Swiss watchmakers," and is comprised of more than 600 individual parts made of titanium as well as gemstones like sapphire and ruby. Better yet, it's a fixed hub design meaning the cluster remains fully visible even as you turn the wheel.

The center console, meanwhile, features high-end aluminum parts and crystal glass that went through 13 stages of production to ensure clarity and safety in the event of an accident.

Further elevating the timeless, analogue design is the visible absence of a screen by default, which Bugatti design director Frank Heyl describes as digital detoxing. There is a screen hidden in the dash that can be summoned when needed, but otherwise it stays out of sight and out of mind.

Bugatti even went high tech on the audio side, opting to forego a traditional sound system for something that is lighter and more efficient. The end result uses exciters to turn existing panels into speakers, which sounds a lot like tech we saw from LG Display back in 2022.

As for the name, tourbillion is derived from the art of watchmaking.

Bugatti's Tourbillon is currently undergoing testing, with the first customers expected to take delivery sometime in 2026. Only 250 examples are being built, with a starting price of 3.8 million euros. Unfortunately, all of them have already been spoken for.

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Bugatti always does such cool things from a technical standpoint.
I am not even appreciate them for how their car looks but rather technology
they bring to their cars.
 
Did I read that right, 37 miles??? NO, doubt someone will correct me if I got that wrong. :)

I think I'll stay with my 92 Dodge Viper... She is all bad! And she can go about 400 miles on a tank of gas!
 
Yeah, the electric range isn't bad but thank got it's got a regular engine too! I had an in-line 16 in my very old Austin Healy and was a rocket. At that time I think there were only 3 cars in the world that had a 16 in them ....
 
Did I read that right, 37 miles??? NO, doubt someone will correct me if I got that wrong. :)

I think I'll stay with my 92 Dodge Viper... She is all bad! And she can go about 400 miles on a tank of gas!
All electric range of 37 miles, gas range isn't stated.
 
Did I read that right, 37 miles??? NO, doubt someone will correct me if I got that wrong. :)

I think I'll stay with my 92 Dodge Viper... She is all bad! And she can go about 400 miles on a tank of gas!
Yeah it has a 16 cylinder engine, the 37 miles is just electric range, I'm sure they put a giant gas tank in there to keep that thing fed. (Of course, if it's getting like 10MPG or something -- I had a 1972 Cadillac with a 7.7 liter engine (472 cubic inches) and that got about 8 city and 12 highway -- like, I had a 27 gallon gas tank and still only had a bit over 200 mile fuel range on in town driving. And it required premium.)

That might be interesting, since it has all that electric power and motors, it'd be kind of sick to be like "What kind of engine is that?" "V16." "Oh I bet the MPG is a bit low." "Oh no it gets like 50MPG." LOL.
 
Has a viper ever broken 400 miles? I thought their intimate relationship with telephone polls made Mustang drivers look good
Had one up here in SW Wisconsin that went over a hill at some massive speed, shot past the T intersection at the bottom of the hill (well, over the T intersection) and crashed into a tree -- like 50 feet up.
 
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