Forward-looking: Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Bolide is its "morphable" outer skin on the roof scoop. When driving at slow speeds, the skin remains smooth for optimal airflow but at high rates of speeds, "a field of bubbles bulges out" to reduce aerodynamic drag by 10 percent and limit lift force by 17 percent.
Bugatti on Wednesday shared its concept for the Bolide, a track-oriented hypercar that illustrates what is possible if the French automaker built a lightweight vehicle around its iconic 8.0-liter W16 engine.
The Bugatti Bolide features an all-wheel powertrain that lays down an impressive 1,825 horsepower using 110 octane racing fuel, or only 1,600 ponies on 98 octane. With a curb weight of only 2,734 pounds, Bugatti surmises it'll be capable of hitting a top speed well in excess of 310 mph.
For comparison, hypercar company SSC North America recently recorded a top speed average of 316.11 mph with its Tuatara in the Nevada desert.
According to Bugatti's computer simulations, the Bolide should be able to complete a lap of Le Mans in 3:07.1 and go around the Nordschleife in 5:23.1.
Achim Anscheidt, director of design at Bugatti, said that in his 16 years with the company, he has never worked on a more extreme concept. "It is the very first time that my team had the freedom of creating an absolutely minimalistic design around the W16 engine," Anscheidt added.
While the name Bugatti is synonymous with luxury, make no mistake - the Bolide is all about performance "with no hint of luxury."
Bugatti said it hasn't yet decided when the Bolide will enter series production.