The Bugatti Chiron, how Veyron an absurdly powerful quad-turbo W16 engine may be packed in front of it, but overall, the French hypercar is focused on being one of the most luxurious grand tourers - with one of the highest top speeds in the world. There were some special variants that were more focused on the use of rails, like the new one Chiron Pur SportNevertheless, Bugatti's offerings are not necessarily intended as racing cars. Bugatti wanted to see how far it could push the performance limits of the W16 engine if you strip off everything else and create a "radically light vehicle" around this engine, and the new bolide was born.
Bugatti says the bolide is "the most extreme, most uncompromising, fastest and lightest" car that it has ever built. Yes, I said the fastest - according to Bugatti, the top speed is "well over" 300 km / h, which makes it faster than the record breaking Chiron Super Sport. Here are some other standout numbers: The bolide has 1,825 horsepower and weighs just 2,734 pounds, which gives it a crazy power to weight ratio of 0.67 horsepower per pound. Bugatti also says that, according to computer simulations, the racing car can lap the Nürburgring in 5 minutes 23.1 seconds and is only 4 seconds behind the record-breaking Porsche 919 Evoand that it will lap Circuit de la Sarthe in 3 minutes and 7.1 seconds, almost 8 seconds faster than the record qualifying lap of the Toyota TS050.
For more of that
Subscribe to the Roadshow newsletter, receive notifications, and see related articles on CNET.
However, don't be fooled by the simulated numbers and CGI images Bugatti released. As you can see from the post above, Bugatti has built at least one fully functional bolide that was spied on the Paul Ricard Circuit last week. So expect the company to prove these claims to be true in a short period of time. And while Bugatti calls the bolide an experimental prototype, the company is still deciding whether it should go into series production. If a handful of these aren't made and sold for millions of dollars each, I'll eat my hat.
Looks worthy of Chuck Yeager
Usually I find it easy to talk about the design of a new car, but the bolide is so crazy that I don't really know where to start. The bolide is as functional as it gets, and while that's usually not my jam, I think this thing looks damn sick. It basically looks like a spaceship mixed in with a 2040 Le Mans racing car, and Bugatti's designers were inspired by "X-planes" like Chuck Yeager's Bell X-1, hence the X-shaped headlights and the four long, thin taillights that form an X at the back. Only the horseshoe-shaped radiator grille and the split-color paintwork really make the bolide a Bugatti. And of course Bugatti says that only 40 percent of the surfaces of the bolide are painted (in a new color "French Racing Blue") and 60 percent more visible carbon fiber than on the other models, because that is something to show off.
Bugatti Bolide, who only drives on the racetrack, laughs at the Formula 1 cars
It's only 39.1 inches tall, about a foot shorter than a Chiron, and matches the classic Type 35 racing car from the 1920s. Bugatti didn't give an overall length, but the bolide's 108-inch wheelbase is 2 inches longer than that of a Chiron, and the bolide is a few inches narrower in width.
The low, wide front end has cutouts in the hood to reveal the car's suspension geometry (and for aeronautical reasons), and the highly ventilated front fenders and quarter panels are heavily influenced by modern F1 cars. The cockpit is low and narrow with a wraparound windshield, and the aft deck has more cutouts to show off the engine. The air intakes are really well integrated into the rear rear panels, and your eye will find new intakes and details the more you look at the car. I wouldn't exactly describe the bolide as beautiful, but the design certainly contains a lot of beautiful sculptural elements.
A huge center fin starts at the base of the roof scoop and attaches to the insane rear wing, which Bugatti says creates nearly 4,000 pounds of downforce at 199 mph. (At the same speed, the front wing releases nearly 1,800 pounds of downforce.) However, it's the rear that has the greatest impact visually. Four massive exhaust tips are mounted in the middle, which are flanked by these four X-shaped LED strips. Apart from an equally massive diffuser, there is actually no body to speak of - the rear tires are almost completely exposed to the elements.
The inside of the bolide is accessible through a small pair of butterfly doors and a shockingly narrow threshold and is much more restrained in terms of design. There are two racing seats with six-point seat belts, a complex steering wheel and digital instrument cluster, and a small panel on the dashboard with push-button gearbox controls and a few other switches. Each surface is covered in either carbon fiber or blue microsuede, and there are similarities to the interior of the Chiron when it comes to the C-shaped motifs. Bugatti says drivers up to 6 feet, 6 inches tall can easily get into the bolide, and the pedals and passenger footrest are adjustable.
Just add lightness. And makes
While the 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine and the four-wheel drive system of the bolide were technically taken over from the Chiron, everything has changed radically. The 1,825 horsepower engine is over 200 horsepower more powerful than the Chiron SS's engine. With its 1,364 pound-feet of torque, it's nearly 200 pound-feet more torque. According to Bugatti, the overall weight of the drive train has been "significantly reduced". All four turbochargers are new and have different blades for more boost pressure at high speeds. The intake and exhaust systems have been "throttled" for better response, and there is an air-to-air charge air cooling system with two water pre-coolers, which Bugatti says is more effective than the cooler setup of a Formula 1 car.
Some crazy measures have been taken to make sure the bolide is as light as possible. I'll be honest with you guys ... I'm not an engineer. But I'll try to analyze this stuff to make it easier to digest. The monocoque is made of super-strong carbon fiber, which Bugatti says has a "single-fiber tensile strength" only found in the aerospace industry, and the rear frame is made of high-strength aerospace grade stainless steel that is very thin but very strong. Every screw and fastener is made of titanium, and the bolide uses hollow and thin 3D-printed titanium components. One example is the auxiliary driveshaft, which combines carbon fiber with titanium and can withstand a "continuous operating temperature" of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The drive shaft is half as light as that of the Chiron and increases the rotation of the motor.
All four center-lock wheels are made of magnesium, with the fronts weighing 16.3 pounds each and the rear wheels weighing 18.5 pounds. All four wheels are also much wider than a Chiron's: the fronts are 340 wide and the rear wheels are 400 wide, compared to 285 on the front of the Chiron and 355 on the rear. Horizontally mounted dampers contain oil reservoirs for better air quality, and the titanium push rods have a buckling load almost the weight of two chirons. The bolide uses ceramic brakes similar to an F1 car, with the calipers weighing 5.3 pounds each, and there is a built-in lift system for easy tire changes.
Perhaps the craziest part of the bolide is the roof shovel, which sucks cool air into the engine. Bugatti says this shovel has a "transformable outer skin," which is a world first. At low speeds the surface of the blade is smooth, but as the speed increases, a field of bubbles "bulges out". Seriously. Bugatti says this reduces drag by 10 percent and lift by 17 percent, but unfortunately there are no pictures to show this. Think about how the dimples on a golf ball create turbulence that actually improves the airflow of the ball - this seems to work in a similar way.
Bugatti's grand finale
There won't be another W16 engine After that, Bugatti had to downsize - and most likely go fully electric - So the bolide seems like a damn good way to send off the revolutionary engine. (Although I'm sure there will be a few more special Chiron-based editions in the near future.) To this end, CEO Stephan Winkelmann says that the bolide is the first time that Bugatti has really shown what the W16 engine is for is able to. "We have stripped the vehicle of all luggage and illustrated and combined the engine with the lightest chassis to create the ultimate Bugatti and ensure the ultimate driving experience," he said. "With the Bolide we are presenting Bugatti enthusiasts all over the world with our interpretation of a modern Bugatti rail vehicle and are finally fulfilling their most ardent wishes."
When the Chiron Super Sport became the first production car to hit 300 mph last year, Winkelmann said Bugatti had done chasing speed records and would instead focus on other things. With the bolide, Bugatti appears to be more focused than ever - and I'd bet the company is aiming for some real lap records.
Oh one more thing. According to Bugatti, the bolide was designed in such a way that it fully complies with the FIA safety regulations. This means that it has features like a fire extinguisher, polycarbonate window, a pressurized refueling system and compatibility with HANS devices. Could this mean that Bugatti is looking to get into the new Le Mans hypercar class in the near future? Bugatti has not yet indicated anything like this, but what other reason is there for complying with these regulations? This is just my own speculative, hopeful brain talk, but it would be damn cool.
