In 2004, in the midst of a renaissance, the Bugatti brand revolutionized the world of automotive performance and luxury with a hypersports car developing 1001 hp: the Veyron. The first 1000 hp-plus tourer was followed in 2016 by another engineering marvel, so ambitious that it challenged all performance expectations: the Chiron, the world’s first hypersports car to develop 1500 hp. What do they have in common? The most advanced automotive engine in existence: an 8.0-liter W16 with quadruple turbo. Now, 20 years after launching the hypersport segment, Bugatti is totally redefining the concept with a completely revamped engine and platform. Welcome to the Bugatti Tourbillon.
A NAME, A PHILOSOPHY
Mate Rimac, Bugatti CEO, said: “The development of the Bugatti Tourbillon has been guided at every stage by the 115-year history of Bugatti and by the words of Ettore Bugatti himself. His sacred formulas – ‘If it’s comparable, it’s not Bugatti anymore’ and ‘Nothing is too beautiful’ – have guided my steps, as well as those of the engineers and designers charged with bringing to life the exciting new era of Bugatti hypersports.”
“Legends such as the Type 57SC Atlantic, recognized as the most beautiful car in the world, the Type 35 – the most successful of all time – and the Type 41 Royale – one of the most ambitious luxury cars to date – are the three pillars that inspired us. Beauty, performance and luxury are the key words guiding the design of the Tourbillon, a hypersports car whose elegance, emotion and luxury surpass all that has been done to date. Incomparable, quite simply. And like those icons of the past, we didn’t just think of it for the present, or even just for the future, but for all eternity.
Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti
The Tourbillon
For the first Bugatti in over 20 years not to be powered by the W16 engine, the brand has departed from the tradition of naming models after legendary Bugatti drivers. Thus, its name – the Tourbillon – was chosen to perfectly express its character. A French word and a subtle nod to Bugatti’s French heritage and its headquarters in Molsheim, the Tourbillon takes its name from the watchmaking invention of a Swiss genius who lived in France in 1801. Totally original, this unparalleled creation – both beautiful and complex – counteracted the effects of the earth’s gravity on the timepiece to ensure highly accurate timekeeping. And 200 years later, it’s still considered the pinnacle of watchmaking.
It’s this sense of mechanical timelessness that lies at the heart of the project that gave birth to the Bugatti Tourbillon. For a hypersports car destined to sit proudly on the lawns of the concours d’élégance of this century and the centuries to come, technology can easily fall into disuse – especially large digital displays – which is why for Bugatti it’s important to incorporate as many timeless components as possible. As a result, the Tourbillon uses timeless design and engineering techniques, including all-analog instruments made by Swiss watchmakers, and finished with the same care and attention as the world’s greatest timepieces. Just as these objects become family treasures handed down from generation to generation, the Tourbillon is a hypersport for eternity.
DESIGN AND AERODYNAMICS
Like all Bugatti models of the modern era, the Tourbillon is “shaped by speed”. To be able to travel at over 245 Mph, every surface, every air intake and every edge must be perfectly polished, to ensure that every detail is not only aerodynamic, but also beneficial to the vehicle’s thermodynamics. This is the guiding idea behind the Tourbillon, which then takes shape around four design elements inspired by the brand’s history: the horseshoe grille, the Bugatti line, the central ridge and the two-tone combination.
Frank Heyl, Bugatti Design Director, said : “The genius of Ettore and Jean Bugatti’s creations lies in their aerodynamics, innovation and unchanging beauty. We draw our inspiration from the Bugatti Type 35, whose silhouette was guided by the shape of the horseshoe grille, which tapered back into a streamlined fuselage. We also drew inspiration from the Type 57SC Atlantic – whose letter “S” stands for “Low” – by lowering the front end, the roofline and the driver’s position, creating that wonderful posture and dreamlike proportions. We felt it was essential to position the volumes in such a way that they were functional and supported the extreme proportions of the hypersport. Lowered, it appears wider, and the rims are highlighted. The result is an impression of muscular tension, of a posture ready to pounce. Every design decision has been aimed at creating a sensation of speed, even when the hypersportive is stationary.
While the aesthetics and proportions of this new Bugatti are strikingly beautiful, the fact remains that every surface and every airflow has been carefully studied, firstly to balance the colossal aerodynamic forces exerted on a vehicle travelling at over 245 Mph, and secondly to reconcile the thermodynamic requirements of a V16 engine, electric motors and an eminently powerful battery.
Drawing on more than 20 years of know-how from the Veyron and Chiron, the Tourbillon boasts a host of patented technologies. The perfect balance of forces generated by these innovations keeps the rear spoiler in the retracted position at peak speeds. Its function is to increase downforce at low speeds and act as an air brake to enhance stability during deceleration.
This aerodynamic balance is largely the result of the new diffuser concept, which begins its ascent just behind the passenger compartment, almost halfway up the vehicle, at an optimum angle, ensuring the Tourbillon’s perfect stability. The diffuser is built around an all-new anti-collision concept that is fully integrated into the structure of the diffuser itself. This makes it both highly effective and virtually invisible, enabling the open design of the rear end.
At the heart of the Tourbillon’s design philosophy lies the emblematic horseshoe, the starting point of all the hypersport’s lines, where the volume of the central fuselage takes shape. On either side of the hypersportive, air flows under the headlights to increase the flow into the side air intakes. This complex interplay of air flows is also evident in the front-end design. While retaining the dimensions of a sculpted front end, it ingeniously houses a highly efficient cooling system that guides air through and then out of the front hood, increasing downforce while ingeniously integrating a spacious trunk between the two radiators.
Two sophisticated, power-operated dihedral doors not only allow easy entry into the vehicle, but also mark the opening in spectacular fashion. They can be opened and closed in three different ways: from the key, via the opening button just below the Bugatti line, or the one on the center console.
INTERIOR
Since carmakers began integrating digital and touch screens into their models, the innovations have been such that in just ten years, these technologies already seem obsolete. The design of the interior was guided by a philosophy of timelessness, imagining the Tourbillon on the lawns of concours d’élégance not only in ten years’ time, but more importantly in 100 years’ time. Inspired by the world of watchmaking, in which wristwatches more than a century old can still be worn and used today, while integrating perfectly with modern fashion and lifestyle, the engineers and designers created an authentic analog experience in the cabin.
The centerpiece – the dashboard instruments designed and crafted with the expertise of Swiss watchmakers – takes horological inspiration to the extreme. Comprising more than 600 parts, crafted in titanium and incorporating precious stones such as sapphire and ruby, the instrument panel is designed to a maximum tolerance of 50 microns – the smallest being 5 microns – and weighs just 700 grams.
This complex engineering masterpiece remains the focal point of the driving experience, around which the steering wheel rotates – a configuration known as the “fixed hub steering wheel”. Thanks to this ingenious concept, the Tourbillon driver enjoys an unobstructed view of his or her instruments, whatever the steering angle.
The center console combines crystal glass and aluminum, revealing the intricate workings of all the buttons and the engine start lever. The development of this glass required 13 separate stages, to ensure perfect transparency, extreme resistance and optimum safety in the event of an accident. The aluminum parts are anodized and milled from a single block of metal, while the knurled aluminum buttons sit at the heart of a complex mechanism fully visible beneath the crystal glass – developed entirely in-house. Igniting the all-new naturally-aspirated V16 engine and electric motor is a physical experience, a nod to the rituals of historic automobiles that required pulling to start and pushing to stop the engine.
However, a high-definition digital screen – which the driver can make appear at will – displays vehicle data and offers several connectivity options. The vehicle’s only screen – which displays vehicle data and offers several connectivity options – remains completely hidden, unless the driver wishes it to appear. A highly refined mechanism allows the touchscreen to be deployed from the top of the center console – in portrait mode for the rearview camera in just two seconds, and in landscape mode in five seconds.
As with the exterior, every decision concerning the interior has been made with ultimate performance in mind, without compromising on practicality or comfort. The seats, for example, are attached to the monocoque to be as light and low as possible. And to ensure a comfortable riding position whatever the rider’s size, the pedals can be moved forward and back by means of an electric control.
The result is a spacious interior ideal for long journeys and daily commutes. As for the audio system, it dispenses with traditional speakers and woofers, opting instead for an advanced system that uses exciters placed on the door panels and throughout the vehicle, where the interior panels act as speakers. This system is lighter and more powerful than traditional audio systems.
ENGINES AND PERFORMANCE
When it came out, Bugatti’s W16 engine was unlike any other automotive engine in the world. With its four turbos and prodigious power, it set a new benchmark and pushed back the boundaries of combustion engine technology. Two decades after its launch, it has yet to be equalled, or even imitated. Following in its footsteps, here’s another incomparable masterpiece of internal combustion engineering, combined with the instant torque and flexibility of electric motors.
This new-generation Bugatti hypersport is powered by an all-new 8.3-liter naturally-aspirated V16 engine – designed in collaboration with Cosworth – combined with two electric motors on the front axle and one electric motor on the rear axle. In all, the Tourbillon develops 1,800 hp, of which 1,000 hp is generated by the combustion engine and 800 hp by the electric motors. This is an extraordinary performance – made possible by a whole range of advanced materials and technologies – given that the Veyron achieved 1001 hp with its 8.0-liter engine featuring four turbochargers, and the new V16 is fully naturally aspirated. Made from lightweight materials, the engine weighs just 555,5 Lbs.
The electric motors are powered by a 25 kWh oil-cooled 800V battery housed in the central tunnel and behind the passengers. With four-wheel drive and all-wheel torque vectoring, the hypersport benefits from optimum traction and agility. The three electric motors deliver a total of 800 hp. The electric motor, with its speed of up to 24,000 rpm and fully integrated dual silicon carbide inverter, offers one of the highest power densities in the world. Electric axles deliver over 6 kW per kg of electric axle mass, including inverters, electric motors and gearboxes. While the power, throttle response and additional torque offered by the “Torque-Fill” function are priorities for the electric powertrain, the relatively high energy content of 25 kWh enables an all-electric range of over 37 miles.
The Tourbillon boasts significantly improved performance, a powerful electric drive system and a large battery. Yet it’s lighter than the Chiron, a testament to the incredible engineering behind this achievement. Thanks to its light weight and the instant torque provided by the electric motors, the Bugatti Tourbillon delivers breathtaking performance.
Website : https://www.bugatti.com/fr/
Photo & video credits : © 2024 BUGATTI Automobiles S.A.S.
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