We’re the first to admit that unveiling a new car can be a little disappointing these days. There are many to get through and few can claim to deserve your undivided attention. But the rules are different when Bugatti unveils what it likes to call a “hyper sports car.” And that’s because its track record of producing groundbreaking, era-defining cars is exemplary. The Veyron was the first road car with 1,001 hp and set a new and long-lasting benchmark for our definition of high performance at the turn of the 21st century. Then came the 1,500 hp Chiron, which in 2019 proved capable of exceeding 500 km/h – something other manufacturers are still striving for half a decade later. Bugatti believes that its cars have collectively ‘transformed the world’. It’s probably not wrong.
Now there’s finally a new Bugatti, and based on the fact that it’s the first in over two decades not to be powered by the 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 – and a Mate Rimac champion-championed hybrid to boot – he sets a historical precedent by default. But with an astonishing naturally aspirated V16 delivering the lion’s share of its 1,800 horsepower, and an all-new carbon composite chassis underpinning the car, it’s clear from the outset that the company has tried to live up to its claim that the newcomer ‘had to be incomparable in every respect’. Hence the name: Tourbillon – a reference to the ‘complex and beautiful’ mechanism invented 200 years ago to counteract the effect of gravity on watchmaking, and which is still widely used today.
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
To achieve the right sense of ‘mechanical timelessness’, Bugatti has taken the Tourbillon in seemingly divergent (but impressively well-resolved) directions. Here is finally a manufacturer that understands that obtrusively large digital touchscreens effectively label a car with an expiration date. We’ll get to the stunningly beautiful analogue instrument cluster in a moment, but suffice it to say that Bugatti wants the Tourbillon to be considered heirloom worthy by anyone with the money to buy it. While at the same time providing them with one of the most complex and advanced powertrains ever created, in a platform and body packed with patents and ‘technical beauty’.
So let’s start with that V16, all 8.3 liters. “The powertrain was perhaps the most important decision we had to make, taking into account all the options available; redesign the W16, go all-electric or create something completely new,” said Emilio Scervo, CTO of Bugatti. “In the end, we chose the most difficult option possible, creating an entirely new powertrain and seamlessly coupling it with a complex system of e-motors, a new generation eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and more, all developed from the ground up, especially for the Tourbillon.”
Mate Rimac has openly insisted that every new Bugatti must be powered primarily by combustion, and to the company’s credit, the “pure and raw analogue feel of a naturally aspirated combustion engine” was deemed essential to the way its hypercar would to ride. . Moreover, the device itself seems to be a very worthy – albeit very different – successor to the W16. The 90-degree V16, designed with help from Cosworth, develops 1,000 hp and 664 Nm of torque, reaching a redline at 9,000 rpm. Unsurprisingly, at that engine speed it delivers a ‘deeply visceral, awe-inspiring experience’, and thanks to the lightweight materials used in its construction, it weighs just 252kg.
The remarkable petrol engine is mated to a front ‘e-axle’ that houses two independent 340PS electric motors, theoretically capable of delivering up to 2,213Nm of fully vectored torque to the wheels. There’s another 340bhp motor on the rear axle with a design equivalent to 24,000rpm – they’re said to be among the most powerful in the world – although with just 177Nm of torque claimed for it, the oversight of the rear wheels is probably not sufficient. fall on the V16, via an electronic limited slip differential. The electric motors are powered by an oil-cooled 800V 24.8 kWh battery located in the central tunnel and behind the occupants, which at its peak can deliver more than 600 kW, as well as a pure electric range of 60 km. If you need it.
Although we’re yet to learn how the powertrain, including the new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, works in detail (though Bugatti’s reference to the “instant torque and flexibility of electric motors” suggests they’ll do all the hard work initially (as you would expect) the company is happy to confirm one surprising fact: the Tourbillon, despite the addition of electric motors, inverters and battery cells, is slightly lighter than the Chiron it replaces. Granted, its predecessor was hardly a flyweight itself, but if the claimed mass of 1,995 kg (DIN) stated on the supplied specification sheet is to be taken as nominal value, it seems a commendable achievement for a car that wants to pack in so much technology.
Predictably, the Tourbillon owes much of its belt tension to the all-new chassis and body structure, much of which is made from next-generation T800 carbon composite. The packaging alone looks like a work of art. Not only is the battery integrated as part of the monocoque structure, Bugatti believes that the new front e-axle, including the dual inverter, fits into the same space that was available for the Chiron. It describes the huge, motorsport-inspired ‘crash concept’ rear diffuser as ‘unprecedented’ and says the air ducts flowing through the front of the car are an integral part of a platform that is not only lighter than its predecessor, but also stiffer . .
In terms of suspension, the Tourbillon features forged aluminum multi-link axles front and rear, replacing the Chiron’s steel double wishbones, saving around 45% in weight. Bugatti claims to have made liberal use of 3D printing, not only in a new control arm and upright, but also in structural brackets in the front and rear subframe. The brakes are no less advanced, featuring carbon-ceramic technology and operated via a custom brake-by-wire system integrated into a Bugatti-developed non-linear controller for the hybrid powertrain. The huge tires – 285/35 R20 at the front, 345/30 R21 at the rear – are a bespoke variant of the Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2.
The size of the contact surfaces is indicative of the performance flowing through them. Bugatti doesn’t make much of a fuss about its quoted acceleration times – possibly because it doesn’t surpass the record-breaking Rimac Nevera – but they are nevertheless extraordinary: 0-100 km/h in 2.0 seconds; 0-200 km/h in 5.0 seconds; 0-300 km/h in 10 seconds; 0-400 km/h in 25 seconds. For reference, the Chiron Super Sport 300+ sprinted from 0 to 200 km/h in 5.8 seconds and from 0 to 300 km/h in 12.1 seconds. Compared to a Veyron 16.4, the Tourbillon is no less than 6.7 seconds faster to 300 km/h. Like its predecessors, the car’s top speed is limited to 380 km/h in normal use; the higher limit of 430 km/h must be reached with the appropriate shortcut key.
As before, the ability to exceed 400 km/h leaves its mark on the car’s styling. Aerodynamic (and thermodynamic) efficiency is cited as a guiding principle for the ‘shape by speed’ silhouette, alongside four traditional design elements: the horseshoe-shaped grille, the so-called ‘Bugatti Line’, the central edge and the two-tone split. The result is therefore familiar – or at least immediately recognizable as a Bugatti, and that is at least partly the point. But innovations abound, not least in the electrically operated dihedral doors, which can be opened and closed with the key fob to give ‘a dramatic sense of arrival’.
Save the real wow moment for indoors. In fact, there is a screen, but only one, and it’s completely hidden from view in the center console unless called upon. For the rest, the interior looks authentic and very ostentatiously analogue. That instrument panel? Made by Swiss Watchmakers (OBVs) from titanium and consisting of 600 parts, including precious stones, with a fixed hub steering wheel for unobstructed vision. The center console? The aluminum parts are milled from a single block of metal, while the crystal glass goes through 13 stages to ensure clarity and strength. The chairs? For the sake of lightness, it is attached to the floor with an electrically adjustable pedal console that ensures comfort. Start the engine? A pull handle, just to enhance the physical experience. In short, Bugatti calls it a “masterpiece of packaging and engineering.” Hard to argue that from here.
That is of course as it should be, because the creator charges prices for masterpieces. Although only now entering its dynamic testing phase, ahead of customer deliveries in 2026, the company has confirmed that only 250 examples of the Tourbillon will be hand-built at the Bugatti Atelier in Molsheim, with a net starting price of 3, 8 million euros. Or about £3.2 million. Nevertheless, Mate Rimac, clearly the driving force behind much more powerful decisions, is convinced that they were the right ones: “So yes, it is insane to build a new V16 engine, integrate it with a new battery pack and electric motors and to I have a real Swiss-made instrument panel, 3D printed suspension parts and a crystal glass center console,” he said. “But it’s what Ettore would have done, and it’s what makes a Bugatti incomparable and timeless. Without that kind of ambition you might create a great hyper sports car, but you wouldn’t create an icon Pour l’éternité.” Fittingly, only time will tell if that’s true.