Bugatti has unveiled its replacement for the legendary Chiron, the Tourbillon. Showcased at a star-studded world premiere in Molsheim, France, the all-new hypercar marks a complete departure from the brand’s iconic W16 engine. This time it’s electrified, with the help of Mate Rimac, the unstoppable force behind the all-electric Nevera, the fastest accelerating hypercar in the world. I attended the launch event and spoke with Rimac about his approach to the design of the new multi-million dollar monster.
Although the Tourbillon is still unmistakably a Bugatti, it is now electrified.
First, while the Tourbillon is electrified, it isn’t happening in the way most people predicted (and some feared). Since Rimac joined forces with Bugatti and Porsche almost three years ago, it was expected that the new Bugatti would adopt the drivetrain of the Nevera or a highly modified version of it and become fully electric. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the Tourbillon follows the hybrid route set by Ferrari with the SF90 Stradale and McLaren with the Artura – except with a unique Bugatti twist.
There’s still an all-new 8.3-litre naturally aspirated V16 engine, developed in collaboration with legendary British racing engine manufacturer Cosworth, playing a central role. But this is accompanied by a powerful electric drivetrain consisting of an e-axle at the front with two electric motors and an additional motor at the rear. The combination produces no less than 1,800 hp, which exceeds the power of the Bugatti Veyron, even though the combustion engine is naturally aspirated. The electric motors provide instant torque and agility, while the 25 kWh battery enables a usable all-electric range of more than 60 km.
I asked Mate Rimac about the powertrain choice when we met in Zagreb a week before the launch. “I am fully convinced that normal transport will go electric,” he says. “It just makes more sense. But there will be very specific niches where combustion will persist for much longer than people think. It’s just something people are emotional about.” This is something I rediscovered when I recently test drove the Maserati MC20. “Also, certain brands will have a hard time differentiating themselves without having an internal combustion engine, because they have built their heritage on. Electric driving will therefore be difficult for them.”
I spoke with Mate Rimac at its new factory in Zagreb, Croatia.
“However, with electric you can do exciting things that you cannot do with combustion, and that is what we have achieved with the Nevera,” says Rimac. “Our customers have dozens of cars in the garage, so they don’t necessarily want just one type of vehicle. You have to offer them something special. Electric can be special. That’s what we show with the Nevera. It has almost 2,000 horsepower, 27 world records and does crazy things like drift mode. Our customers love the car. But for different markets and categories of cars, the switch to electric will be a very easy or a very difficult transition. We’ve positioned ourselves as the pioneers – the slightly crazy guys who do things that others don’t do, and there’s a market for those cars. I also believe that the market for combustion engine cars in this category will continue to exist for some time to come.”
Continuing the long Bugatti tradition
The Tourbillon comes from a long legacy of great combustion. It is inspired by Bugatti’s rich 115-year history, guided by founder Ettore Bugatti’s commitment to automotive excellence. Its mantras, “if it is similar, it is no longer Bugatti” and “nothing is too beautiful”, are embedded in the design and engineering of the Tourbillon, which spares no expense and does not shy away from any technical challenge. The Tourbillon pays tribute to legendary Bugatti models such as the Type 57SC Atlantic, Type 35 and Type 41 Royale and embodies beauty, performance and unparalleled luxury.
However, unlike previous Bugattis, the Tourbillon abandons the tradition of naming core models after drivers. Instead, “Tourbillon,” a French word referring to a watchmaking invention (and already used for a number of actual Bugatti brand timepieces), is meant to reflect the car’s intricate mechanics and enduring elegance. Prioritizing timeless appeal, the design utilizes a fully analog instrument panel crafted by Swiss watchmakers. Each component has been carefully chosen to ensure that the Tourbillon remains a beloved heirloom for generations to come, like a classic Swiss timepiece.
The interior of the Tourbillon has many horological design motifs.
Like all modern Bugattis, the Tourbillon was designed with exceptional aerodynamics in mind. Every surface, intake and edge has been meticulously refined to achieve not only aerodynamic efficiency, but also optimal performance for the car’s V16 engine, electric motors and battery. The Tourbillon features several patented technologies that have been honed over twenty years of Bugatti’s experience with the Veyron and Chiron. But the most revolutionary feature is the powertrain.
“When I thought about what to do with the Bugatti brand, it occurred to me that Bugatti has had many types of cars, not just hypercars – race cars, huge luxury cars and GTs,” says Rimac. “So you can go in many directions, but Bugatti is the pinnacle of the car industry in all directions. I realized that the brand was about pushing boundaries, and we had to continue that. Our shareholders were really pushing for an electric car, and that would have been the easiest thing, because we had the Nevera with 2,000 hp and more than 400 km/h. On paper you could easily restyle it into a Bugatti. That was what everyone expected, but I thought it was the wrong thing to do because Bugatti is about heritage sports craftsmanship. It’s about 115 years of history. I thought a Bugatti still needs an internal combustion engine, so four years ago I made a 3D printed concept of the car. It had a V16 engine and an electric motor in the rear and two electric motors in the front, with the battery pack in the middle. I presented this to the management of the Volkswagen Group and said this is what I want to do.”
The Tourbillon is also built on an all-new chassis and body structure, complementing its unique engine configuration. The structure uses a next-generation T800 carbon composite, which incorporates weight-saving innovations such as a battery integrated into the monocoque and a revolutionary crash composite rear diffuser. The car also features an all-new multi-link suspension system, forged from aluminium, for exceptional handling.
No self-respecting hypercar can do without scissor doors.
“I realized that the Volkswagen Group is not a company with one opinion, but many people with many different opinions,” says Rimac. “So it was all very political, but we managed to close the deal and I was given a huge opportunity to lead the brand into its next chapter. I wanted to create a super emotional combustion engine, made possible by high-quality electric poetry. It’s all about the combustion engine, with the electric drivetrain in the background. It has an old-fashioned, somewhat weak engine that doesn’t have the power, but you have the electric drivetrain that makes up for that and more. You get instant throttle response, torque vectoring and regenerative braking at low speeds. All disadvantages of the combustion engine disappear. But then you can have a very cool combustion engine.”
“The W16 in the Chiron is a great engine, but all you hear are the turbos,” adds Rimac. “It’s a unique sound, but they’re just turbos, and when you press the accelerator, nothing happens for a second if you’re not in the right rev range and the right boost. The Tourbillon doesn’t have that. It has a great naturally aspirated V16 engine sound and more torque than you could ever ask for from very low speeds due to the electric motors. It brings together the advantages of both parties in a super high-tech electric powertrain, which is in fact Formula 1 technology.”
With a starting price of € 3.8 million and a limited edition of only 250 copies, the Bugatti Tourbillon is once again an exclusive vehicle for very special customers. It embodies Bugatti’s relentless pursuit of innovation and dedication to creating timeless masterpieces. The Tourbillon is intended to be more than a car; it is intended as a testament to Bugatti’s unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of automotive engineering and design.
But where does the Bugatti Tourbillon leave the Rimac brand?
“I feel like an artist with two canvases,” says Rimac. “There’s Bugatti, which is about heritage, luxury and craftsmanship: quality leather, the analogue feel, more like a classic, traditional watchmaker. Then there is Rimac, which is about the extreme of high performance, pushing boundaries, doing crazy things, maybe things that are a bit too extreme for an old brand.”
Only 250 copies of the Tourbillon will be sold.
“At the age of 36, I have built five cars from scratch,” concludes Rimac. “I’ve learned so much along the way. I am super self-critical and find a thousand things in previous projects that we could have done better. But with the Tourbillon, nothing was off the table. It’s really great – the interior, the powertrain and everything – and you can see that in the customer reactions. Despite only 250 cars being offered at a starting price of €3.8 million, it was almost sold out before we even showed it to the public. That is a reflection of the attractiveness of the product. We still have a lot to offer with the Bugatti brand – and Rimac – so I feel good about the way things are going.”