Awakening Of The Experimental Beast, The Extremely Light And Unbelievably Fast Bugatti Bolide

The ultimate driving machine, the epitome of power, lightness and acceleration, Bugatti awakens their one-of-a-kind experimental beast, the Bolide.

Initially presented in 2020 as a drivable concept, the French luxury marque has recently announced that the Bugatti Bolide will be made as a few-off model, and all production work has begun.

Bugatti’s president Stephan Winkelmann remarked, “The Bolide generated a great deal of enthusiasm and intrigue last year. Following its presentation, a significant number of enthusiasts and collectors asked us to develop the experimental Bolide as a production vehicle. Therefore, we made the Bolide a few offs to allow 40 clients to experience this incredible vehicle. Our team has now been developing a production model, the ultimate driving machine for the track.” 

Remarkably, it is depicted as a racetrack-oriented hyper sports car that pays tribute to Bugatti’s glorious motorsport past in the 1920s.

Said designing follows the minimalist approach of the Bugatti style philosophy of ‘Form follows performance’ infused with an uncompromising lightweight structure method.

It can be seen with numerous air ducts and a delicate front end that evokes the aerodynamically sophisticated Formula 1 cars rather than a hyper sports car.

Combining with the striking rear diffuser, the dominant rear wing results in high downforce and also optimum traction.

Furthermore, the Bolide sits very low to the ground, with an air intake scoop on the roof and a cockpit complemented with an ultra-sporty seat position.

As with other Bugatti vehicles, the design team opted for a colour split, although the proportion of visible carbon parts is more significant than on other models.

At the beast’s heart is the most extraordinary engine in automotive history, Bugatti’s legendary 8.0-litre W16 engine that comes with four turbochargers.

In the case of the Bolide experimental vehicle, its power output of 1,850 PS has been achieved, among other things, thanks to the 110-octane racing fuel. 

Conversely, the production Bolide uses the RON98 fuel, which is available worldwide. Yet, the power output is still neck-snapping at 1,600 PS and 1,600 Nm of torque that revs at 2,250 rpm.

Besides that, it is also tuned for higher revs per minute for use on the racetrack, alongside the intake and exhaust system to achieve even faster, more spontaneous and extreme responsiveness.

Additionally, the Bolide’s cooling system for the turbochargers, engine, transmission, and differential has also been modified for optimum power development.

“We are proud to have succeeded in keeping the production vehicle so close to its technical demonstrator both visually and technically while also enhancing the design, quality, and vehicle safety,” explained Winkelmann. 

With extreme speed, safety is a priority. Bugatti’s designers and engineers are currently developing the Bolide in line with international FIA safety standards.

To assure maximum safety, HANS system compatibility, automatic fire dousing system, pressure refuelling with a fuel bladder, central wheel locking and a 6-point safety belt system are included.

Optimisations to ensure safety in the areas of design, aerodynamics and quality results the Bolide to have a curb weight of just 1,450 kg.

Winkelmann concluded, “The customers’ safety is always our top priority. We, therefore, decided to offer exclusive track days for this extreme vehicle in order to guarantee a safe environment at all times and gradually introduce the customers to the Bolide’s breath-taking performance.”

Overall, the new hyper sports car will be taken to production maturity over the next three years, with its delivery scheduled for 2024 at a net unit price of 4 million euros and limited to 40 units.