Photo: Bugatti / edited by autoevolution
Revealed as a concept in October 2020, the Bolide is a Chiron-based track toy with very wild styling and a similarly wild engine. Confirmed for production in August 2021, the French hypercar will start deliveries in 2024.
Only 40 units will be produced, each priced at a whopping 4 million euros. Converted at current exchange rates, that is a little under 4.4 million dollars.
Back in January 2023, the Volkswagen Group-owned automaker confirmed that all of the remaining Chirons and Bolides are completely sold out. Bugatti has recently taken the Bolide to the track without any paint on its carbon-fiber body shell, marking a new phase of testing before customer deliveries begin in early 2024.
Christophe Piochon, the president of Bugatti, claims that the Chiron-based track monster takes the French marque's philosophy of form following function to a wholly new level. Rather than designing the Bolide for outright speed, this fellow is made to corner like it's on rails. Pictured with 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sport GT P2L wet-weather tires, the prototype further sweetens the deal with center-lock wheels and 390-mm brake discs.
The ultimate track car also happens to be the lightest Bugatti from the modern era. Tipping the scales at 1,450 kilograms (3,196 pounds), as opposed to 1,240 kilograms (2,733 pounds) for the concept, the real thing is allegedly quicker at the Circuit de la Sarthe than the Toyota TS050 Hybrid racing car. "Allegedly" as in Bugatti simulated the lap on a computer. The simulator also suggests 5:23.1 at the Nurburgring, a stellar time that – if translated into a real lap – puts the Bolide right behind the 5:19.5 lap of the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo.
In addition to weight, another thing the Bolide has going for it comes in the guise of power. Lots of power, that is, because – in true Bugatti fashion – the engine is a quad-turbo colossus with 16 cylinders arranged in a W. The 8.0-liter lump cranks out a simply outstanding 1,850 metric ponies and 1,850 newton meters of torque, converting to 1,825 horsepower and 1,364 pound-feet.
Those numbers apply to the concept, though, on racing fuel. For the production model, Bugatti chose 98 RON because it's more widely available. The lesser fuel results in 1,600 ps and 1,600 Nm on full song, which converts to 1,578 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet.
Pretty much the same engine used in the Chiron Super Sport and Chiron Super Sport 300+, the quad-turbocharged W16 is connected to a sharper version of the Chiron's dual-clutch transmission. As a brief refresher, British transmission specialist Ricardo PLC supplies the Chiron's gearbox. The Bolide also differs from its road-going siblings by means of a roof-mounted intake scoop and – in ideal track conditions – slicks.
Once Bugatti finishes the final example of the Bolide, you can kiss goodbye to the quad-turbo W16 that made the Veyron an instant superstar in the automotive world when it launched back in 2005. The Chiron's replacement will be heavily electrified, according to big kahuna Mate Rimac, who also confirmed the development of a new engine for the heir apparent.
Back in January 2023, the Volkswagen Group-owned automaker confirmed that all of the remaining Chirons and Bolides are completely sold out. Bugatti has recently taken the Bolide to the track without any paint on its carbon-fiber body shell, marking a new phase of testing before customer deliveries begin in early 2024.
Christophe Piochon, the president of Bugatti, claims that the Chiron-based track monster takes the French marque's philosophy of form following function to a wholly new level. Rather than designing the Bolide for outright speed, this fellow is made to corner like it's on rails. Pictured with 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sport GT P2L wet-weather tires, the prototype further sweetens the deal with center-lock wheels and 390-mm brake discs.
The ultimate track car also happens to be the lightest Bugatti from the modern era. Tipping the scales at 1,450 kilograms (3,196 pounds), as opposed to 1,240 kilograms (2,733 pounds) for the concept, the real thing is allegedly quicker at the Circuit de la Sarthe than the Toyota TS050 Hybrid racing car. "Allegedly" as in Bugatti simulated the lap on a computer. The simulator also suggests 5:23.1 at the Nurburgring, a stellar time that – if translated into a real lap – puts the Bolide right behind the 5:19.5 lap of the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo.
In addition to weight, another thing the Bolide has going for it comes in the guise of power. Lots of power, that is, because – in true Bugatti fashion – the engine is a quad-turbo colossus with 16 cylinders arranged in a W. The 8.0-liter lump cranks out a simply outstanding 1,850 metric ponies and 1,850 newton meters of torque, converting to 1,825 horsepower and 1,364 pound-feet.
Those numbers apply to the concept, though, on racing fuel. For the production model, Bugatti chose 98 RON because it's more widely available. The lesser fuel results in 1,600 ps and 1,600 Nm on full song, which converts to 1,578 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet.
Pretty much the same engine used in the Chiron Super Sport and Chiron Super Sport 300+, the quad-turbocharged W16 is connected to a sharper version of the Chiron's dual-clutch transmission. As a brief refresher, British transmission specialist Ricardo PLC supplies the Chiron's gearbox. The Bolide also differs from its road-going siblings by means of a roof-mounted intake scoop and – in ideal track conditions – slicks.
Once Bugatti finishes the final example of the Bolide, you can kiss goodbye to the quad-turbo W16 that made the Veyron an instant superstar in the automotive world when it launched back in 2005. The Chiron's replacement will be heavily electrified, according to big kahuna Mate Rimac, who also confirmed the development of a new engine for the heir apparent.
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