Bugatti Wraps Up Bolide Testing, First Customer Deliveries Will Take Place This Year

After much testing and many simulations, Bugatti's most powerful automobile to date is ready for production. Limited to 40 units at €4,000,000 each, Bolide will reach customers in a matter of months. The French automaker from Molsheim did not say exactly when, but it's clear that first customer deliveries will take place before year's end.

Also not clear is how many hours a single model takes to assemble. However, we do know that Bugatti did cut back on power. As opposed to the July 2022 concept, which makes 1,850 ps (1,825 hp) and 1,850 Nm (1,364 lb-ft) on racing fuel with an octane rating of 110, customer vehicles develop 1,600 ps (1,578 hp) and 1,600 Nm (1,180 lb-ft) on 93 octane. Or RON 98 if you're European.

If the customer vehicle's numbers seem oddly familiar, that's because Chiron Super Sport and the record-breaking Chiron Super Sport 300+ also develop 1,600 metric ponies and the very same amount of Newton meters. But as opposed to the road-going siblings, Bolide was developed to corner like it's on rails. Although it can't match the sheer acceleration of a Formula 1 car on the straights, the Bug's low-downforce setup enables a top speed of 380 kilometers per hour (236 miles per hour).

In stark contrast to Red Bull Racing's RB20, the Bolide has all the amenities one could expect from a Bugatti for the track, including air conditioning. Ergonomically designed seats also need to be mentioned, which make little difference when getting close to the advertised 2.5 Gs of lateral acceleration in the twisties.

Built around a lightweight carbon-fiber monocoque developed with the help of Dallara, the 2024 Bugatti Bolide further boasts aerospace-level titanium alloy for thin-walled functional components. Even the brake calipers and various components of the pushrod suspension are 3D-printed from titanium. The pushrods, for example, start life as Ti6AI4V titanium powder.

Said titanium powder is layered into the desired shape by means of selective laser sintering. The suspension pushrod is then treated at 700 degrees Celsius (make that 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit), after which Bugatti cools it down to 100 C (212 F).

The Bolide and the open-top Mistral are Bugatti's final W16-engined cars. Not long now, the Volkswagen Group-owned automaker will unleash a free-breathing V16 with a degree of electrification. The yet-unnamed model is due to premiere in June 2024, and series production is expected to kick off in 2026.

Considering that Bugatti has already reached 1,600 metric horsepower in road-going applications, the newcomer could push 2,000 ps (1,973 hp) at full chatter. Of those ponies, the V16 engine alone should account for around 1,000 ps (986 hp).