The Bugatti Tourbillon is an upcoming mid-engine

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

manufactured by French automobile manufacturer

Bugatti Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French automotive industry, manufacturer of high performance vehicle, high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German Empire, German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the ...

. The Tourbillon succeeds the

Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...

and is limited to 250 units. It was unveiled in an online live stream on 20 June 2024. It is priced at €3.8 million (US$4.1 million). The vehicle is named after the

tourbillon In horology, a tourbillion () or tourbillon (; " whirlwind") is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement to increase accuracy. Conceived by the British watchmaker and inventor John Arnold, it was developed by his friend the Swiss-Fr ...

mechanism, a balancing structure used in a variety of

mechanical watch A mechanical watch is a watch that uses a Movement (clockwork), clockwork mechanism to measure the passage of time, as opposed to quartz watches which function using the vibration modes of a piezoelectric quartz tuning fork, or radio clock, radio ...

es.

Design

Bugatti states that the Tourbillon is a completely new design, and does not share any components with the outgoing Chiron. In keeping with the Bugatti brand lineage, however, it does share many of its key design cues, including the horseshoe grille, central spine, C-shaped side body lines, and two-tone body colour. One of the stated inspirations for the Tourbillon was mechanical watches, with the car containing a fully analog center console operated by mechanical gears designed to look like a watch movement, while the speedometer and tachometer needles were arranged to resemble an hour and minute hand. Another design theme of the Tourbillon is a "skeletonized" mechanical design, where the mechanisms of components are made visible as a part of the design. The interior of the Tourbillon features a steering wheel with a fixed central hub where only the outer rim rotates, allowing the instrument cluster to remain visible at all times. It also features an infotainment screen that retracts into the dashboard when not in use. Bugatti says that, as in past models, their goal was to make sure that the car remains "timeless", even when the screen technology inevitably becomes outdated. The center panel of the Tourbillon is made from machined aluminum and machined crystal glass, while the watch-inspired instrument cluster is made from titanium by Swiss watchmaker Concepto.

Specifications

The Tourbillon is powered by a naturally aspirated V16 engine. The engine, developed by

Cosworth Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for auto racing, automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream Automotiv ...

, has a bore × stroke of and is implemented in conjunction with 3 electric motors, 2 located at the front axle and 1 at the rear. The engine has a power output of and of torque, while the electric motors have a combined power output of , making for a total of . Bugatti says that the choice to replace the quad turbocharger setup of the Chiron with a naturally aspirated engine was to make the experience "more emotional" and allow for a higher rev count, with the engine redlining at 9,000 rpm. The V16 features a

crossplane The crossplane or cross-plane is a crankshaft design for piston engines with a 90° angle (phase in crank rotation) between the crank throws. The crossplane crankshaft is the most popular configuration used in V8 road cars. Aside from the V8 alre ...

crank design, a 90-degree bank angle, and

dry sump A dry sump system is a method to manage the lubricating motor oil in Four-stroke engine, four-stroke and large Two-stroke engine, two-stroke Reciprocating engine, reciprocating internal combustion engines. The dry sump system uses two or more o ...

lubrication system. The engine weighs a total of . The Tourbillon uses an 8-speed

dual-clutch transmission A dual-clutch transmission (DCT) (sometimes referred to as a twin-clutch transmission) is a type of multi-speed motor vehicle, vehicle Transmission (mechanics), transmission system, that uses two separate clutches for odd and even gear train, ...

mounted longitudinally at the rear of the engine, in contrast to the Chiron where it was mounted at the front. The battery is a 24.8 kWh unit mounted in front of the engine in the central tunnel, which allows for a complete electric range of around . For the suspension of the Tourbillon, Bugatti collaborated with Divergent Technologies, the parent company of Czinger, to create organically shaped 3D-printed suspension components designed with the assistance of AI. The suspension is a forged aluminum multi-link setup that Bugatti says is 45 percent lighter than the suspension system found in the Chiron. The chassis of the Tourbillon is made from T800 carbon composite, with front and rear frames that use 3D printed braces, and a battery that is integrated into the

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

in order to save weight. It also features a

diffuser Diffuser may refer to: Aerodynamics * Diffuser (automotive), a shaped section of a car's underbody which improves the car's aerodynamic properties * Part of a jet engine air intake, especially when operated at supersonic speeds * The channel bet ...

designed to serve as part of the crash structure in place of a rear crash beam, which functions as another weight-saving measure.

Performance

The Tourbillon can accelerate from 0– in 2.0 seconds, 0– in under 5.0 seconds, 0– in under 10.0 seconds and 0– in under 25.0 seconds. It has an estimated top speed of with the use of a speed key, and is limited to without it.

References

External links

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Tourbillon In horology, a tourbillion () or tourbillon (; " whirlwind") is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement to increase accuracy. Conceived by the British watchmaker and inventor John Arnold, it was developed by his friend the Swiss-Fr ...

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