Bugatti Bolide

The Bugatti Bolide is a track-day-focused sportscar developed by Bugatti Engineering GmbH in Wolfsburg, Germany and manufactured in Molsheim, by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., revealed online on October 28, 2020. According to Bugatti, the concept version of the Bolide is using the W16 engine with a weight-to-power-ratio of . Bugatti announced the Bolide would be the last car ever made with their W16 engine. The Bolide's name comes from the term ''le bolide'', which literally means "the racing car" in French. The fundamental concept of the Bolide is based on a technical draft of Bugatti chief engineer and "Technical Guru" Frank Goetzke.

Specifications and performance

The Bolide is built using the framework of the same 8-liter quad-turbo W16 engine and the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission used in the Chiron, although upgrades to the W16 engine allow the Bolide to generate over and of torque, , more than the Chiron Super Sport 300+. This increase in power can be attributed to bigger blades in the turbochargers and the different orientation of the turbochargers themselves. Combining the fact that the curb weight of the car is only , the Bolide can accelerate from 0– in 2.2 seconds, 0– in 4.4 seconds, 0– in 7.4 seconds, 0– in 12.1 seconds, and 0– in 20.1 seconds and a top speed projected of more than . Additionally, Bugatti states that the Bolide has a of 24.62 seconds, and a time of 33.62 seconds. According to Bugatti, computer simulations show that the Bolide could lap the Nürburgring in 5 minutes and 23.1 seconds, making it just four seconds slower than the current record holder, the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo. The Bolide is also simulated to have a lap time at the Circuit de la Sarthe of just 3 minutes and 7.1 seconds, making it 7.6 seconds quicker than the current record holder, the Toyota TS050, which lapped the circuit in 3 minutes and 14.7 seconds.

Design

The main influence on the Bolide's light curb weight is due to the monocoque and all of its components constructed with titanium, along with nearly all of the body panels constructed in carbon fiber. Donning the aggressive design language of an LMP1 racecar (specifically the Bugatti Vision Le Mans concept, which previewed the Bolide), including the signature X-shape (itself inspired by the Bell X-1 aircraft), the aerodynamics of the Bolide help it generate more than of downforce at , with at the rear wing and another at the front wing. Additionally, the air scoop of the Bolide is home to a group of dimples, similar to what one finds in a golf ball, that raise up at high speeds, smoothing the laminar flow of air and reducing the aerodynamic drag of the scoop by 10% and a reduction in lift forces by 17%, according to Bugatti. The height of the Bolide, , matches the height of the famous Bugatti Le Mans racecar, the Bugatti Type 57C, on which much of the Bolide harkens to.

Production

In August 2021, Bugatti announced at The Quail, A Motorsport Gathering in California that the production Bolide has its first delivery scheduled for 2024 at a net unit price of and limited to 40 units. Although the concept version boasted a power output of , this was achieved using 110-octane racing fuel. The production version will have a power output of with a torque figure of at 2,250 rpm using 98 RON gas. The production version will weigh in at and therefore will have a weight-to-power ratio of when 98 RON gas is used.

Gallery

File:Vorderansicht des Bugatti Bolide in Tarnfarben.jpg, Front view at the circuit Paul Ricard
File:Seitenansicht des Bugatti Bolide in Tarnfarben.jpg, Side view
File:Bugatti Bolide in Tarbfarben.jpg, Rear view

References

{{Bugatti road car timeline, 1980s–present

Bugatti automobiles
Cars introduced in 2021
Sports cars
Flagship vehicles