Bugatti Bolide

Overview

The Bugatti Bolide is an experimental hypercar unveiled by Bugatti in October 2020, showcasing the brand's extreme performance capabilities and design innovation. The name "Bolide" translates to "racing car" or "meteor" in French, aptly reflecting the car's focus on achieving unparalleled speed and agility on the racetrack. Unlike Bugatti's previous models, which blend luxury with high performance, the Bolide prioritizes pure performance and track capability, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in automotive engineering.

The Bolide features a radical design that departs significantly from the more luxury-oriented aesthetics of models like the Chiron and Divo. Its design is purely functional, with every element honed for aerodynamic efficiency, cooling, and lightweight construction. The car's body is characterized by its low-slung profile, extensive use of aerodynamic elements including a massive rear wing, and innovative air intakes that resemble gills, enhancing cooling for the engine and brakes.

One of the most striking aspects of the Bolide's design is its use of advanced materials and construction techniques to minimize weight. The car has a remarkably low weight of just about 1,240 kilograms (2,733 pounds), achieved through the extensive use of carbon fiber and titanium.

At the heart of the Bolide is Bugatti's iconic 8.0-liter W16 engine, significantly modified for enhanced performance on the track. In this application, the engine produces an astounding 1,850 horsepower (with 110-octane racing fuel) and 1,850 Nm of torque, making the Bolide one of the most powerful cars ever conceived by Bugatti.

The performance figures for the Bolide are equally impressive, with Bugatti claiming a top speed of more than 500 km/h (approximately 310 mph) and the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 2.17 seconds. The Bolide's power-to-weight ratio, aerodynamics, and advanced chassis technologies are designed to deliver unparalleled driving dynamics and lap times, potentially setting new records at racetracks around the world.

The Bugatti Bolide serves as an experimental study to explore the limits of Bugatti's engineering and design philosophy. It is a showcase of the brand's capabilities in creating a track-focused machine that pushes the boundaries of speed, design, and performance. While initially presented as a concept, Bugatti announced that the Bolide would go into a very limited production run, making it one of the most exclusive and sought-after hypercars in the world.

The Bolide represents a bold statement from Bugatti, emphasizing the brand's commitment to innovation and its racing heritage. It offers a glimpse into the future possibilities of high-performance automotive engineering, while also celebrating Bugatti's legacy as a manufacturer of some of the world's most extraordinary and groundbreaking vehicles.

But La Bolide was a design concept, fully driveable, but just a test mule for a ‘what if’ question … until Pebble Beach 2021, when Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. revealed they would turn the La Bolide into a limited edition production car, still track-only. Only 40 units of the Bugatti Bolide will be made for the entire world, and chances are that by the time you are reading this, all of them are sold out already with a price set at €4,000,000 before taxes. Power comes from the famous W16 engine, which on 110 Octane racing fuel is capable of 1,850 PS, but it seems the production version will be set to 98 RON fuel, which compromises power to ‘only’ 1,600 PS, keep in mind this Bugatti comes with a monstrous torque output of 1,600 Nm at just 2,250 rpm … that will rip up the pavement for sure.