- Bugatti has revealed the Bolide concept, a lightweight, track-focused hypercar that demonstrates the French automaker's abilities.
- It's powered by a quad-turbo 8.0-liter W-16 with upgraded turbos, and it produces 1825 horsepower and 1364 lb-ft of torque.
- Bugatti hasn't decided yet if it'll go into production.
Like Ricky Bobby, Bugatti has always just wanted to go fast. But with new models, such as the Divo and Pur Sport, which are based off the 1500-hp Chiron, it's showing its dedication to ultra-expensive, megafast cars that can tackle corners, too. To show how serious it can be about track-focused cars, and just because it can, Bugatti is revealing the Bolide concept, which is a 1825-hp lightweight race car built around the company's famous quad-turbo W-16 engine.
In the Bolide, the quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W-16 from the Chiron and Divo is equipped with new turbos that produce more boost pressure. This increases its output to 1825 horsepower and 1364 lb-ft of torque. Additional changes include dethrottling the intake, upgrading the dry sump oil system, and switching to an air-to-air intercooler. Bugatti claims that it will be able to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 5:23.
"For the first time, we are showing what the W-16 engine is really capable of," Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in a statement. "We have freed the vehicle of all baggage and have illustrated and combined the engine with the lightest possible chassis to create the ultimate Bugatti."
The baggage he's referring to is a dramatic reduction of roughly 1600 pounds Bugatti claims to have shed when creating the Bolide, it's unique carbon-fiber monocoque standing only 39.2 inches, as tall as the Type 35 and almost 12 inches shorter than the Chiron. Like an LMP1 racing car, the Bolide's doors fold upward, and you'll also notice a roof scoop up top—along with other aggressive aero. The roof scoop's surface remains smooth at low speeds, but once the Bolide gets moving, bubbles pop up on top of it that reduce the drag by 10 percent.
Only 40 percent of the Bolide's surfaces are painted in French Racing Blue, while the other 60 percent is exposed carbon, and it looks insane, too, with openings in the hood that expose the suspension components. It sits on magnesium center-lock wheels that weigh 16.3 pounds in front and 18.5 pounds in the rear, and it has carbon-ceramic rotors with lightweight calipers. Bugatti says that the Bolide's thin taillights are inspired by those of the Bell X-1 jet aircraft of the late 1940s, which was flown by the legendary Capt. Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier.
Bugatti has yet to decide whether or not the Bolide will go into production. As of now it's just a flex to show what the French automaker can do with its powerful W-16 engine. For now, the best handling Bugs you can get are the Divo and the Chiron Pur Sport, but you'll need a few million bucks.