Bugatti Could Take The Tourbillon Places The Chiron Never Dared Go

The almost all-new Bugatti Tourbillon hypercar eschews its predecessor’s quad-turbo W16 engine setup for a new naturally-aspirated but hybridized V16 engine developed by specialists at Cosworth. Why? Because Bugatti’s CEO, Mate Rimac, doesn’t think turbocharged hybrid performance cars make any sense, from the perspective of weight and performance.

Rethinking Turbo Titans

Speaking to Top Gear, Rimac rips into the concept of turbo titans: “I have driven them all and I don’t get it, really. Why would you have a hybrid powertrain with a turbo engine? Like, a turbo engine is a compromise on its own, right? By going from turbo to naturally aspirated, we lost 600 bhp. I knew we could more than make up for it with the electric powertrain. So the electric powertrain enabled the cool combustion engine.”

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Rimac argues that the three electric motors and 24.8 kWh battery pack make up for the loss of turbo power, as they add an extra 800 horsepower to the stock engine’s standard 1,000-hp output, totaling just under 1,800 hp in all. The electric components are also good for 43 miles of all-electric driving, which is more than Bugatti’s competitors. The all-wheel-drive piece of art is said to be good for a 0-60 mph acceleration time of around 2 seconds flat, with a top speed north of 270 mph. But it’s the way it’ll sound and feel on the way there that will make the most difference.

What Else Is Bugatti Cooking? A Drop-Top, Or A Less Complex Version With RWD, Possibly

A roadster version of the Tourbillon comes next, but then what else? “You can assume,” Mate comments with a smile, “but also there are many things you can do with this hybrid powertrain. You can make a version without hybrid, or with it minimized, or without the [driven] front axle – whatever.” So, don’t get any hopes up for a turbocharged Tourbillon anytime soon, at least not from Bugatti. And don’t expect any vehicles without the hybrid bits attached to this new Cosworth engine, either, despite the comments.

The EV parts are likely to be integral to the weight savings and other aspects of the Tourbillon’s design: “It’s pretty difficult because the starter is the hybrid motor. So you don’t have belt drive. You don’t have an alternator, you don’t have an air conditioning compressor, but you could do a very reduced system,” Rimac said. But the fact that his customers will pay anything for something special enough, it’s possible future special edition bespoke models could play with the powertrain setup more.

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Top Gear also pleaded for details about future models, but 35 Tourbillon prototypes must come first, followed by series production, which is slated to start in 2026. There’s “no comment” regarding a new V16-powered four-door model, either as an SUV or sedan, which has been theorized by the brand before. Fortunately, the former seems unlikely under Rimac, at least not for the next few years.

Source: Top Gear