| Bugatti Bolide | |
| Sp: | uk |
| Height: | 1047mm |
| Width: | 2100mm |
| Length: | 4835mm |
| Wheelbase: | 2750mm |
| Transmission: | 7-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| Engine: | 8abbr=onNaNabbr=on quad-turbocharged W16 |
| Layout: | Mid-engine, all-wheel-drive |
| Body Style: | 2-door coupé |
| Class: | Sports car (S) |
| Assembly: | France: Molsheim (Bugatti Molsheim Plant) |
| Production: | 2024– |
| Designer: | Nils Sajonz,[1] Florian Westermann,[2] Artur Hindalong, Jan Schmid, Max Lask |
The Bugatti Bolide is a track-only sports car developed by Bugatti Engineering GmbH in Wolfsburg, Germany and Bugatti Automobiles 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 8.0 liter W16 engine with four turbochargers. The Bolide's name comes from the term le bolide, which literally means "the racing car" in French.
In April 2023, Bugatti revealed the production version of the Bolide as a track-only sports car.[3] 40 units are to be built and the first vehicles were delivered to customers at the beginning of 2024.
The technical demonstrator 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 1825hp and 18500NaN0 of torque, 245hp, 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 12401NaN1, the Bolide can accelerate from 0–62mph in 2.2 seconds, 0–124mph in 4.4 seconds, 0–186mph in 7.4 seconds, 0–249mph in 12.1 seconds, and 0–311mph in 20.1 seconds and a top speed projected of more than 311mph. Additionally, Bugatti states that the Bolide has a NaNmph of 24.62 seconds, and a NaNmph 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.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
The series version of the Bugatti Bolide continues to rely on the 8.0-liter W16 engine with four turbochargers with an output of 1600 PS at 7050 rpm and a torque of 1600 Nm between 3800 and 7050 rpm. This enables the standard version of the Bolide to accelerate from 0 to in 2.2 seconds, to in 5.4 seconds and to in 11.5 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited at . [9]
From 300 km/h, the Bolide series version brakes in 6 seconds and stops after . From 200 km/h, the Bolide needs 4.2 seconds and . From 100 km/h, the Bolide needs 2.5 seconds and to come to a standstill. For acceleration and full braking from 0-100-0 km/h, the Bolide needs 4.7 seconds and . At 0-200-0 km/h it takes 9.7 seconds and, and at 0-300-0 km/h it takes 17.5 seconds and .[10]
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 Gran Turismo concept, which preceded 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 5800lb of downforce at 200mph, with 4000lb at the rear wing and another 1800lb at the front wing. 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.
The carbon structure, developed in collaboration with Dallara, meets the same demanding LMH and LMDh requirements of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) as the Le Mans race cars.[11]
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.[12] The first production-ready cars have been delivered to customers since the beginning of 2024. [13]