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Bugatti Tourbillon Preview: 1,000-hp V16, 800-hp electric motors, gorgeous interior

LONG BEACH, Calif. — A few months ago, Bugatti invited us out to a studio in Long Beach, California, to get an early look at a prototype version of its latest creation, the Tourbillon. As the follow-up to two of the most iconic luxury-performance vehicles of the past two decades, the Tourbillon has some sizable shoes to fill, as both the Veyron and the Chiron were standard bearers of hypercar engineering during their respective eras. The high-performance landscape has also gone through some fairly dramatic changes in the time since. While the near-1,500 horsepower produced by the ChironÂ’s quad-turbocharged W16 was otherworldly in 2016, it seems notably less remarkable at a point in time when there are luxury sedans capable of producing more than 1,200 horsepower and the worldÂ’s quickest production vehicle offers nearly 2,000 hp. The paradigm shift brought on by high-performance EVs has not gone unnoticed by Bugatti, though. In 2022, the automaker formed a technical alliance with Rimac, the Croatian EV upstart that produces the world-beating Nevera. In its early stages, the partnership tasked Rimac with the development of an all-new powerplant for what would eventually become the Tourbillon, but the agreement soon evolved to effectively give Rimac founder and CEO Mate Rimac full control of the Bugatti brand through a 55/45 split with Porsche, BugattiÂ’s prior parent company. Bugatti Tourbillon action group View 7 Photos This, of course, begs a question: How do you follow up an automotive icon like the Chiron with something that feels equally unprecedented when your other company has upstaged that car with its own technology? As Bugatti design director Frank Heyl explained it, you focus less on the stats and more on the experience. “Yes, obviously it will be extremely fast. But I donÂ’t really like to talk about the numbers. ItÂ’s more about how you feel in the driverÂ’s seat, the sensations – the haptics of the switchgear, the smell of the leather, and the sounds and vibrations of the engine. ItÂ’s an emotional experience that canÂ’t really be expressed in numbers.”    That experience is driven in no small part by the TourbillonÂ’s jaw-dropping hybrid powertrain. At the front end of the Tourbillon, thereÂ’s a dual-motor and dual-inverter setup thatÂ’s good for 600 horsepower, along with a third electric motor in the rear that delivers an additional 200 hp of its own.

Will Bugatti's Veyron successor be too fast to test?

As one of the fastest cars in the world, the Bugatti Veyron is an icon in its own time, but people are fickle and always want to know what's next. Bugatti needs to sell just 15 more examples before the Veyron reaches its 450-car cap. With the end finally in sight, a blindly fast successor may be streaking towards us on the horizon.
It's rumored to be packing 1,479 horsepower (1,500 PS) from a modified, hybrid version of the current 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16
Autocar claims that it's in touch with unnamed insiders within Bugatti, and the site is making some very big promises about the future hyper car. First, what we all want to know: the car is rumored to be packing 1,479 horsepower (1,500 PS) from a modified, hybrid version of the current 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. According to the sources, the upgrades potentially include direct injection and electrically powered turbos (maybe like the forthcoming Audi SQ7), but it seems certain that an additional electric motor is being added, as well. That matches previous rumors and dovetails nicely with the suspicious-looking Veyrons spotted lapping the Nürburgring with wider bodies and weird contraptions on their backs.

Bugatti to build composite, carbon fiber, and aluminum versions of Baby II

At the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, Bugatti announced the revival of one of the most unique cars in the company's storied history: the Baby. At the time of the announcement, the project was still in its infant stages, and the only available example was a 3D-printed model. Still, that didn't stop buyers from reserving all 500 examples of the Baby II within three weeks. Months later at its 110th anniversary celebration in Molsheim, France, Bugatti showed the first functioning prototype, which special VIPs were allowed to test drive. Dubbed "XP1", this prototype is the result of a collaboration between Bugatti and The Little Car Company. Bugatti wanted to make a modern and more accessible version of the Baby, which itself is modeled after a different legend, the 1924 Type 35 Lyon Grand Prix car. Although the original Baby was half scale, Bugatti set out to build a three-quarter-size model that could fit not only kids but certain adults, as well.  In building the Baby II, Bugatti tried to replicate as much as it possibly could to bring the Type 35's essence back to life. Some of the coolest features include a hollow front axle, eight-spoke wheels (which now have Michelin tires), the four-spoke steering wheel, a turned aluminum dashboard with a clock "used for measuring race performance," and a digital recreation of the fuel pressure gauge. Although French Racing Blue was used for the prototype, Bugatti says the Baby II can be painted in modern colors from the Chiron range or from vintage colors that are tied to specific racers or events from the company's history. The Baby II, which is rear-wheel drive and has a limited-slip differential, can be ordered with either a 1.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack or a 2.8-kWh pack, which is expected to have a range close to 20 miles. Those packs will feed an electric powertrain that can be set to 1-kW Child Mode that can reach about 12 mph or or 4-kW Adult Mode, which can reach up to 28 mph.  Possibly the most interesting news at the launch is detailing about three different available versions of the Baby II. The base Baby II will be crafted with a composite body, the Baby II Vitesse will have a carbon fiber body, and the Baby II Pur Sang will wear a hand-built aluminum body.