Bugatti has presented an extreme study model that lives up to its name. The mighty, almost 1,850 horsepower monster is called Bolide and is more than any Chiron derivative a real track blast.
The Bugatti range consists of the Chiron and many of its derivatives. No matter how hard Bugatti tries to diet the in principle 1,500 hp hypercar, it has never been a true track king. That’s what the luxurious and obese GT was never meant for. Derivatives such as the Sport, Super Sport 300+, Pur Sport and Divo also feel much more at home in a straight line than in a fast corner. Bugatti is now launching the Bolide, a study model with which the brand shows that it certainly has technology for a ‘lightweight’ hypercar for the circuits. In any case, the Bolide is light, especially for a Bugatti. The Bolide puts only 1,240 kilos in the bowl!
Like the Chiron and its predecessor, the Veyron, the Bugatti Bolide has a mighty four-turbocharged 8.0 W16 behind the front seats. That brutal sixteen cylinder is good for 1,500 hp in the regular Chiron and produces no less than 1,599 hp in the Super Sport 300+. This Bugatti Bolide is just as good over that. The 8.0 W16 stamps out 1,850 hp and 1,850 Nm of primitive primal power in the Bolide. Up to 7,025 rpm, the machine even delivers 2,000 Nm of torque. This spinal cord crushing power comes from four new turbos with a higher turbo pressure than the turbines in the existing Chirons. Each horsepower therefore only needs to move 670 grams. Bugatti even dares to give a top speed of – yes – ‘above 500 km / h’. According to Bugatti, a sprint from a standstill to 100 km / h is over in 2.17 seconds. The clock is 200 km / h in 4.36 seconds and anyone who has patience for a total of 7.37 seconds should be able to reach a speed of 300 km / h. Could it be any more unusual? Of course. For example, the sprint from a standstill to a speed of 400 km / h is completed in 12 seconds and if you wait 20.16 seconds, you should be able to hit 500 km / h. The 0-500-0 km / h sprint and braking session is over in 33.62 seconds. Bizarre.
The low weight is made possible by, among other things, making all screws, fastening elements and various other components from titanium. Bugatti has also made extensive use of carbon fiber. The complete monocoque is built from the lightweight stuff. The car is about 30 centimeters lower than the Chiron, is 1.99 meters wide, 4.76 meters long and has a wheelbase of 2.75 meters.
Bugatti Bolide
Bugatti gives the Bolide a special air intake system, a special exhaust system, heavy braking and a dry-symp system. This means that the car does not have a regular crankcase, but an external oil tank. The lack of a crankcase has the consequence that the engine can be hung lower in the car. This in turn has a positive effect on the center of gravity, which is therefore much lower. The Chiron’s transmission has also been thoroughly revised. Every nook, crease and niche of the Bolide’s almost otherworldly-looking carriage is designed to generate as much downward pressure as possible. At a speed of 320 km / h, the spoiler work is good for 1,800 kilos of downforce at the rear and 800 kilos of downforce at the front. Also striking: parts of the body of the Bolide deform as the car changes speed. For example, at high speed, small bumps form on the roof air scoop to reduce air resistance. According to Bugatti, the Bolide is able to complete a lap of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in 5 minutes and 23 seconds. That comes dangerously close to the lap record that Porsche set on the track with the 919 Hybrid Evo, a modified LMP1 racer (5 minutes 19 seconds).
Bugatti says it has not yet decided whether the extreme Bolide will go into production. Given the speed at which extreme track cars like the McLaren P1 GTR are selling out, there certainly seems to be a market for it. What if …