Bugatti has unveiled the Bolide, an extreme, track-focused hypercar boasting an unprecedented weight-to-power ratio of only 0.67 kg per PS. First things first: the Bugatti Bolide is an experimental study – for now, at least. The manufacturer developed it as an exercise to see what a radically light vehicle built around its iconic 8.0-liter W16 engine would look like. Or, as Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann puts it, the Bolide has “solely four wheels, engine, gearbox, steering wheel and, as the only luxury, two seats.”
Envisioned as the ultimate Bugatti
performance kick, the Bolide combines the Chiron-derived W16 power plant with a
minimal body for maximum downforce. In this application, the highly-modified
W16 engine churns out 1,850 PS and an equally impressive 1,850 Nm of peak torque. Factor in the Bolide’s dry weight of only 1,240
kg, and you begin to understand why its performance is almost on
par with a Formula 1 car.
To make the Bolide this light, Bugatti
used only titanium screw and fastening elements, 3D-printed aerospace titanium
alloy thin-walled functional components, ceramic brakes and coatings and, of
course, lots of carbon fiber for the monocoque and other components. Described
as “the most extreme, uncompromising, fastest and lightest vehicle concept in
the company’s recent history”, the Bugatti Bolide is theoretically capable of
reaching a top speed well above 500 km/h.
According to Bugatti’s simulations, the
Bolide does the 0-100 km/h in 2.17 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 4.36 seconds, 0-300 km/h in 7.37 seconds, 0-400 km/h in 12.08 seconds, and 0-500 km/h in 20.16 seconds! Furthermore,
it’s capable of achieving a maximum lateral acceleration of 2.8 G. Bugatti also
says the Bolide would need just 3:07.1 minutes to complete a lap of Le Mans’
Circuit de la Sarthe and 5:23.1 minutes to get around the Nürburgring
Nordschleife.
Helping it deliver these staggering lap
times is the morphable outer skin of the intake scoop on the roof, which
provides active airflow optimization. When driven at a slow speed, the surface
of the scoop remains smooth. At high speeds, however, a field of bubbles bulges
out, reducing the aerodynamic drag of the scoop by 10 percent and ensuring a 17
percent reduction in lift forces. In addition, the flow onto the rear wing is
optimized. At 320 km/h, the downforce reaches 1,800 kilograms at the rear wing and 800 kg at the front wing. Mind you, the
Bolide may be more than just an experiment, as Bugatti let it “slip” that it
built it according to FIA’s safety requirements. It also looks a lot like an
LMP1 endurance racer.
Does this mean we are going to see the
Bolide go into a limited series production? Bugatti says that has not been
decided yet, but given the effort put into this prototype, we’d say the Bolide
has a good chance of becoming the mother of all track-exclusive hypercars.
