Bugatti published a cool video of the Bolide testing at an airbase, as the track-only hypercar enters the final stages of development before the first customer deliveries commence in 2024. The automaker also released some cool details of Bolide’s extreme aerodynamics.
The Bugatti Bolide was originally introduced in concept form on October 2020, but the production version was revealed in April 2023. Throughout this period, Bugatti engineers tested the Bolide in countless simulated laps in the “world’s most revered racetracks” in order to fine-tune its design and setup. However, the final refinement is completed in the real world as part of an “intense motorsport-focused testing program”.
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The crazy aerodynamics of the Bolide allow it to produce up to nearly 3 tons of downforce, keeping it glued to the track.
The track-only Bugatti’s front splitter with integrated winglets works together with the front diffuser and the air curtains. The narrow cab allows more air to come through the side-mounted intercoolers, assisted by the shape and position of the wing mirrors. Bugatti opted for traditional mirrors instead of cameras, as they “allow drivers to estimate distances between other cars more quickly” in a racetrack.
Finally, the tail is dominated by a massive and adjustable wing, alongside the center-mounted exhaust, the thin X-shaped LEDs, and the semi-exposed tires thanks to the shape of the diffuser.
Under the batmobile-style bodywork hides a Chiron-sourced monocoque chassis and the mid-mounted quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine. The latter makes 1,578 hp (1,176 kW / 1,600 PS) in the production Bolide, with the whole car tipping the scales at 1,450 kg (3,196 lbs).
The Bolide is described as the most extreme Bugatti, promising to generate up to 2.5G of lateral acceleration, but Bugatti aims to make it still manageable for all drivers, no matter their skill, just like its road-going siblings. Bugatti will produce 40 units of the Bolide at a net price of €4 million ($4.28 million) each. Don’t expect to see any of them cruising around Monaco though, as the model is not street-legal.
