Before the Bugatti Bolide racing car starts productionThe development team is receiving input from a very experienced driver.
Andy Wallace achieved the triple crown of endurance racing, with victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. He is also a Bugatti test driver and brand ambassador since 2011, breaking the 300 mph barrier in a Chiron Super Sport 300+ in 2019. So you could say his opinion carries some weight.
“Every Bugatti automobile is, in its own way, unique,” Wallace said in a statement, “but the Bolide is very special to me; it is simply incomparable – a true Bugatti masterpiece that took me back to the most exhilarating emotions and sensations that I experienced in my life as a pilot.”
Launched in 2020, the Bolide is a track-only special, not bound by racing or road regulations. It uses the 8.0-liter W-16 with four turbochargers, a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the Chiron’s all-wheel-drive system. But the engine is tuned to run on 110 octane racing fuel, which increases production to 1,824 hpup from 1,577 hp with 98 octane fuel.
Andy Wallace tests the Bugatti Bolide
Bolide also features the largest carbon-carbon brake system yet designed by Brembo. Based on technology used in Formula 1 cars and endurance racers, the brake rotors are made from carbon fiber-reinforced carbon, a highly heat-resistant material similar to that used in the space shuttle’s heat shield.
Aerodynamic elements – including a roof vent inspired by the humble golf ball – minimize aerodynamic drag while creating enormous downforce. Bugatti said the front and rear wings can generate 1,764 pounds and 3,968 pounds of downforce, respectively, at 200 mph.
The Bolide’s dry weight is just under 3,200 pounds, but its immense power and track-tuned chassis elements should yield performance similar to that of high-end race cars, according to Bugatti. The automaker said in 2021 that simulations indicated the Bolide could break the lap record at Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe.
Bugatti will build 40 examples, all of which are already sold out, despite the price of around US$4 million. Deliveries are scheduled to begin later this year. The Bolide and the Mistral roadster They are the last production cars to use Bugatti’s W-16 engine. However, a newly developed V-16 it will debut as part of a hybrid powertrain in the Chiron’s successor later this year.