When Bugatti revealed the V16-powered Tourbillon hybrid over the summer, we gawked at its gorgeous design, timeless interior and mind-bending performance numbers, but we hadn’t seen much about what it looked like under the skin. Now, thanks to Harry Metcalfe of the Harry’s Garage YouTube channel, we’re getting a closer look at some of the engineering that is going into Bugatti’s latest hypercar.
Metcalfe got a private tour of the 1,800-horsepower Tourbillon at Bugatti’s headquarters in Molsheim, France. He took a look at both the inoperable display car and the rolling chassis, which really lets us get a deeper understanding of what sort of engineering is going into this car.
Looking at the rolling chassis, Metcalfe highlights the aero and weight-savings that are going into the car. Even though the Tourbillon has a 24.8-kWh battery and three electric motors, it’s lighter than the Chiron it replaces, thanks mostly to more carbon fiber.
Metcalfe then takes us through the Cosworth-built mammoth of an 8.3-liter V16 engine that revs to 9,000 RPM and the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that lives behind it. The unit is truly a work of engineering art. Apparently, there were a few other engine options that were considered, including a naturally aspirated version of the W16 previous Bugattis employed as well as various eight, 10 and 12-cylinder engines, but engineers decided this car needed 16 cylinders. We thank them for it.
He also pointed out that the engine isn’t mounted flat in the car. It’s actually tilted 11 degrees forward (the most you can do before it stalls) to make room for the massive diffuser out back and the exhaust system that could be considered a sculpture itself. While looking at the rolling chassis, he also pointed out that the Tourbillon’s dihedral doors are actually electrically powered rather than hydraulically because the speed of their opening comes up more uniform depending on the climate they’re in. That’s the sort of detail that sets Bugatti apart. He also mentioned that the seat is actually fixed in place, meaning the pedal box and steering wheel move to fit the driver.
From inside the rolling chassis, we get a look at the Tourbillon’s T-shaped battery structure. Engineers went with that rather than a skateboard-style battery layout to keep weight distribution where they wanted it. Maserati did the same thing with the GranTurismo Folgore. Anyway, Metcalfe noted that the Tourbillon is actually about 1.2 inches lower than the Chiron, which is quite a fete.
Moving up front, Metcalfe showed us the Tourbillon’s front wishbone, which is a real work of art if you ask me. Bugatti worked with Czinger’s parent company Divergent to use AI that “look at what a wishbone needs to do and then design it in a way that it has the absolute minimal mass to take the forces that are involved for a normal wishbone to perform as it should.” The end result is wild. Oh, and don’t worry Bugatti Tourbillon buyers, there’s still going to be a frunk bigger than what the Chiron had.
Now turning to the show car, Metcalfe takes viewers through how engineers were able to shrink the passenger compartment by moving the transmission from the front of the engine to the rear. He also pointed out all of the crazy aero going on that keeps this car stable at over 250 mph.
