Back in the fall of 2020, Bugatti unveiled something pretty special. Not afraid to push the boundaries of what is possible, the French company revealed a new track-only monster called the “Bolide”. This was a 1,850 hp monster for the track, that did not need to comply with any racing regulations, and thus it was an unhinged beast that Bugatti could do what they wanted with and take the potential of their W16 engine to their next level. But it seems that, despite its Le Mans lap time predictions, Bugatti wanted more. And they have now unveiled a production version of the Bolide.
This is quite the surprise announcement from Bugatti, given the underpinnings of the car are so unhinged and in its base form, it seemed like it would purely be an experimental piece for the company to show off to the world. The insane hypercar, or whatever term best describes the Bolide, is being pushed through its finals stages of development before it enters this limited production run, with deliveries expected to take place sometime in 2024. This then is everything we currently know about the production version of the insane Bugatti Bolide.
What Greats The Eye
Whilst it in a way is quite a straightforward thing to talk about, you can’t talk about the Bolide without actually talking about what it looks like. The Bolide is an extreme-looking machine, with a shark fin across the center of the car that links up to a rather wild-looking rear wing, and at the back of course is that famous Bugatti W16 engine. When the car first came out, Bugatti claimed that the Bolide could lap the Nürburgring, and that’s the full “Green Hell”, not the modern F1 circuit, in just 5:23.1. To put that into context, Porsche’s dedicated 919 Evo hybrid extreme LMP1 car would be just four seconds quicker than that.
The styling of the production version is still pretty damn extreme, although it feels more refined in places such as along the side of the car, with a few of the more extreme air vents smoothed out to give a much sleeker look. But the fundamentals are still the same. The front end is still styled ultra aggressively, there is the air scoop above the cockpit and the shark fin remains, as do the wild-looking wheel covers.
Production Performance
Now, there have been some changes to the Bolide to create this production version, most notably in the power department. The power output for the extreme prototype was that wild 1,850 hp figure. But the production version has been toned down slightly, and the output for the Bolide is now around 1,578 hp, although this is on 98-RON fuel, not the 110-RON fuel that the earlier edition of the car has run on. Given that this car though will be handled by mere mortals and not exclusively by Bugatti test drivers and other racing drivers, that reduction in power is perhaps expected.
This might mean that its Nürburgring lap time figure, and indeed the projected Le Mans lap time of 3:07.1, will be a bit slower than Bugatti first predicted. However, only expect a few seconds to be lost, with both lap times still scarily quick. But mechanically there have been a few improvements. Bugatti has overhauled the cooling system, so it can stand up to racetrack punishment, whilst the intake and the exhaust systems have also had work done to improve response from the car. It's also been tuned for higher revs per minute at the racetrack, which should also help achieve a more spontaneous and extreme response, coupled with the intake and exhaust improvements.
The Bolide’s Purpose
It must be made clear, though, that this is not a road-going version of the Bolide. That would almost be impossible. What Bugatti has done though is created a limited run track-only production version of the car, which will be used on exclusive track days by its customers. To conform with modern racing safety standards, the Bolide is fully in line with FIA rules. The car features HANS device compatibility, it has an automatic fire extinguisher, six-point safety belt, central wheel locking, and pressure refueling with a fuel bladder. No stone has been left unturned to protect the customers of this insane machine.
Bugatti’s Most Fearsome Track Machine
The fact that this car is actually being put into production is simply astonishing, given the facts and figures that came with the car when it was first announced and subsequently launched. This Bolide production version is going to be limited to just 40 units, with delivery not scheduled until 2024 to allow the car to mature through its production run. Bugatti states that the Bolide will cost $ 5 million, so it's not exactly going to be cheap, but we wouldn’t expect anything less from both the car and the brand. It will be very interesting to watch the development of this production version.
Source: Bugatti