Bugatti has been teasing us with details of a track-focused hypercar for a few weeks now. A few hints of the design and cryptic messages on its social media platforms, however, none of these prepared us for the madness that is the track-only Bugatti Bolide.

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More power, lower mass

Bugatti says the Bolide is the most extreme, uncompromising, fastest and lightest vehicle concept in the company’s recent history. The new concept car features an uprated version of the automaker’s quad-turbocharged W16 engine. For the Bugatti Bolide the 8,0-litre powerplant has been tuned to deliver a massive 1 362 kW with the help of high-octane (110 RON) fuel. Peak torque is rated as 1 850 N.m arriving at a lowly 2 000 r/min. Power is sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Check out all the iterations of Bugattis created around the current Chiron platform and powertrain at this link.

Almost as impressive is the diet that the Bolide has gone on compared with regular Bugatti offerings. The new release weighs a scant 1 240 kg, over 600 kg less than a Chiron; about the same as a hatchback. The mass-saving takes place is several areas, starting with the carbon-fibre monocoque. Lightweight fasteners and materials are in just about every aspect of the car. The front forged magnesium rims, with central locking, weigh 7,4 kg, while the rears weigh 8,4 kg. Tyre size are 340 mm on the front and 400 mm on the rear axle (Chiron sizes are 285 mm and 355 mm, respectively).

Performance claims

Bugatti hasn’t run a car against the clock but they do claim a set of performance figures for the Bolide. The track-special is said to blast to 100 km/h in an organ-rearranging 2,17 seconds, from 0-200 km/h in a sportscar-shaming 4,36 seconds, from 0-300 km/h run in 7,37 seconds and from 0-400 km/h in 12,08 seconds. They also say it has a top speed of over 500 km/h. Take a moment to digest those acceleration figures…

Check out our two-part series of track-only supercars here: Part One and Part Two.

The mind-bending stats don’t stop there. The Bugatti Bolide is said to achieve figures that are almost on par with Formula 1. Bugatti’s simulations say the Bolide will take 3 min 07,1 sec to complete a lap of Le Mans and a 5 min 23,1 sec to get around the Nurburgring. That Nurburgring lap time is just a few seconds off the current lap record held by Porsche’s 919 Evo prototype. In part those figures are achievable through massive downforce. At 320 km/h, 1 800 kg is produced at the rear wing and 800 at the front wing that helps create a maximum lateral G of 2,8.

In his own words

“Bugatti stands for the continuous quest for technological innovations – in alignment with the company’s brand values of excellence, courage, dedication. And Bugatti never stands still. We are perpetually aiming for new and exciting goals, and the question that we always keep in mind is: what if?” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. “We asked ourselves how we could realise the mighty W16 engine as a technical symbol of the brand in its purest form – with solely four wheels, engine, gearbox, steering wheel and, as the only luxury, two seats. Important aspects of our considerations were fine-tuning our iconic powertrain without any limitations as regards the weight-to-power ratio. These considerations resulted in the Bugatti Bolide. An uncompromising experiment, a thoroughbred, a Pur Sang that, in its brute exclusivity, impresses above all with high performance, low weight, and a driving experience in a whole new dimension. Driving the Bolide is like riding on a cannonball.” Whether the Bugatti Bolide will go into series production, has not been decided yet.

Learn more about the Bugatti Bolide from its creators in the video below.