Bugatti is known for being fast, expensive and extravagant Cars. The company is also known for raising expectations every time it launches a new model, and the new Bugatti Tourbillon, launched on Friday, fits the look perfectly.
The name tourbillon comes from the world of mechanical watches, where it means a cool-looking rotating thing that makes the watch a little more accurate and a lot more expensive. In the Bugatti Tourbillon, it also refers to the price – the car starts at €3.8 million ($4.06 million) – but it’s mostly a nod to mechanical watchmakers who dare to be different.
Sure, it’s a Bugatti, but it’s (partially) electric on the inside.
Credit: Bugatti Rimac
The Bugatti Tourbillon is, in fact, quite different, not only when compared to other cars, but also when compared to other Bugattis.
It’s the first Bugatti in decades not to be powered by a turbocharged W16 engine, but rather a naturally aspirated 8.3-liter V16 engine that produces 1,000 horsepower, paired with three electric motors (two front, one at the rear) to produce an additional 800 horsepower.
Speed of light mashable
What, did you think the doors opened on the side?
Credit: Bugatti Rimac
Not all the numbers are in yet, but what we do know is pretty crazy: Top speed is 277 mph, and the car does 0-62 mph in less than 10 seconds and 0-62 mph in less than 2 seconds. The only metric where your electric Volkswagen might do better is the all-electric range, which is just 37 miles for the Tourbillon.
The fact that Bugatti is now partially electric is no surprise given this Bugatti is now part of Bugatti Rimacwith CEO Matty Rimac, known for his electric supercar Rimac Nevera. It’s also a very strong trend, with sports car makers like Porsche, Lamborghini or Koenigsegg turning to fully or partially electric cars in the last couple of years.
Wait, where are all the screens?
Credit: Bugatti Rimac
But inside, the Tourbillon has a non-electric look, instead opting for a car interior equivalent to an expensive mechanical watch. Among the many analogue instruments inside, what catches the eye is the instrument cluster, which is positioned inside the steering wheel but remains stationary as you turn the wheel. It sounds weird, yes, but we think this is the kind of thing people with $4 million to spend on a car are looking for.
The details make the car like a tourbillon, and there’s a lot to soak in. Materials, of course, are the most expensive you can get; As Christophe Beauchon, president of Bugatti, said in a press release: “If you see a piece of what you think is titanium, that is what it is.” This is especially true of this instrument cluster, which is made of titanium as well as precious stones such as sapphire and sapphire, as well as the center console, which is “a combination of gas crystal and aluminium”. Oh, and Bugatti engineers have thought about increasing storage space compared to the Chiron, although you’ll have to buy custom Bugatti luggage to take full advantage of that.
If you think it’s titanium, it is. The trick is to never allow yourself to think about cheap materials.
Credit: Bugatti Rimac
The Bugatti Tourbillon has now entered the “testing phase”, with prototypes already on the way. Customer deliveries are scheduled for 2026; Bugatti says 250 units will be built (by hand, of course), and Rimac says they’ve “mostly” sold out already.