The design process of the Bugatti Tourbillon

In 2004, the reborn Bugatti brand transformed the world of automotive performance and luxury with a 1,001 hp hyper sports car: the Veyron.

The first road car with more than 1,000 hp was succeeded in 2016 by another engineering feat so ambitious it reset all expectations of performance, the world’s first 1,500 hp car: the Chiron.

At the heart of these cars was the world’s most advanced automotive engine: an 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16.

Now, 20 years after Bugatti invented the hyper sports car, it redefines the concept completely with an entirely new powertrain and platform.

This is the Bugatti Tourbillon.

As the first Bugatti in more than 20 years not powered by the iconic W16 engine, the tradition of naming core models after legendary Bugatti racing drivers of the past is no longer applied.

Instead, the name Tourbillon was chosen as the perfect encapsulation of this car’s character.

A French word, and a subtle reference to Bugatti’s French heritage and home in Molsheim, the tourbillon is a watchmaking invention of a Swiss-born genius living in France in 1801.

A completely original creation without compare, it is both complex and beautiful, helping to counteract the effects of gravity on a watch to ensure more consistent time-keeping.

And over 200 years later it is still revered as the pinnacle of watchmaking.

This sense of mechanical timelessness was a core part of the Bugatti Tourbillon journey.

For a car that will be displayed on the concours lawns of this and the next centuries, technology can easily date – especially large digital screens – so it’s important that it uses as many timeless components as possible.

The Tourbillon therefore utilizes a number of design and engineering techniques that will never age, including a completely analogue instrument cluster crafted by Swiss watchmakers and finished with the same care and attention you find in the world’s greatest timepieces.

Just as these become heirlooms over generations, the Tourbillon is designed as a car for eternity.