Press release7/25/2024

Timeless elegance and speed: a glimpse into the design process of the Bugatti Tourbillon

Molsheim

In the second instalment of the storied marque’s ‘A New Era’ docuseries, Bugatti Director of Design, Frank Heyl, explores how the timeless form of the Bugatti Tourbillon¹ is shaped by the pursuit of speed – and the incomparable emotion of experiencing a Bugatti in this exciting new chapter.

A true jewel of refinement, the Tourbillon symbolizes Bugatti's definition of timeless luxury.
The timeless form of the Bugatti Tourbillon is shaped by the pursuit of speed.
The front end of the Bugatti Toubillon, with its enlarged horseshoe grille, was the subject of complex work aimed at minimizing wind resistance.
Echoed across every Bugatti design in the modern era, the Tourbillon is ‘shaped by speed’ from front to rear.
The entire architecture of the Tourbillon has been meticulously designed to achieve new levels of performance.
For Bugatti, form always follows performance.
Attention to technical detail is omnipresent throughout the car, enabling the Tourbillon to cruise serenely at over 400 km/h.
Bugatti is about the interplay between elegance and speed.
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Premiering on YouTube today, July 25th, the latest episode of the new series reveals the insights of Frank Heyl, Director of Design, into the thrill – and challenge – of crafting a fresh incarnation of quintessential Bugatti design philosophy.

“With over 115 years of Bugatti history, there is a rich legacy of design DNA that we can reference to; we have a guiding line emphasizing what defines a Bugatti,” explains Frank Heyl. “What we need to take into account is this: form always follows performance.”

Echoed across every Bugatti design in the modern era, the Tourbillon is ‘shaped by speed’ from front to rear. Through each curve, intake, exhaust, and panel – the entire architecture of the Tourbillon has been meticulously crafted to unlock new levels of performance.

In this vein, aerodynamic performance goes hand-in-hand with every design decision made. Whether it is top speed, or a high downforce value like in the Bugatti Bolide² – the question is asked: is there a performance purpose connected to it?

Such attention to engineering-detail is infused throughout the car, enabling the Tourbillon to harness the forces of travelling at more than 400 km/h. But for Bugatti, that is only half of the story the Tourbillon has been crafted to tell in this new chapter for the brand.

With the Tourbillon, and every Bugatti that came before it, timelessness is at the core of its design. “Bugatti is about the interplay between elegance and speed,” Frank Heyl notes. “Because these cars are around for so long, we also need to keep them current and in-vogue. What dates a car is the technology of the time it was created in; 100 years from now, today’s technology won’t be cutting-edge anymore. Instead, we need to focus on preciousness.”

The design philosophy behind the Tourbillon faithfully reflects this ethos. Taking inspiration from the art of watchmaking, the timelessness of century-old timepieces and their use even today, the cabin of the Tourbillon is defined by an authentically unique analogue experience.

For Frank Heyl and the Tourbillon design team, experience is the operative word in this new era of Bugatti.

“The experience – that is what we tailor-made the Tourbillon to evoke. It is about how you feel when you sit in the driver’s seat; touching the aluminum switchgear; how weighted the dials are when you turn them; the smell of the leather; the noise of the naturally aspirated, 9,000 RPM V16 engine. It sounds really emotional. The design of the Tourbillon could be seen as an evolutionary approach. However, the radicality and extremeness of this concept’s execution is unlike anything we have ever done before. We believe through this approach, the experience of driving, owning, and living with a Bugatti is incomparable. You simply have to experience it.”

Frank Heyl

Bugatti Director of Design

Watch the full episode ‘A New Era: Design Philosophy’ on the official Bugatti YouTube channel.

Press Contact

Nicole AugerHead of Marketing and Communicationsnicole.auger@bugatti.com

Fuel consumption and emissions

  • Bolide: Not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC, as it is a racing vehicle not intended for use on public roads.

    • Centodieci: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 40.31 / medium phase 22.15 / high phase 17.89 / extra high phase 17.12 / combined 21.47; CO2 emissions combined, g / km: NA; efficiency class: G

    • Chiron: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.56 / medium phase 24.80 / high phase 21.29 / extra high phase 21.57 / combined 25.19; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 571.64; efficiency class: G

    • Chiron Profilée: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.56 / medium phase 24.80 / high phase 21.29 / extra high phase 21.57 / combined 25.19; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 571.64; efficiency class: G

      • Chiron Pur Sport: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.56 / medium phase 24.80 / high phase 21.29 / extra high phase 21.57 / combined 25.19; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 571.64; efficiency class: G

      • Chiron Sport: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.56 / medium phase 24.80 / high phase 21.29 / extra high phase 21.57 / combined 25.19; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 571.64; efficiency class: G

      • Chiron Super Sport: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 40.31 / medium phase 22.15 / high phase 17.89 / extra high phase 17.12 / combined 21.47; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 486.72; efficiency class: G

      • Chiron Super Sport 300+: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 40.31 / medium phase 22.15 / high phase 17.89 / extra high phase 17.12 / combined 21.47; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 486.72; efficiency class: G

      • Divo: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 43,33 / medium phase 22,15 / high phase 17,99 / extra high phase 18,28 / combined 22,32; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 505,61; efficiency class: G

      • La Voiture Noire: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 43,33 / medium phase 22,15 / high phase 17,99 / extra high phase 18,28 / combined 22,32; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 505,61; efficiency class: G

        • Tourbillon: This model is currently not subject to directive 1999/94/EC, as type approval has not yet been granted.

        • W16 Mistral: This model is not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC, as type approval has not yet been granted.

          Bugatti

          The specified fuel consumption and emission data have been determined according to the measurement procedures prescribed by law.

          Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the “Guide on the fuel economy, CO2 emissions and power consumption of new passenger car models”, which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships and from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, D-73760 Ostfildern, Germany and at www.dat.de.

          © 2024 Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.