- The Bugatti Tourbillon eschews flashy trends to ensure the design ages gracefully
- There’s a distinct lack of digital displays inside the Tourbillon
- Bugatti turned to Swiss watch makers for the intricate gauge cluster design
A Bugatti is the type of car that’s prized for decades, and in the case of the automaker’s earlier models even centuries.
It means when penning a new Bugatti, the design team needs to take efforts to ensure the car will be appealing well into the future.
Bugatti in June showed its newest hypercar, the Tourbillion, and in a video posted to Bugatti’s YouTube page on Thursday, the automaker’s design chief Frank Heyl explains how his team goes about creating a car that will remain timeless.
The philosophy of form following function, or in the case of Bugatti, performance, traditionally results in design that is universally liked. However, Bugatti goes a step further by ensuring it doesn’t follow trends. This is why you won’t find digital screens all over the place, for example. The Tourbillion does have an infotainment screen, but it is tucked away in the dash and only emerges when the driver needs it, for example for navigation.
Preciousness and rarity are additional keys, According to Heyl. He gave the example of how even simple elements can be elevated, like machining it out of a solid block of aluminum instead of simply casting it. The highlight is the Tourbillion’s intricate mechanical gauge cluster made with help from Swiss watchmakers and comprised of more than 600 parts, including some made from titanium and gemstones.
And finally there’s attention to detail. The designers considered how every element looks and feels, and smells in the case of the cabin’s leather trim. Bugatti also made efforts that parts that can’t be seen still follow the same design principles as the parts that can be seen, akin to the beauty one finds inside a Swiss watch.
Primarily responsible for the Tourbillion’s design was Heyl’s predecessor, Achim Anscheidt, who retired in 2023. He led Bugatti design for 19 years, and the Tourbillion was his final task. He planned to resign earlier, but Mate Rimac, the CEO of the Bugatti Rimac partnership, convinced him to stay on and help finalize the design of the new hypercar.
Production of the Tourbillion doesn’t start until 2026, so it’s a good thing Bugatti has given the car a design that won’t age. Just 250 examples are planned and pricing starts at about $4 million. Power comes from a naturally aspirated 8.3-liter V-16 engine and three electric motors (two at the front and one at the rear). The V-16 makes about 1,000 hp on its own and the electric motors add an additional 800 hp.
