Bugatti Tourbillon: Inspired by and named after the most complex complication in watchmaking

Since 2019, Bugatti has been flirting with watchmaking with its haute horlogerie collaborations with Jacob & Co. There’s the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, an astounding mechanical marvel inspired and developed in close association with the Bugatti Chiron hypercar and now, the French car manufacturer has unveiled its latest model, the Bugatti Tourbillon, accompanied by the simultaneous release of a magnificent hypertwin timepiece of the same name, of course.

Ettore Bugatti, who founded the company over a century ago, once said: “If comparable, it is no longer Bugatti.” Indeed, the Tourbillon named after one of the most complex of complications in the watchmaking world sits in a league completely its own.

Hand-assembled at the Bugatti Atelier in Molsheim in the north-east of France, the successor to the Chiron is a stunning thing of beauty; a work of art to behold.“The Tourbillon had to be incomparable in every respect,” said Emilio Scervo, Bugatti’s chief technology officer. “Our philosophy has been to take any single aspect of Chiron and elevate it, looking for elegant and sophisticated engineering solutions and new technologies to deliver a timeless masterpiece.”

He continued: “We wanted someone to be able to take any piece of this car, from inside, outside or under the skin, and believe that it could be placed in an art gallery. The result is a car which is beautiful inside and outside, the most powerful Bugatti to date which simultaneously elevates mechanical fascination and technical beauty to a whole new level.”

NEW PROPORTIONS, SHARPER DESIGN

Inspired by two historic models from the Bugatti archive, the Bugatti Type 35 and the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, the new Bugatti Tourbillon flaunts entirely new proportions that essentially lowers the frontal area, the roofline and the driver, “creating this wonderful stance and proportion,” said Frank Heyl, Bugatti’s director of design.

“That's something that was very important for us; carefully curating the placement of volumes that are both functional but also supporting the extreme proportions of the car,” he added.

That said, the Tourbillon is still unmistakably Bugatti, characterised by dihedral doors that dramatically swing open vertically, adding a sense of theatre and ceremony. There’s also the heart-stopping exterior emblematic of the four pillars of Bugatti’s design DNA: The iconic horseshoe grille, the Bugatti Line, the central ridge, and the dual colour split

“In keeping with our new proportions and lowered roofline, the Bugatti Line now curves around more sharply, leaning forwards slightly as it winds its way around the roof, imbuing the side profile with a leaping motion,” said Heyl.

Lowering the car also serves to enhance its width, and emphasise the size of its wheels. “It looks like there is tension in the muscles; a posture ready to pounce. Every design decision is geared towards creating a sense of speed even at a standstill,” he described.

CRAFTED BY SWISS WATCHMAKERS

Inside, the cabin is decidedly analogue. It’s how the designers intended: Eschewing the sort of digital-everything, big-screen approach commonly embraced by most carmakers today, which, they believe, looks outdated in a matter of years due to the rapid pace of technological development.

Fair point, particularly when they’ve envisioned the Tourbillon as an objet d'art to be paraded on concours d'elegance lawns a century from now.

And this is where its tourbillon-ness reveals itself.

Like how the most vaunted of centuries-old Swiss timepieces continue to tick gloriously today, the Tourbillon features a completely analogue instrument cluster designed to ascribe a certain timelessness, crafted by Swiss watchmakers and finished with the same care and attention you find in the world's greatest wristwatches.

Constructed from titanium, this intricately engineered instrument cluster comprises a skeletonised trio of dials composed of more than 600 parts including gemstones such as sapphires and rubies, just as you would find in a finely finessed timepiece.

At a glance, the cockpit’s lack of large screens is certain to please purists. But there is one should you desire it, hidden from view unless deployed by a mechanism at the top of the centre console carved from clear crystal glass for Apple CarPlay business and camera assistance.

PRODIGIOUS POWER, BLISTERING SPEEDS

Now it doesn’t look like it, but the Bugatti Tourbillon is technically a hybrid. It features a brand-new powertrain ambitiously developed from the ground up and infused with Formula One-derived technologies – one that mates an 8.3-litre naturally aspirated V16 engine with two electric motors on the front axle plus another at the rear.

Altogether, they spit out a whopping 1,800 horsepower in total: 1,000hp from the combustion engine and 800hp from the three electric motors, with the latter providing a pure electric range of more than 60km.

With maximum torque coming in at 900Nm, this prodigious power translates to blistering speeds of zero to 100km/h in two seconds flat, 0-200km/h in under five seconds, 0-300km/h in under 10, and 0-400km/h in less than 25 seconds.

“The powertrain was perhaps the most important decision that we had to make,” said Scervo.

The team considered every option available: Re-engineer Bugatti’s existing W16 engine, go fully electric, or create an entirely new platform.

“Ultimately, we chose the hardest possible option, but it was important to us that this car retained that pure and raw analogue feel of a naturally aspirated combustion engine, while pairing it with the agility and ability provided by electric motors,” he explained.

The result is a vehicle pre-possessing a remarkable feat of engineering that, astonishingly, weighs even less than the Chiron.

And what does it sound like when the Tourbillon reaches the 9,000rpm redline? “It is a visceral, awe-inspiring experience that will echo for eternity.”

A NEW CHAPTER IN HISTORY

It’s been 20 years since Bugatti invented the world’s first hypercar and the Tourbillon represents a brand new chapter in its history.

“Yes, it is crazy to build a new V16 engine, to integrate a new battery pack and electric motors, and to have a real Swiss-made watchmaker instrument cluster and 3D-printed suspension parts and a crystal glass centre console. But it is what Ettore would have done, and it is what makes a Bugatti incomparable and timeless. Without that kind of ambition, you might create a great hyper sports car, but you wouldn't create an icon pour l'éternité (for eternity),” Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac summarised.

Only 250 units of the Tourbillon will be produced, with a starting price of close to €4 million (US$4.37 million; S$ 5.87 million) before configuration and options. Customer deliveries will begin in 2026, and one can’t help but wonder if the Malaysian tycoon who purchased several Bugattis from the Singapore showroom has already placed his order for the Tourbillon to add to his collection, which already includes the Divo, Chiron and Bolide.