Now 0.67kg per PS doesn’t mean too much without context. The Koenigsegg Agera One:1 released in 2014 was coined the first megacar with 1kg per PS – 1,360PS for 1,360kg.
Now Bugatti has decided to explore what would happen if they used the 8.0-litre W16 engine in a track-only special which focused on minimal weight and excessive downforce. The answer is the Bolide. 1,850PS, 1,850Nm, 1,240kg dry weight, 8.0-litre W16 quad-turbo which can hypothetically lap the Nordschleife in 5 minutes and 23 seconds according to simulations. How has Bugatti achieved this?
The turbochargers have optimised blades to build more boost pressure and power, the intake and exhaust system have been dethrottled to achieve a more spontaneous and faster response. There is air to air intercooling with water pre-cooling for optimal performance on the race track. The two water coolers are positioned in a such a way that is seen in F1 cars. Getting the car to slow down, the team at Bugatti has fitted the car with racing brakes with ceramic discs.
To bring the weight down, there is a carbon monocoque, all the screw and fastening elements of the Bolide are made completely out of titanium, hollow, thin-walled functional components made of an aerospace titanium alloy are used. This isn’t a Bugatti that we have become accustomed to, a show of opulence and luxury – the Bolide is a bonafide track special. It is the same height as the Type 35 – 995mm, Bugatti’s most successful racing cars ever. Similar to a LMP1 car, the doors swing up, to offer a small aperture for the driver to fold into and the entire vehicle is fitted with safety equipment as per FIA regulations and every LMP1 car needs a compressed-air-driven jack system with four rams making tyre changing easier, a quick refuelling system allows pressure refuelling.
SCDW 