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Bugatti finishes the last Bolide — a 1,578 hp track-only W16
Bugatti has completed the final Bolide, the extreme track-only hypercar derived from the Chiron that helped define the modern W16 era. The last of 40 examples produces an eye-watering 1,578 horsepower at 7,050 rpm on high-octane gasoline and marks the end of a narrow but furious chapter in Bugatti's combustion-powered story.
Unique finale: a Bolide with a Type 35 nod
This 40th Bolide isn’t a stock car. Commissioned by a long-standing Bugatti client, it wears a Black Blue exterior with Special Blue Lyonnais detailing and Lake Blue Alcantara inside, finished with Light Blue Sport stitching — a bespoke palette chosen to echo the owner’s classic Type 35. Bugatti has kept the buyer’s name private, but the marque confirms this is the same valued client who ordered the final Veyron Grand Sport in a matching scheme.
Bolide at a glance
- Engine: W16, quad-turbocharged (Chiron-derived)
- Power: 1,578 hp @ 7,050 rpm
- Weight: dry 1,450 kg (3,197 lb)
- Top speed: limited to 380 km/h (236 mph)
- Production: 40 units, starting price from €4 million
The Bolide is a pure race-bred package: FIA-compliant carbon tub, structural carbon seats, BBS forged aluminum wheels, and ultra-wide Michelin racing slicks. It uses carbon-carbon brake discs optimized for repeat track stints and an X-shaped racing yoke in place of a conventional steering wheel, complete with eight buttons and two dials. The drivetrain is a modified all-wheel-drive setup paired with a race-tuned dual-clutch transmission.
How the Bolide compares
Put against Bugatti’s upcoming and contemporary models, the Bolide is a very different proposition. Its dry weight of around 1,450 kg and singular focus on lap times and aero performance set it apart from road-oriented hypercars like the Mistral and the new Tourbillon.
- The Mistral is a sold-out, road-only W16 derivative that started at about €5 million.
- The Tourbillon, due for deliveries from 2026, represents Bugatti under the new Bugatti Rimac leadership — a hybrid V16 road car blending traditional Bugatti design with Rimac’s electric expertise.
Tourbillon: the next chapter
Unlike the Bolide’s all-gasoline W16, the Tourbillon pairs a Cosworth-supplied V16 with Rimac-developed 800-volt electrical systems and three permanent-magnet electric motors. The V16 itself revs to 9,000 rpm, produces roughly 986 hp and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft), and in concert with the electrics delivers a claimed combined output of 1,775 hp. That power comes in a heavier, carbon-bodied chassis weighing about 1,995 kg — a reminder that outright power numbers are only part of the performance equation.
Market position and legacy
When Bugatti announced the Bolide program it priced the car from €4 million, positioning it among the most expensive track-only machines available. The Bolide’s production run was tiny by design and its spec sheet reads like motorsport hardware rather than a luxury cruiser: carbon monocoque, race-spec brakes and tires, and an emphasis on minimal weight and maximum downforce.
Quote: "The Bolide was always intended as a demonstration of what the W16 could do when freed from road constraints — now it leaves a bold legacy for Bugatti’s future hybrids and V16 ambitions."
For buyers and enthusiasts the Bolide ends as a rare trophy — a final hurrah for the W16 in its most extreme form. As Bugatti transitions to Mistral deliveries and rolls out the V16-powered Tourbillon under the Bugatti Rimac era, collectors will likely look back at the Bolide as one of the purest expressions of old-school hypercar performance.
Whether you follow lap-time numbers, engineering purity, or historical lineage, the Bolide’s final unit is newsworthy: it closes the book on a ferocious, track-only chapter while signaling a new, electrified era for Bugatti.
Source: autoevolution
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