Bugatti confirms June reveal for V16 hypercar
A new era for Molsheim begins in little more than two weeks...
Sometimes it can feel like there’s a new supercar boasting world-beating power and out-of-this-world technology every single week. Most never amount to anything. But when Bugatti puts a date on a new car, the world sits up and pays attention; because if the Veyron and Chiron have taught us anything, it’s that new Bugattis tend to move the super exotica game on in a huge way. The power leap last time around was 1,000hp to 1,500hp - what’s to say this electrified V16 couldn’t jump to 2,000hp? Pure EV isn’t the only way to crazy horsepower…
Conjecture already abounds because precious little information has been released. When you’re Bugatti, you don’t really have to corral enthusiasm with stats. For now, it has confirmed that its new era will begin on Thursday June 20th; the car we will see on that day ‘will be an icon not just for the present, or even for the future, but ‘Pour l’éternité (for eternity).” Which is quite the claim. But when a car is set to be powered by a metre-long, 16-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine, that almost guarantees a supercar for the ages whatever it looks like.
Nothing more is known of the powertrain for now (except, of course, that it will sound pretty wild) only that the alliance of engine, electrification, and all-new chassis will bring together ‘timeless mechanical craftsmanship and cutting edge technology.’ Something Bugatti has proven itself pretty good at over the years; the Veyron used a dual-clutch transmission for a quad-turbo W16 almost 20 years ago. It’s said that models even as far back as the Type 35 have inspired this new car - in a couple of weeks, we’ll know exactly how much.
The build-up has been helped along by just how outspoken Mate Rimac has been recently. The CEO of Bugatti Rimac has never shied away from speaking his mind - and it's widely understood that he was among the driving forces behind the creation of the V16 - but he has been particularly forthright about the challenges facing the hypercar market, particularly when it comes to EVs. Speaking at a conference last month, Rimac suggested that, had the Chiron's replacement been battery-powered, it would have sold "nowhere near" the number of cars it expects to shift with a combustion engine. "It's not about being electric; it's about doing things that other cars can't do and giving a unique experience." For now, and for the foreseeable future it seems, that experience will be defined by a prodigiously large petrol engine. Suffice it to say this is one reveal you’ll not want to miss.
For some strange reason, modern-day Bugatti's have not really appealed to me. A bit too clinical? Maybe that'll change now Mate Rimac (whom I admire) has had his hand in it.
But yes, the Veyron (and all that followed from it) always seemed like products of corporate willpower and titanic CEO ego, rather than enthusiasm or passion. It took years to stop the W16 cooking itself and the sort of money that makes most supercar ventures look like sofa-change...
Maybe the V16 will change that.
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