Since showing off the Bugatti Bolide, the French outfit is now taking it to production.
There have been some mechanical revisions underneath for the road-going car, however. Bugatti has reined in the concept’s colossal power output, capping it at the same 1,176kW as the Chiron Super Sport.
The company cites fuel availability as the main reason. The Bolide concept was designed to run on 110 octane racing fuel but, for reasons of practicality, the production model will run on regular 98 octane super unleaded, which can be bought from many petrol stations worldwide.
However, Bugatti has still made plenty of modifications to the engine to make sure it can stand up to the punishment of a racetrack. The cooling system has been overhauled, while the intake and exhaust systems have been tweaked to improve response.
The production model will also be a little heavier than the concept. Bugatti says it’ll weigh 1,450kg, which is half a tonne less than the Chiron, but around 100kg more than the Bolide prototype. The result is a power-to-weight ratio of 811kW per tonne.
Bugatti’s engineers have been working hard to make the Bolide meet international FIA safety standards, which required a host of new components. As a result, the seat is now compatible with a HANS device and there’s an automatic fire extinguisher plumbed into the cabin.
We haven’t seen the production-ready Bolide’s interior but, like the concept, we expect it’ll be a race-ready affair, with heavily bolstered bucket seats, a minimalist dashboard and a trimmed-down race-style steering wheel.
Bugatti hasn’t yet disclosed how much downforce the production-spec Bolide will generate. For now, all the brand has revealed is that the bodywork has been designed with “maximum downforce in mind.”
The brand’s engineers have also made a few tweaks to the shape of the hypercar’s key aerodynamic parts. The front bumper has gained a pair of new winglets, while the V-shaped spoiler on the concept has been swapped for a flat replacement. The stabilising fin over the engine cover has remained, though.
