With the technological concept of the Bugatti Bolide, Bugatti is now providing the answer to the question, 'what if they built a radically light vehicle around its iconic 8.0-litre W16 engine'?

The experimental study of the Bugatti Bolide is a track-oriented hyper sports car featuring a W16 engine derived from series production as powertrain combined with a minimal body for maximum downforce. It therefore promises to offer the ultimate Bugatti performance kick.

In computer simulations, the Bolide takes three minutes and 7.01 seconds to complete a lap of Le Mans and five minutes and 23.1 seconds to get around the Nurburgring. Its top speed is well above 500km/h - without compromising maximum handling and maximum agility.

The Bolide's 8.0-litre 16-cylinder engine produces 1,824bhp and 1,850Nm of torque, for a weight-to-power ratio of 0.67kg/bhp. Bugatti has designed the drive specifically for use on the racetrack and has optimised the engine and gearbox in particular for higher engine speeds.

The four newly-developed turbochargers are fitted with optimised blades in order to build up more boost pressure and power at higher engine speeds. The entire oil system on the Bolide has been optimised for maximum performance, with the weight of the drive system also significantly reduced.

Instead of water-to-air intercooling, the Bugatti Bolide has air-to-air intercooling with water pre-cooling for optimal performance on the racetrack. Three air-cooled oil coolers for engine, transmission, and differential with water pre-cooling reduce the temperature even on dynamically demanding race laps. 

In order to achieve a dry weight of 1,240kg, all the screw and fastening elements of the Bolide are made completely out of titanium. In addition, hollow, thin-walled functional components made of an aerospace titanium alloy are used in many places.

At 320km/h, the downforce is 1,800kg at the rear wing and 800kg at the front wing. The Bolide comes with ceramic brakes, with the brake calipers weighing 2.4kg each. The central locking forged magnesium rims weigh 7.4kg at the front and 8.4kg at the rear. Tyre width is 340mm at the front and 400mm at the rear.

The Bolide's chassis is based around a carbon monocoque, which is not only light but incredibly strong. The single-fibre tensile strength of the fibres used is rated at 6,750N/sqmm, with the single-fibre stiffness being rated at 350,000N/sqmm. 

With an overall height of only 995mm, a wheelbase of 2.75m and width of 1.99m, the Bolide is like an LMP1 racing car. To enter the car, the occupants fold up the doors that are hinged at the front at an angle, sit on a sill that is only 70mm wide, and then position their feet in the interior. 

As with other Bugatti vehicles, the Bugatti design team also makes use of a colour split in the Bolide. Compared with other models, the share of visible carbon parts is increased by up to 60%. Only around 40% of the surfaces are painted - in a re-interpretation of the historic French Racing Blue.

Whether the Bugatti Bolide will go into series production has not been decided yet.