The Bugatti Tourbillon's standout feature is an 1,800-hp plug-in hybrid powertrain built around a high-revving V-16. A major change compared to the Chiron is the Tourbillon's smaller greenhouse, which reduces the new car's frontal area. But much of the development work focused on smaller details in order to optimize airflow across all surfaces.
Aerodynamic development work started with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, before moving to wind-tunnel testing. That process, which began about 15 months before the Tourbillon's June 2024 unveiling, started with a half-scale model made from over 250 3D-printed components, and studded with over 100 pressure taps to measure airflow.
Engineers moved up to full-scale prototypes in early 2024. By that time much of the development work had already been done with computer simulations and small-scale tests; putting a full-scale car in the wind tunnel mainly served to validate that work, Burnham said in the video. The clean-sheet opportunity allowed engineers to package the new naturally-aspirated 8.3-liter V-16, along with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission and three electric motors.