The story behind the tourbillon.
The Bugatti Tourbillon, the brand’s third chapter, debuted last year as a last-minute mic drop. It sets the tone for Monterey Car Week, featuring a sleek new body, a screen-free interior, and naturally aspirated engine and electric motors that promise as much engagement as speed. However, unlike seven-figure machines that chase lap times or performance numbers, a tourbillon isn’t just for the day; Bugatti wants to be relevant a century from now.
Last year during quail motorsport rally, We sat down with Bugatti Design Director Frank Hill to discuss how to build a timeless machine.
DR: Before the tourbillon took shape, what inspired you and your team, and how did you inform its structure and design?
F: If we look at the way these cars have endured for decades, sometimes centuries, in these collections, there is one thing that lies at the root of each designer’s thinking. It’s the concept of time machines. Yesterday, we were in Laguna Seca, and there was a Model 35 from 1924, which is here in 2024.
This thing is 100 years old. It’s not exaggeration or marketing. It’s a crazy thing. They will still be around after we are all dead. You have to take that into consideration to make it timeless.
DR: How can you ensure that the car will be timeless so far into the future?
FH: Trying to avoid technology and show technology. Hence the idea of the automated interface. When you open the door, it’s like a digital detox. It is something that cannot be dated. So we have a little screen if you want to have Apple CarPlay, but you can also press the switch, and it goes away. After 100 years, you won’t even use it, and the car will run without it.
No. 2, it has to be original, and by being original, it can be timeless. That’s why there are analog dials and needles; It’s such a great watch.
DR: When it comes to cars this powerful and expensive, has performance become less important than their design and interior materials?
FH: It would be very quick, and it’s easy to say what I’m going to say now if you had those numbers, but it’s almost not relevant anymore. From now on, these things will be faster than you can drive them. So, if that’s not the thing, what is?
It’s not something you can put in ones and zeros. It’s human things, it’s emotional things. How do you see all these feelings that we give you? How do you feel when you’re sitting in the driver’s seat? The way the leather smells, the weight of the controls. If you click the gear selector, will it feel like pulling the trigger on a sniper rifle? That’s why we chose a naturally aspirated, 9,000-rpm, 64-valve piece of art. Because you want to hear the sound. You want to be immersed in vibration. So it’s about engaging your senses, and you can’t put that into numbers.
This article appeared in the January 2025 issue.
Introducing the January 2025 issue of duPont REGISTRY, No. 476, starring the all-new Ferrari F80. To obtain a copy, purchase a single issue or subscribe.