Along with incredible power, precision and performance, a track-only hyper sports car must possess exceptional levels of safety, which is why the Bugatti Bolide features an innovative new carbon fiber monocoque developed to the same demanding Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile LMH and LMDh requirements as Le Mans race cars.
Motorsport success and innovation have been inseparably linked with Bugatti for more than 100 years, ever since the Type 13 claimed the iconic marque’s first victory at the Grand Prix de la Sarthe in 1920. The unmatched Type 35, which took to the track four years later, cemented Bugatti’s reputation for making beautiful and successful racing cars, claiming more than 2,000 victories and podium finishes during its long and distinguished competition career.
This unrivalled motorsport heritage combined with state-of-the-art technology and outright engineering excellence has driven the Bolide1 to embody Bugatti’s vision for the ultimate track-only hyper sports car. To be able to design the Bolide to fit as closely as possible around the brand’s legendary 8.0-liter W16 turbocharged engine, it was necessary to develop an advanced new monocoque made of the highest quality carbon fiber composites, which are normally only used in Formula 1 and Le Mans race cars.
The Bolide’s new monocoque mirrors the proportions of a sleek catamaran, meaning that the driver and passenger sit perfectly balanced inside the car. This arrangement also enables the peerless W16 powertrain to be positioned 60mm further forward than in the Chiron2, ensuring an ideal packaging for track use. As a result, the engine benefits from a new arrangement that allows it to be optimally integrated within the monocoque. The Bolide’s incredible performance necessitated a monocoque even stronger and stiffer than the Chiron’s. Safety requirements from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) for LMH and LMDh regulations for Le Mans race cars drove development of the new structure and were chosen because they are among the most stringent safety regulations in the world of motorsport. Moreover, crash test requirements for track-only racing cars are unique, furthering the need for a clean-sheet design devoid of any compromise.
For a hyper sports car inspired by motorsport greatness – a defining element to the characteristic of the Bolide – safety factors such as rollover protection are paramount, and one of the most demanding FIA tests requires a 7.5-ton load applied to the car’s A-pillar. To pass the test, the maximum deflection must be no more than 50mm at the point where the load is applied, and no failure of the structure within 100mm of that point is permitted. This means that small, localized cracks, are permissible at the point of impact. However, when the Bolide was tested, there were no cracks at all, thanks to the structural integrity inherent within the monocoque design, and especially in the angle of the A-pillar, its cross section and the high-tech materials used. A second rollover test saw an even higher load – 12-tons – applied to the B-pillar, while a third involved a 6-ton longitudinal load applied to the monocoque to simulate a rollover resulting in a rear impact with a barrier.
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Motorsport success and innovation have been inseparably linked with Bugatti for more than 100 years, ever since the Type 13 claimed the iconic marque’s first victory at the Grand Prix de la Sarthe in 1920. The unmatched Type 35, which took to the track four years later, cemented Bugatti’s reputation for making beautiful and successful racing cars, claiming more than 2,000 victories and podium finishes during its long and distinguished competition career.
This unrivalled motorsport heritage combined with state-of-the-art technology and outright engineering excellence has driven the Bolide1 to embody Bugatti’s vision for the ultimate track-only hyper sports car. To be able to design the Bolide to fit as closely as possible around the brand’s legendary 8.0-liter W16 turbocharged engine, it was necessary to develop an advanced new monocoque made of the highest quality carbon fiber composites, which are normally only used in Formula 1 and Le Mans race cars.
The Bolide’s new monocoque mirrors the proportions of a sleek catamaran, meaning that the driver and passenger sit perfectly balanced inside the car. This arrangement also enables the peerless W16 powertrain to be positioned 60mm further forward than in the Chiron2, ensuring an ideal packaging for track use. As a result, the engine benefits from a new arrangement that allows it to be optimally integrated within the monocoque. The Bolide’s incredible performance necessitated a monocoque even stronger and stiffer than the Chiron’s. Safety requirements from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) for LMH and LMDh regulations for Le Mans race cars drove development of the new structure and were chosen because they are among the most stringent safety regulations in the world of motorsport. Moreover, crash test requirements for track-only racing cars are unique, furthering the need for a clean-sheet design devoid of any compromise.
For a hyper sports car inspired by motorsport greatness – a defining element to the characteristic of the Bolide – safety factors such as rollover protection are paramount, and one of the most demanding FIA tests requires a 7.5-ton load applied to the car’s A-pillar. To pass the test, the maximum deflection must be no more than 50mm at the point where the load is applied, and no failure of the structure within 100mm of that point is permitted. This means that small, localized cracks, are permissible at the point of impact. However, when the Bolide was tested, there were no cracks at all, thanks to the structural integrity inherent within the monocoque design, and especially in the angle of the A-pillar, its cross section and the high-tech materials used. A second rollover test saw an even higher load – 12-tons – applied to the B-pillar, while a third involved a 6-ton longitudinal load applied to the monocoque to simulate a rollover resulting in a rear impact with a barrier.
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