As perhaps the most extreme land-based vehicle ever produced for civilian purchase, the 310-mph Bugatti Bolide’s quality controls require a commensurate level of rigor and intensity to ensure that each of the 40 customers who’ve acquired the street-illegal hypercar for $4.7 million each get a true track eater.
The French marque runs all of its rides through what Hagerty describes as a “torture test” at the 3,750-meter Circuit de Mirecourt near the brand’s historic HQ in Molsheim, France. A team of eight, including two drivers, a tire manager, a cooling manager, two mechanics and two electricians check the performance of all core components of the vehicle over two phases.
The first, titled “Precision and Fundamentals,” is carried out to ensure the vehicle is ready for more demanding tests. “Steering validation” is confirmed at moderate speeds, while progressive braking tests are conducted in gradual increments from 31 mph up to 155 mph as the team listens closely for irregular noise in various braking scenarios. The dashboard parameters and driving functions are also checked before the car enters the “Extreme Performance” phase.
The team conducts intensive laps to gradually raise the temperature in the tires, brakes, and gearbox. Drivers perform thorough evaluations of stability and safety systems, including ABS and traction control. Launch Control activations ensure the car is ready when the lights go out, and racing scenario simulations ensure the car can perform over multiple laps at speeds reaching 186 mph.
After the brakes and engine cool below certain targets, more extreme conditions are created as braking forces measuring -2.5 Gs are exerted and the discs are heated at up to 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit—about as hot as an F1 race car’s brakes smolder during a Grand Prix. As Bugatti points out, “commitment to perfection in every single Bolide is undertaken with no regard to the cost, but focused instead on ensuring the Bolide has the same enduring quality and reliability as any other product of Molsheim.”
With a weight of 2,734 pounds and an output of 1,825 horsepower made in a quad-turbocharged W16, the Bolide achieves a power-to-weight ratio of .67 hp per pound—a figure that Bugatti takes particular pride in. Numbers and aced tests all help the speed demon fulfill its mission as described by Bugatti’s Director of Design Achim Anscheidt in a 2021 issue of Maxim: “The Bugatti Bolide is an absolute rebel. It is clear to see that its only aim is to convey the pure power of the W16 engine in a visually and technically unadulterated form—reduced, raw, and authentic.”