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Every Bugatti Bolide Gets Torture-Tested on Track Before Delivery
The sold-out, 1,600-horsepower Bugatti Bolide was developed exclusively for track use, but it’s being put through the same type of grueling quality-control tests as its street-legal siblings. Bugatti walks us through the entire process of pre-delivery track testing, which is broken down into two distinct phases.
Bugatti doesn’t own a track, and it can’t legally drive the Bolide on public roads, so it struck a partnership with the Circuit de Mirecourt that’s located relatively close to its historic headquarters in Molsheim, France. Every example of the Bolide gets tested there, regardless of where it’s off to after testing. Working with the same track from start to finish ensures the 40 units planned are all tested in the same conditions.
Every car heads to the track accompanied by a team of eight that includes two quality-control drivers, a tire manager, a cooling manager, two mechanics, and two electricians. First, the team checks the basics. They validate the steering system “at moderate speeds,” according to Bugatti, and they break in the braking system by testing it at 30 mph and gradually making their way up to 155 mph. Throughout this process, the drivers make a note of anything unusual, like noises, and perform technical inspections.
When everything checks out, the second phase of the testing begins. The car goes back out on the track but it’s pushed closer to its limit. The laps get quicker and quicker as the tires, the brakes, the engine, and the transmission get warmer, and the drivers verify that the electronics, such as the traction control, work as intended. The Bolide hits nearly 190 mph during this phase of testing, the braking forces reach up to -2.5 Gs, and the brake temperatures peak at over 1,800 degrees. If the car passes, it’s ready for delivery.
On-board software analyzes a long list of parameters, but real-world feedback (what drivers see, feel, and hear) remains crucial, Bugatti explains. Torture test complete, every Bolide is track-ready by the time it reaches its new owner.
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I’d rather do a Valkyrie than this. It doesn’t look/feel very Bugatti to me. This almost looks like they were staring too much at a Pagani Zonda.