Bugatti Hints at a Lighter Tourbillon With a Manual Gearbox
Bugatti’s CEO says he is thinking about a manual gearbox for the Tourbillon’s V16.
Mate Rimac has said that the Tourbillon is a platform and that Bugatti will build more cars on it. Asked whether that could include a proper manual gearbox, he said, “Absolutely. You bet.” He made the comments in an interview published on October 26.
Bugatti has not confirmed a model name, availability, or production plan, and Rimac did not describe a specific car in the interview. The idea of a lightweight Tourbillon with a manual is an interpretation of his answers.
What Rimac said
Rimac tied the idea to Bugatti’s new ownership situation. Bugatti is now independent of any car manufacturer, with no remaining interest from Porsche or the Volkswagen Group. He said this lets the company plan for the long term and make bolder decisions.
He added that the Tourbillon will not be the last car built on its platform. Asked about a lighter, more agile Bugatti in the spirit of the early pre-war cars, he called the current Tourbillon a sensible successor to the Chiron. He then said he is thinking about what should come next, and named lower weight and simpler engineering as directions. He also asked whether Bugatti could build something more engaging and closer to the Type 35 than the brute-force cars of the last two decades.
What a manual version would change
The standard Bugatti Tourbillon has an 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V16 engine, a 25-kWh battery, electric motors, and an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Together, they produce 1,775 hp, and the car weighs 1,995 kg.
The V16 engine alone produces 986 hp and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque, with a maximum rev limit of 9,000 rpm. In a manual Tourbillon, removing the battery, electric motors, and dual-clutch gearbox could cut the car’s weight by around 300 kg.
A manual gearbox would add some weight back, so the real reduction would depend on the transmission Bugatti chose. Peak output would also fall from 1,775 hp to 986 hp. The interview doesn’t say whether a manual car would keep any hybrid hardware, and the weight estimate assumes it wouldn’t. Building a manual gearbox able to handle the V16’s output would likely be a major engineering task.
Why is this all happening
At Monterey Car Week in August, Rimac was asked whether Bugatti has room for a manual in its lineup. He said there is definitely space, and added, “Imagine a V16 with a manual. Real manual.” The phrase “real manual” points to a mechanical gearbox with a clutch pedal, not a simulated one like the system in the Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale. The last Bugatti with a clutch pedal was the EB110 of the 1990s, which paired a six-speed manual with a quad-turbo 3.5-liter V12.
Neither set of comments settled what form such a car would take. Bugatti has not said whether it would be a production variant, a limited run or a one-off from its Programme Solitaire. The standard Tourbillon is limited to 250 cars and is already fully allocated.
