Bugatti News

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Khris Bharath – July 03, 2026

A New Era Begins in Molsheim as Bugatti Inaugurates La Manufacture for Tourbillon Production

Bugatti has inaugurated La Manufacture, a new production atelier on the grounds of the Château Saint Jean in Molsheim, France, officially opening the facility that will play a key role in Tourbillon production, Bugatti’s upcoming $4+ million, V16 hybrid hypercar limited to 250 units, all of which have already been spoken for. The ceremony brought together French state representatives, local institutions, and a filmed address from Sébastien Martin, France's Minister Delegate for Industry. Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti Rimac, and Christophe Piochon, President of Bugatti Automobiles, cut the ribbon before addressing guests on the significance of the investment for Alsace and for French industry more broadly. The building spans 34,930 square feet, is 443 feet long, and stands 29 feet high, and was completed in under a year. Its low profile and glass-and-dark-wall architectural language were designed to sit naturally within the Château grounds. Inside, teams will carry out exterior and interior pre-assembly, quality checks, vehicle inspections, and specialized rework processes, including polishing and painting. Final assembly and the customer experience will remain centered in the existing Atelier, shaped in the form of the Bugatti Macaron. <- Gallery -> "La Manufacture is a clear demonstration of that commitment. We wanted to empower the teams in Molsheim with a cutting-edge facility to shape the Tourbillon era, while ensuring that the soul of Bugatti remains in Alsace, at the historic home of the marque." - Mate Rimac, CEO, Bugatti Rimac Following the completion of a new administrative building in 2024, La Manufacture marks the next phase of Bugatti Rimac's expansion of its historic Molsheim campus, where the company has previously stated that it plans to grow its workforce by more than 50% by the end of 2027. This new facility raises Bugatti's production capacity to up to 200 vehicles per year, positioning the marque for future models beyond the Tourbillon. It is a significant step for a brand that has delivered just over 1,100 cars spanning both the Veyron and Chiron. That W16-powered era, which ran for more than two decades and closed with just 99 run Mistral roadster, defined Bugatti's modern identity under Volkswagen Group ownership. La Manufacture marks the first purpose-built production space of the Bugatti Rimac era, which has also established a Berlin design headquarters and a €200 million, approximately $227 million, campus in Zagreb, Croatia, alongside the historic Molsheim base. Molsheim has not always been Bugatti's only production address. Campogalliano, Italy, also features in Bugatti's assembly history as the site of the short-lived EB110 program between 1991 and 1995, and Levallois-Perret near Paris was a planned wartime facility that never reached full production. However, Molsheim has always been the spiritual home, and La Manufacture, the first major addition to the site since Porsche's exit from Bugatti Rimac, confirms that under Mate Rimac's leadership, it will become an integral part of Bugatti’s future models. View All Bugattis For Sale Images: Bugatti

By Tyler Rampersaud – April 24, 2026

Porsche Sells Stakes In Bugatti Rimac

2021 saw the formation of Bugatti Rimac, a combination of Rimac Group with the historic and cherished Bugatti brand that saw Rimac Group as the majority owner and Porsche as the minority stakeholder, with Porsche also holding stakes in Rimac Group. However, that arrangement is now changing, as Porsche and Rimac Group have announced the sale of Porsche’s stake in the Bugatti Rimac company and Rimac Group to HOF Capital. The consortium includes BlueFive Capital as its largest investor, along with a group of institutional investors across the US and EU. Once the sale is complete, Rimac Group is set to take control of Bugatti Rimac while entering a strategic partnership with HOF Capital and BlueFive Capital. The transaction is set to be complete before the end of 2026. While the deal is still subject to regulatory clearances and other customary conditions precedent, the announcement of the sale of Porsche’s stakes in Rimac Group and Bugatti mark the beginning of a new era for both the Bugatti brand and Rimac Group’s various businesses, including, of course, the Rimac Automobili manufacturer. Already known for its mastery of performance-oriented EV tech and electric mobility innovation, Rimac’s hypercars have demonstrated a previously unprecedented level of performance potential for electric cars, and as Bugatti launches its Tourbillon hypercar, the same is being done for hybrid vehicles. A naturally aspirated V16 engine combining with electrified power is going to rewrite the rulebooks of automotive performance, as Bugatti’s 21st-century hypercars have done for over 20 years. With a new strategic partner, Rimac Group and Bugatti Rimac are poised to continue growing and evolving in the future. View All Bugatti For Sale Image Source: Bugatti Rimac

A blue hypercar sits in an industrial showroom; next to it, a person uses virtual reality gear while viewing Bugatti Design elements on a large screen.

By Khris Bharath – May 07, 2025

How Bugatti Design’s New Berlin HQ Will Shape Its Future ...

Bugatti has just unveiled its sprawling new 12,000 square-foot design studio in Berlin, Germany. The building, once powered the city’s U-Bahn (metro) system in the 1920s and was subsequently turned into a techno club in the 1990s. With its original ceramic tiles and cast-iron staircases intact, this space fuses old-world charm with cutting-edge tech and will now play host to one of the most elite automotive design teams in the world, represented by 22 nationalities. The location is no coincidence. The city’s creative culture and access to world-class design talent in Europe made the German capital a natural choice. Design for the French marque, be it Jean Bugatti’s work on the Type 57C Atlantic back in the 1930s or the impressive Veyron and Chiron in the VW era since the early 2000s, has been an integral part of its identity and has set new standards in the industry. The new Berlin hub positions Bugatti in what is quietly becoming a design arms race among top-tier automakers. Porsche recently made waves by integrating Apple’s Vision Pro headset into customization, allowing for an immersive, full-scale virtual reality experience. Now, Bugatti is taking that a step further with a state-of-the-art studio outfitted with head-tracking sensors and VR visualization tools. They give designers the ability to walk around full-scale digital prototypes that only exist in code. The goal: virtually render every line, surface, and seam of a vehicle. While clay models have replaced VR, traditional design practices like hand-drawn sketches continue, with access to a curated mix of top-notch materials and full-size interior samples lining the studio’s open-plan layout. This gives clients the ability to see, touch, and configure every minute detail with designers, down to the last detail. This shift comes as the company prepares its next chapter with the V16-powered Tourbillon hypercar. The new studio will play a pivotal role in the Bugatti-Rimac partnership. Along with Bugatti’s production base in Molsheim, France, and Rimac’s €200 million ($227 million) campus in Zagreb, Croatia, the Berlin design base will serve as a key link between engineering breakthroughs and aesthetic expression. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Tyler Rampersaud – January 20, 2023

How Bugatti Expanded Its Lifestyle Product Range In The A...

As the Bugatti brand prepares to be transformed, it also expands beyond hypercars. Bugatti is going through a major transition as a brand, as with the reveal of the W16 Mistral, Bugatti announced that it would be officially retiring the incredible 8-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 engine that made its hypercars so incredible for the past two decades and Bugatti’s entire modern era. In the meantime, while we wait for Bugatti to unveil the hypercar that heralds its new era, it has brought its brand to a new level by expanding it with an incredible range of lifestyle products introduced over the last year. MUST READ: Bugatti Celebrates Jean Bugatti’s Impact On His 114th Birthday All showing off the history of Bugatti, which spans over a century, as well as the brand’s incredible design, engineering, and exquisite luxury, these new lifestyle products showed a diverse range of places where the Bugatti name could shine, like watches, beverages, art, and more. By partnering with brands of similar stature in their spaces as Bugatti is in the automotive world, like Asprey, Jacob & Co., and Champagne Carbon, Bugatti’s lifestyle products were able to successfully translate the automotive Business’s level of luxury and exclusivity to new areas. With these expansions, Bugatti fans can enjoy the Bugatti experience without needing to be behind the wheel of one of its groundbreaking hypercars. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Tyler Rampersaud – September 01, 2022

Bugatti's High Demand Means Vehicles Are Sold Out Until "...

There’s no doubt that Bugattis sell as fast as they drive. Bugatti cars have always been sold at an incredibly steep price point. Still, with their exclusivity, innovation, luxury, style, speed, power, and personalization, they are incredibly popular cars. As a matter of fact, Bugatti Rimac CEO Mate Rimac says that the Bugatti brand is completely sold out of build slots well into 2025 and that he is confident the brand and group will be strong despite economically difficult times. The new Bugatti W16 Mistral Roadster, a final swan song for Bugatti’s legendary W16 engine which changed the hypercar world will only have 99 examples produced, and all of them have sold out for an incredible $5 million a piece. MUST READ: The Most Amazing Bugatti Fleet Comes Together At Passione Engadina In St. Moritz After the Mistral, Bugatti is set to begin a shift to hybrid and electric cars, especially since it joined forces with electric hypercar power player Rimac. Rimac’s Nevera, the 1,900-horsepower all-electric hypercar is also seeing strong U.S. orders, even with its $2.1 million price tag, and for the entire group, one of the biggest sources of growth and innovation is Rimac Technology, which expands EV research and development beyond personal vehicles and is exploring “robotaxis” to prepare for a world in which shared transportation becomes more common. In addition, Mate Rimac says that Bugatti Rimac will go public “at some point” after incredible amounts of private investment, but that the IPO could happen years from now. The future is bright for Bugatti Rimac, and the impacts of it might be bigger than they ever have been before. View All Bugattis For Sale Source: CNBC

By Tyler Rampersaud – March 30, 2022

Bugatti Rimac Is Opening A New Innovation Hub In Berlin

One of the most powerful (literally) joint ventures in the automotive industry gets in motion. Late last year it was announced that Bugatti and electric hypercar manufacturer Rimac would be joining forces in the future to make incredible hypercars, both electric and combustion engine-powered. With Rimac headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, and Bugatti making its hypercars in the Molsheim Atelier in France, Bugatti Rimac is a multinational force with the potential to change the automotive world forever. MUST READ: What production cars get from 0-60 the quickest? FIND OUT In an effort to increase its presence within Europe, Bugatti Rimac has announced that a new engineering and design center for the brands will be created in Berlin, Germany, with a Berlin-based team that will work with the Zagreb headquarters, especially with Design Director Achim Anscheidt and CTO Emilio Scervo to design and engineer Bugatti Rimac’s future technology and products. Together with the €200 million Rimac Campus that the global headquarters of Bugatti Rimac will transition to, and the Molsheim Atelier that Bugatti creates its cars in, the Berlin hub will serve as a place for innovation and design that will push both brands even further into the future. A new era of both incredible Bugatti and Rimac hypercars isn’t just upon us, it’s already starting. Source: Bugatti Rimac

By Tyler Rampersaud – January 12, 2022

Bugatti Celebrates Record Sales in 2021, and They Don't W...

After selling out the Chiron and the Bolide in 2021, Bugatti announces an even more exciting 2022. Bugatti took orders for 150 hypercars in 2021, and while that might seem like a small number, each of these customers ordered an incredibly exclusive, multi-million dollar car that they customized and personalized themselves. Better yet, 60% of Bugatti’s customers in 2021 ordered a Bugatti for the first time. MUST READ: Bugatti x Champagne Carbon Reveal La Bouteille Noire at The Londoner Hotel This record number is the result of Bugatti’s most comprehensive lineup yet. The Chiron Super Sport is built for speed, being the fastest production car in the world, while the Chiron Pur Sport is an example of Bugatti’s prowess in driving dynamics and agility, ready to take corners with confidence and excellence. Bugatti’s coach-built vehicles, the Divo, La Voiture Noire, and Centodieci, all show unique aspects of Bugatti design, performance, and luxury. The Bolide, only sold to existing Bugatti owners, sold out in only two months. The most exciting announcement for what is to come is from a joint venture between Bugatti and Mate Rimac. Bugatti Rimac, according to Mate Rimac, means that we will begin to see Bugatti cars featuring technology we have never seen before, and he makes sure to mention that the combustion engine will remain a part of that future, but with Rimac Automobili specializing in electric hypercars, we may see an electric Bugatti on the horizon. He tells us that Bugatti’s craftsmanship and incredibly high standard of quality will remain and even improve in the future. Bugatti shattered expectations once with the Veyron, and the advent of its W16 engine, and we have no doubt that they can do it again 20 years later. Bugatti For Sale Source: Bugatti

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