At a time when certain sedans and SUVs boast 1,000 hp or more, the term “hypercar” seems to have lost a bit of its identity as a descriptor for truly exotic machines with otherworldly performance. The nearly 1,600 hp Bugatti Bolide, on the other hand, is the type of near-mythic model that the word came into existence to define. At Gooding Christie’s 2025 Pebble Beach Auctions, running August 15 and 16 as part of Northern California’s Monterey Car Week, a unicorn even among the just 40 track-only Bolide examples to be built will make its debut on the open market.
“This is an extraordinary car in all respects—engineering, design, and performance—and it is very exciting to be able to present the first Bolide at auction. Especially as this is chassis 001, which always appeals to collectors,” says David Brynan, senior specialist at Gooding Christie’s.
At one of the unlikeliest times to do so, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bugatti gave the automotive world a much-needed distraction when, in October of 2020, it revealed the concept for its Bolide hypercar. A true benchmark in design and performance, a production version of the track-only Bolide made its public premiere at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June of 2023.
Prior to the race, the marque’s official test driver, Andy Wallace, piloted the Bolide around the 8.46-mile Circuit de la Sarthe. In Bugatti’s official announcement subsequent to the drive, Wallace, who won at Le Mans in 1988 and has also claimed victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, stated: “The Bolide looks and feels—in every respect—like a real racing car with genuine outstanding high-performance capabilities. The fact that it generates around twice its own weight in downforce at maximum speed, giving the car a very high level of grip and stability in high-speed corners, is in its own right incredibly impressive.”
The fountainhead for the Bolide’s hyperbolic metrics, which include the claimed ability to cover zero to 62 mph in 2.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 236 mph, is its quad-turbo 8.0-liter W-16 engine, which delivers 1,578 hp—at 7,050 rpm—and 1,180 ft lbs of torque. The engine is ensconced in a carbon-fiber monocoque—one that Bugatti touts as “stronger and stiffer than the Chiron’s.” As for the car’s cockpit, it features seats that are attached directly to the chassis, so the steering wheel and foot pedals move to fit the driver.
Aside from its output, one of the most noteworthy elements of the all-wheel-drive Bolide is its aerodynamic acumen owed to the body design. Regarding what Wallace had mentioned in the 2023 press release from Le Mans, the 3,196-pound (dry weight) car generates “nearly three tons of downforce,” according to Bugatti.
The air-management features also include an innovative front diffusor and rear wing—the latter designed with the ability to be adapted to specific track configurations. Also contributing to the Bolide’s agility are massive stoppers, which Bugatti asserts are the biggest carbon-carbon front brakes to date. With two eight-piston monobloc calipers at the front and two six-piston monobloc calipers at the back, the brake system can bring the Bolide from 186 mph to a standstill in 6.0 seconds, doing so in 748 feet.
The Gooding Christie’s event marks the first time a Bolide has come to auction, but the wait hasn’t been long, considering that the model made it to customers only last year, and the car on offer was the initial delivery. Regardless, due to the extremely limited numbers, this example—with a total of 389 miles on it—is sure to see bidding go ballistic.
“More and more, the Artioli and Volkswagen-era Bugattis are increasingly collectible, especially now that the company is retiring the incredible W-16 engine to build hybrid models,” Brynan tells Robb Report. “The Bolide represents the ultimate expression of the W-16 era and is unconstrained by the requirements of road cars, so it is really a showcase of what Bugatti, in its modern form, is capable of building.” That seems reason enough for the car’s high-end estimate of $6 million.
Click here for more photos of this 2024 Bugatti Bolide hypercar.
