For more than 20 years, Bugatti’s soundtrack came courtesy of one of the strangest production engines ever conceived. Now, the quad-turbo W16 is gone, replaced by an equally unusual naturally aspirated V16 capable of screaming to 9,000 rpm. That presented Bugatti with a surprisingly complicated problem. Namely, how do you make an entirely different engine still sound like a Bugatti? Apparently, you just make sure it isn’t too perfect.
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The automaker has detailed the acoustic development behind the new Tourbillon, revealing that engineers deliberately retained some of the rougher characteristics associated with its old W16. “Bugatti, from a sound perspective, has never had a very clean-sounding engine,” said Romain Volatier, Bugatti’s head of NVH and acoustics. “It has always been a little bit dirty and raw, so we decided to keep that as one of the key points of the sound.”
According to Bugatti, getting there wasn’t simply a matter of bolting on a loud exhaust. Engineers ran thousands of simulations involving the Tourbillon’s exhaust and intake systems. All the while, they were searching for a balance between outright performance, refinement, and that intentionally raw character. There was another requirement, too: the sound needed to communicate what the engine was actually doing.
Development driver Paolo Magrone says hearing engine speed rise with throttle input is an important part of connecting the driver with the car. At the same time, Bugatti wanted the Tourbillon to remain comfortable when simply cruising around, particularly with its windows closed or when operating electrically. It’s easy to see how this is a delicate balance where pulling one string can have a cascade effect.
On top of that, the team had two other priorities. First, it’s not using any faux exhaust or intake noise whatsoever. None of the sound is coming from speakers. Second, it had to ensure that the car could pass homologation tests that require it to be no louder than 72 decibels. The engine can’t take up all of that margin either because the tires, aerodynamic elements, and bodywork contribute to overall noise.
After three years of Tourbillon development, Bugatti says the major acoustic work is now finished. The result is a naturally aspirated V16 that revs to 9,000 rpm, uses no speaker trickery, and has successfully cleared its homologation noise requirements. That’s an impressive feat all by itself, even if we weren’t talking about a car that will offer the insane performance this one will.