> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.verydriver.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Engineering the Sound of the Bugatti Tourbillon's V16 - URL: https://www.verydriver.com/creating-the-sound-of-a-new-era-inside-the-bugatti-tourbillons-v16/ - Published: 2026-09-13T23:55:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-15T18:29:19.000Z - Author: Very Driver - Tags: Automotive Industry For more than two decades, the sound of the W16 has defined Bugatti's identity, giving the Veyron, Chiron, Bolide and Mistral a voice as recognizable as their silhouettes. Now the naturally aspirated V16 replaces the W16, and Bugatti faced the challenge of finding a new voice to match. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/08-2608-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-BTS-Ep18-1.jpg) Bugatti Tourbillon - Media: [Bugatti Newsroom](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/models/tourbillion-en?ref=verydriver.com) ## Sixteen Cylinders, Zero Turbos The Tourbillon is the Chiron's successor, and features Bugatti's all-new 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V16 built with Cosworth, the British firm behind some of the most celebrated racing engines in Formula One history. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/02-2608-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-BTS-Ep18.jpg) Bugatti Tourbillon V16 - Media: [Bugatti Newsroom](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/models/tourbillion-en?ref=verydriver.com) The V16 alone makes 986 hp and revs to a 9,000 rpm redline. Factor in three electric motors, two on the front axle and one at the rear, and total output climbs to 1,775 hp with a top speed of 445 km/h, or 276 mph. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/10-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-Design-2.jpg) Media: [Bugatti Newsroom](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/models/tourbillion-en?ref=verydriver.com) Unlike the quad-turbo W16 it replaces, the Tourbillon's V16 is naturally aspirated. With no turbochargers, it revs higher, breathes freely, and responds to the throttle with no turbo lag. According to Bugatti, that gives the driver a more direct, emotional connection to the engine. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/10-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-in-Baku.jpg) Media: [Bugatti Newsroom](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/models/tourbillion-en?ref=verydriver.com) ## Tuning the V16's Character Bugatti built its new V16 to carry the same raw edge its engines are known for. Translating that character onto a naturally aspirated V16 paired with hybrid power took thousands of simulations across the exhaust and intake, all balancing performance, refinement, and rawness. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/04-2607-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-BTS-17-1.jpg) Media: [Bugatti Newsroom](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/models/tourbillion-en?ref=verydriver.com) "Bugatti, from a sound perspective, has never had a very clean-sounding engine. 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," said Romain Volatier, Head of NVH and Acoustics at Bugatti. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/05-2608-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-BTS-Ep18-1.jpg) Media: [Bugatti Newsroom](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/models/tourbillion-en?ref=verydriver.com) ## A Sound You Feel Through the Throttle "As a test driver, it's very important that I can hear the engine and feel the engine speed increasing in connection with the throttle," said Paolo Magrone, Bugatti Vehicle Development Driver. "It's very important for me to connect the sound of the engine with what I'm asking from it through the throttle." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/11-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-Asia-Roadshow.jpg) Media: [Bugatti Newsroom](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/models/tourbillion-en?ref=verydriver.com) With the windows up and the car in electric mode, the cabin stays quiet. Press the throttle and the V16 comes through. Lower the windows, and the intake and exhaust fill the cabin. Every note is mechanical, with nothing piped through the speakers. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/BUGATTI-World-Premiere-Presskit-Images-01.jpg) Bugatti Tourbillon - Media: [Bugatti Newsroom](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/models/tourbillion-en?ref=verydriver.com) ## Loud Enough to Thrill, Legal Enough to Sell The Tourbillon also had to pass homologation, the certification that clears a car for sale, meeting strict noise-emission limits without dulling the V16's character. The limit is 72 decibels, measured across constant-speed and accelerated runs that capture the whole car, not just the engine. ## Three Years, One Voice After three years of development, the Tourbillon's acoustic character has reached its final form and carries the spirit of Bugatti's past forward. Bugatti breaks down how its engineers developed, refined, and confirmed that sound in the latest episode of its "A New Era" docuseries, "Sound Of A New Era pt.1," now on the brand's official YouTube channel. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/03-2608-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-BTS-Ep18-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/06-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-Doha-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/09-BUGATTI-Washington-Showroom-Opening.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/01-BUGATTI-World-Premiere-Presskit-Images-34-Photo.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/07-2608-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-BTS-Ep18-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/06-2608-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-BTS-Ep18-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/04-2608-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-BTS-Ep18-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/02-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-in-Baku-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/2026/09/03-BUGATTI-Tourbillon-EPS-2.jpg) Media: [Bugatti Newsroom](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/models/tourbillion-en?ref=verydriver.com) [1,578 HP Bugatti Destrier Redefines Hypercar Silhouettes at Just 39.4 Inches TallThe Bugatti Destrier is the third one-off from Programme Solitaire, the brand’s most exclusive commission service. Solitaire cars are true one-of-ones, designed around a single customer and never repeated. Bugatti launched Programme Solitaire in August 2025 and builds no more than two of these cars per![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/icon/VERYDRIVER--6--75776683-7564-41c4-b574-71ba1ab43463.jpg)Very DriverVery Driver![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/thumbnail/08-BUGATTI-Solitaire-Destrier--1--1-1-682cbdad-19f0-45c2-8050-46fb303c682b.jpg)](https://www.verydriver.com/bugatti-destrier-puts-1-578-hp-w16-in-a-body-just-39-4-inches-tall/) [Bugatti W16 Mistral La Perle Rare: Heritage Meets BeautyThe Bugatti W16 Mistral is the final curtain call for the legendary W16 engine. Only 99 were built, and all have been sold. Among those 99, ‘La Perle Rare’ is a one-of-a-kind commission that stands alone. A hypercar shaped by “elemental beauty.” The Commission The project began![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/icon/VERYDRIVER--6--08435da2-a0a3-47af-bbfe-6689adabda7e.jpg)Very DriverVery Driver![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/94/f99452cd-a930-4f25-894c-20551819444a/content/images/thumbnail/01-BUGATTI-Mistral-Sur-Mesure-La-Perle-Rare-1b010116-f2f8-4a6c-9214-34f59e56a73c.jpg)](https://www.verydriver.com/bugattis-most-personal-w16-mistral-ever/)