Bugatti Had Bolide Owners Warm up in a Porsche 911 Before Hitting the Track—Here's Why
The warm-up supercar was the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which makes a piddling 518 hp but is revered as one of the best pound-for-pound driver's cars in the world. The 911 GT3 RS is just 3,268 pounds and has carbon fiber everywhere. The 911 GT3 RS also has an active aerodynamics system to increase downforce when cornering, and a drag reduction system for straights to increase top speed. The 911 GT3 RS—which starts at $241,300—is no slouch, in other words.
More from Robb Report
Maserati Just Canceled the All-Electric Supercar It Spent the Last 5 Years Developing
Jerry Seinfeld Finally Sold His 'Le Mans' Porsche After Turning Down a $25 Million Offer
This New Mini Bugatti Is an Ode to One of the Most Successful Race Cars Ever
That is, except when compared to the $4.3 million Bugatti Bolide, which has a W-16 engine and isn't intended for the street, or even legal for it. Bugatti chose the Circuit Paul Ricard for the drive, the track where they used to hold the French Grand Prix. Bolide owners were eased into their new rides with morning runs in the 911 GT3 RS.
'Before owners unleashed their machines in full-track sessions, they participated in expert-led training to ensure they could harness the Bolide's capabilities with confidence. Each driver worked closely with a dedicated instructor, refining their technique,' as Bugatti described in a press release. 'The morning session saw them on track in Porsche 911 GT3 RS models, sharpening their skills in preparation for the afternoon, where they transitioned to their own Bolide.'
Personal instructors on hand included Andy Wallace and Bruno Spengler, who have each raced in 24 Hours of Le Mans. Just four Bolides were on track, each with different looks based on what owners wanted.
'The four customer cars presented truly distinct specifications—one combining sleek 'Black Carbon' and 'Ruby', accented by striking gold-painted rims, another fusing 'Black Carbon' and 'Blue Carbon', a third in full 'Nocturne', and the fourth adorned in 'Black Carbon' and 'Argent,'' Bugatti said.
Bugatti did not identify the owners of each Bolide or reveal their lap times, except to say that the owners 'inched closer to the limit with every lap,' which is probably for the best, because it's almost impossible for amateurs to compete with pros like Wallace and Spengler. Some of the owners may have even walked away from the event thinking that perhaps the Bolide was too much car, and the 911 GT3 RS just enough, though that's the kind of thought that you only tell your confessor.
Best of Robb Report
The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast
The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards
The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht
Click here to read the full article.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
2007 Bugatti Veyron Sets Auction Record with $2 Million Sale
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector A 2007 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 has set a new benchmark for the model at auction, selling for a staggering £1,527,000—equivalent to just over $2.04 million—during Bonhams' prestigious sale at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Modern Collector Essentials: The Best Products for Cars with Matte Paint or Satin Wraps The hammer price marks the highest amount ever paid for a standard-production Veyron at public auction, surpassing previous records by a significant margin. While special-edition models like the Veyron Super Sport or Grand Sport Vitesse have fetched lofty sums in private sales, this standard 16.4 coupe now stands as the most expensive example of its kind ever publicly sold. Originally launched in the mid-2000s, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 revolutionized the hypercar world with its 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine producing 1,001 horsepower. It was the first production car to exceed 250 mph, and its blend of engineering, performance, and exclusivity cemented its place in automotive history. Just 450 Veyrons were produced globally across various trims between 2005 and 2015. The record-breaking 2007 example featured low mileage and a pristine factory-correct condition, making it particularly attractive to collectors. While Bonhams had estimated the car would sell for a figure well below its final bid, spirited competition among bidders quickly pushed the price skyward. 10 Must-Have Tools and Gear for the Modern Car Collector (Amazon Edition) Auction observers note the sale as a strong indicator of the market's growing appetite for early-2000s hypercars. With values for models like the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT already surging, the Veyron's newfound status as a record-breaker could signal broader appreciation for the era's groundbreaking performance machines. This latest milestone confirms that, nearly two decades after its debut, the Veyron still commands awe—and astonishing prices. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
The 1989 RUF CTR1 ‘Yellowbird' Lightweight in Photos
More from Robb Report Kate Moss's Former London Home Hits the Market for $8 Million New Zealand Will Soon Charge Tourists to Visit Popular Sites A Brand-New Pebble Beach Compound Overlooking Spyglass Hill's 11th Fairway Lists for $10.9 Million Best of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article. The 1989 RUF CTR1 'Yellowbird' Lightweight shows off its proportions. The 1989 RUF CTR1 'Yellowbird' Lightweight in profile. The 1989 RUF CTR1 'Yellowbird' Lightweight from the rear. 1989 RUF CTR1 'Yellowbird' Lightweight's rear in detail. The 1989 RUF CTR1 'Yellowbird' Lightweight's instrument panel. The 1989 RUF CTR1 'Yellowbird' Lightweight's gear shifter in natural light. The 1989 RUF CTR1 'Yellowbird' Lightweight's interior with RUF steering wheel and racing seats.

The Drive
21 hours ago
- The Drive
Bugatti's New Business Strategy: Become Even More Elitist
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Bugatti, one of the most extreme high-end super-luxe automakers on Earth, is introducing a new car this week called Solitaire. It's fittingly named, as it will be the first of the brand's new 'ultra-exclusive program of one-of-one cars.' So forget assembly lines, we're going back to coachbuilding for kings and princes. There's no indication that Bugatti's existing lineup, which is also basically hand built, is being dissolved, but it looks like the French brand is going to start leaning a little harder into one-offs based on its announcement today. This is not a random pivot. Bugatti's been doing one-off treatments on its cars since its early days, and in fact, some of its most spectacular creations were the result of trying to outclass coachbuilders when the cottage industry for one-of-a-kind cars was thriving. The Type 57 SC Atlantic is an example of such a machine, dreamed up by Jean Bugatti to be art-on-wheels, as it's still rightfully considered to this day. As a middle-class road user myself, I find Bugatti's proclamation of creating not a car but a 'celebration of grace and elegance' a little eye-roll inducing. But as a lover of fine art and fanciful engineering, well, I can't deny that I'm excited to see what Bugatti's people will come up with. So far, this is the only teaser image of the Solitaire we've seen. Bugatti Without the limitations of mass production, there's a whole lot of room for designers and tuners to go hog wild. A return to coachbuilding (the classy way to describe one-off custom cars) makes sense for this moment in history, too, as we seem to be hurtling back towards guilded-age economics with a small group of people amassing so much money that a regular base-model Bugatti just isn't going to cut it. Or, looking at it another way, there might soon be more of a market for a single $5,000,000 car than 10 $500,000 ones. We'll see what exactly Bugatti's cooking up, and get more details on the Solitaire, this Thursday, August 7. Got a tip? Drop us a line at tips@