The Startling Truth About Servicing the Million-Dollar Bugatti Bolide Hypercar

Recently, real estate billionaire Manny Khoshbin, one of the first owners of the Bugatti Bolide in the US, shared his real-world experience with this car on his personal YouTube channel, attracting the attention of nearly 1.75 million subscribers.

One of the biggest surprises was the tire maintenance guideline. According to Bugatti, Bolide owners are advised to replace the tires every 60 km when driven on a racetrack to ensure optimal performance and prevent high-speed accidents.

The tire preparation process before the first drive is equally intricate: tires must be mounted, dismounted, and remounted three times to create uniform friction on the surface, enhancing road grip.

A new set of Bolide tires costs approximately $8,000 (207.95 million VND), which is expensive but still more affordable than the $7,200 (187.16 million VND) street tire package for the Chiron and a bargain compared to the $42,000 (1.09 billion VND) set once fitted to the Bugatti Veyron.

Since the Bolide is not meant for street use, Bugatti also offers a smaller set of tires for transportation purposes. If the car is only displayed in a temperature-controlled garage, owners can extend the tire replacement cycle to five years with special display tires.

Behind these massive tires lies a carbon-carbon braking system, touted as the largest ever fitted to a race-focused hypercar. However, Bugatti has not disclosed the maintenance costs for this category, leading to speculation that replacement parts will be extremely expensive.

It’s not just the tires that have a limited lifespan; many interior components of the Bolide also have specific expiration dates, especially when subjected to the harsh conditions of racetrack driving. Items requiring periodic replacement include seatbelts, seat padding, fuel tanks, and fire extinguishers (the fire suppression system’s battery, for instance, has a lifespan of about a year).

To ensure safety at speeds exceeding 320 km/h, Bugatti equips the Bolide with an engine shut-off and emergency fire suppression system, activated by a dedicated button on the central console or a red handle on the vehicle’s exterior.

Starting the 8.0L W16 engine with four turbochargers, producing 1,578 horsepower, is no simple button-press affair. The owner must first turn on the main switch, followed by the ignition switch, and finally press the start button located on the detachable steering wheel, akin to modern endurance race car designs.

Notably, the Bolide does not feature an active cooling system. After each track session, the car must be manually cooled with portable fans for at least 30 minutes. During this downtime, the owner also needs to refuel with specialized racing gasoline rated at 110 octanes.

TH (Tuoitrethudo)