Top Gear Tests Out New Tourbillon, Praises Rimac and Croatia

October the 29th, 2026 – Mate Rimac hosted the Top Gear team in the magnificent new Bugatti Tourbillon, which resulted in praise for Rimac and Croatia. British Top Gear journalist Ollie Marriage was among the first to experience the new Bugatti Tourbillon on the road, sitting in the passenger seat while Mate Rimac was at the wheel. Poslovni reports that after a drive along scenic French roads and bends in the foothills of the Vosges, he made no secret of his enthusiasm. He was particularly impressed by the naturally aspirated V16 engine, whose sound and character, he claims, represent a complete departure from previous Bugattis. After just a few powerful accelerations, Marriage concluded that he had never experienced anything like it. The pivotal moment comes at around 3,000 rpm, when the engine completely changes character, and the sound becomes increasingly intense as it approaches the 9,000 rpm limit. Rimac, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying himself behind the wheel. At one point, after a particularly strong acceleration, he even admitted that the Tourbillon might even be too fast. The V16 that completely changed Bugatti Unlike the Chiron, which used a massive W16 with four turbochargers, the Tourbillon has a naturally aspirated 8.3-litre V16 developed in collaboration with Cosworth. The petrol engine alone develops around 1,000 hp, while three electric motors add another 800 hp. Marriage points out that it is precisely the character of the engine that is the biggest change. While the Chiron felt like a giant machine that brutally overpowered everything in front of it, the Tourbillon leaves the impression of a much livelier and more explosive car. He was particularly delighted by the sound. At lower revs the V16 has a deep and powerful tone, then begins to resemble two V8 engines, and at the top of the rev range it produces an almost racing scream. Rimac insisted during the drive that the journalist lower the windows so he could hear the engine without muffling. The experience then became even more intense, and Marriage concluded that among the engines he has experienced so far, only the V12 from the Gordon Murray T.50 can offer a comparable sonic performance. Interestingly, Bugatti did not artificially amplify the sound. Rimac explained that the engine sounds exactly as it was developed, without additional sound channels or electronic aids. zagreb will hold a key role in production “The car will be produced in Molsheim, but everything starts at Rimac’s campus in Zagreb. Most of the engineering is done in Croatia; the main part of the work is carried out in Zagreb, and even the painting. Final assembly is done in Molsheim, where a completely new production facility has been built,” writes TopGear , as reported by Tportal . Rimac explained to the journalist that Bugatti wants to reduce dependence on external suppliers and take over as many production processes as possible within its own organisation. Such an approach should speed up production and shorten customer waiting times, which currently exceed three years. Interest in the first 250 planned examples is already so great that Bugatti’s problem is not finding buyers, but producing enough cars. a faster feeling than the nevera… One of the most interesting moments of the drive came when Rimac compared the Tourbillon with his own Nevera. Although the Nevera is faster in acceleration to 200 km/h according to factory data, Rimac believes that the Tourbillon subjectively feels even more brutal. Marriage agrees with him and explains that the big difference is created precisely by the sound of the V16 engine, which further amplifies the feeling of acceleration. The Tourbillon reaches 200 km/h in approximately five seconds, while the Nevera needs around 4.4 seconds for the same task. But the numbers, the journalist concludes, cannot convey the intensity of the experience. It is particularly interesting that the driver can completely switch off the electric part of the powertrain and use only the naturally aspirated V16. The Tourbillon then becomes a rear-wheel-drive car with approximately 1,000 hp. Rimac also insisted that the car must be able to slide the rear wheels in a controlled manner. When the engineers explained to him that drifting is not a traditional Bugatti characteristic, he replied that from now on it would be. Marriage also found a few criticisms. He was not entirely satisfied with the shape of the seat backrest, and the passenger does not have a sufficiently practical armrest. The cabin is very narrow, and the seats cannot be moved forward or backward, only adjusted for height and backrest angle. Nevertheless, most of these details remained in the background because of the impression the car leaves. He was particularly fascinated by the instrument panel made up of approximately 2,000 mechanical parts, which despite its complexity weighs only 600 grams. It is made like a luxury mechanical watch and represents a complete departure from huge digital screens. After the drive, the journalist concluded that the Tourbillon is more agile, changes direction more lively and provides a more direct feeling of connection with the road than its predecessors. At the same time it remains exceptionally stable, although it has probably lost some of the refinement for which the Chiron was known. The biggest change, Marriage believes, is not in power or top speed, but in philosophy. Bugatti is no longer trying only to make the fastest car in the world. Under Rimac’s leadership it wants to create a car that will give the driver the most intense experience possible. 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