Bugatti pulled the covers off the Bolide back in 2020 as a one-off track-only monster but as we know (well you should) they are not entering a 40-unit production run and the intense testing has kicked off.

Sure it is based on the Chiron but take one look at it and you would never know. It sports an all-new carbon fibre body (shown here without a drop of paint on it).

Despite packing a substantial 16-cylinder engine, the Bolide weighs only 1,450 kilograms (3,196 lb) before you add fluids and a driver. With a massive 1,577 hp on tap, Bugatti has engineered a car with a weight-to-power ratio of 0.9 kg/hp.

Bugatti has kindly shared a video with us of the radical W16 machine at an airbase and it looks and sounds mighty impressive.

Incredibly fast. Uncompromisingly extreme. A hyper sports car like no other. The vision of creating the ultimate track-only Bugatti is even closer to reality: having finalized its design and built the first prototypes, the Bolide is now proving its advanced aerodynamic capabilities during high-intensity testing at some of the most dynamically challenging racetracks. The results, so far, have been breathtaking.

The first deliveries of the Bolide will commence in 2024 at a net unit price of four million euros (approx. R85 million) each.