Yahoo Autos Bugatti Tourbillon's Gauge Cluster Is Unlike Anything Seen Before
The 2026 Bugatti Tourbillon has been revealed, and it features a truly special gauge cluster.
Its mechanical gauges are made by a Swiss watchmaker, and they stay fixed to the steering column as the wheel turns around them.
Bugatti also lets customers customize the gauges to the watch of their choosing, for an extra fee, of course.
Horology is defined as the science of measuring time, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Within horology, a tourbillon is a rotating cage devised to improve precision and contains the inner workings of a mechanical watch. By Bugatti's definition, a Tourbillon is a $4.6 million work of art with a 1775-hp hybrid V-16 powertrain.
The Tourbillon arrives as Bugatti's replacement for the Chiron—a hypercar that stood alone in its excellence for more than a decade. So how do you improve upon a car that already defies every superlative thrown at it? Bugatti asked the same question.
"How do we make a car relevant at a Concours in 2075 without looking silly in a time that will have holographic displays or augmented-reality contact lenses?" asks Frank Heyl, the director of design for Bugatti Rimac. "We're trapped in the technology of our time," he told Car and Driver. The answer? "Give the entire interior an analog way that you can interact with it."
The gauge cluster looks and functions much like a mechanical watch. It is directly mounted to the steering column, meaning it will never be obscured to the driver's eyes. The gauges are built by a Swiss watchmaker who spared no expense. Milled sapphire crystal glass covers raised numbers and physical needles within the gauges.
For those who want something even more special, Bugatti allows customers to customize the cluster to the watch of their choosing. Fancy a Tiffany Blue 5711-themed Tourbillon? There's even the option for a small screen for those who can't fathom spending nearly $5 million on a car with no screen. At least the display can fold out of sight, leaving the operator to gaze in wonder at the machined cluster before them.
Production for the new Bugatti is set to begin in 2026, with the automaker planning to make just 250 examples over the car's lifespan. Except for those who have a history of buying from the French brand, others likely won't be able to get their hands on this one as Bugatti plans to limit sales to their established customer base.
To delve deeper into the 2026 Bugatti Tourbillon, read our full breakdown and interview with Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac.
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