Creating a concept that endures is the eternal test of any designer. For Bugatti, it’s a guiding principle that has shaped the brand for 116 years, influencing ideas that give each car its unmistakable identity. Maintaining this approach over more than a century calls for a clear design vision woven into every element of a vehicle. In Bugatti’s newest chapter, that responsibility rests with the team behind the Tourbillon’s cabin design. In the latest episode of ‘A New Era’, Bugatti’s Chief Interior Designer explains the unique challenge of bringing this interior to life.
The role of an interior designer is to, of course, design a full vehicle cabin from the
IGNACIO MARTINEZ, CHIEF INTERIOR DESIGNER AT BUGATTI
first sketches all the way to production. But we need to consider many aspects in
this journey – not only Bugatti’s DNA, and making sure we honor all of the marque’s
stylistic cues, but also develop a theme; a user sequence that is understandable.
Tracing a line through the Bugatti masterpieces that preceded it, the Tourbillon immerses its occupants in a world of luxury and heritage. The quality and choice of the materials within the hypercar’s cabin helps create an atmosphere reflecting the aura Bugatti vehicles have created for the brand, echoed by iconic cues that have punctuated the brand’s design language since the beginning.
Within the cockpit, the iconic center line and C-line that define the marque’s vehicles converge into a new form in the cabin, creating a bespoke space on one side for the driver and on the other for the passenger – a line running down the center of the interior, in subtle harmony with the center line on the exterior. In addition to a horizontal color split in the interior, the range of materials used in the cabin has also been expanded. Newly developed and tailor-made fabrics for the seats and door interiors complement supple leather to stimulate the senses of the occupants. Bugatti is pursuing an approach called “car couture,” which translates the world of Haute Couture into the automotive world.
While both excellence and legacy flow through the aesthetic of the vehicle, the Tourbillon’s designers also needed to reflect that quality in the robustness of its engineering. They had to balance their creative wishes with the practical requirements of delivering an interior that’s also defined by safety, comfort
and performance. Everything that fueled the creation of the Tourbillon’s cabin is closely linked to engineering innovation and design intelligence, guiding Bugatti’s designers to deliver the essential features required of modern-day road-vehicles, while remaining true to the original design concept.
Throughout the design process, we needed to ensure that we implement critical
IGNACIO MARTINEZ, CHIEF INTERIOR DESIGNER AT BUGATTI
requirements like airbags, the position of the seat belt, how the vehicle behaves
in crash scenarios, and how therefore the occupant is impacted accordingly. It’s a
vehicle that will be used and driven on the street, so we needed to comply with many
constraints in order to bring it to production.
In the case of the Tourbillon, named after a watchmaking innovation from the very early 19th century, the design philosophy at the center of the hypercar also echoes the concept at the core of its horological namesake: the spirit of timelessness.
The aspect of timelessness therefore played a central role in the creation of the interior concept.
Just like any precious timepiece, a Bugatti vehicle needs to be timeless; these
FRANK HEYL, DESIGN DIRECTOR AT BUGATTI
objects pass from generation to generation. With the Tourbillon, it needs to preserve
its own character, not following any trends. That’s why, in this digital age, we decided
to pursue analogue technology – where the art of watchmaking meets digital detox.
Choosing to deliver the entire human machine interface and driving experience in a deliberately analogue fashion, the design team worked to minimize and simplify the digital real estate of the vehicle. Instead, the emphasis lies in physical controls – engineered to deliver exceptional quality in haptic feedback,
resistance and travel, while the central display is hidden inside the dashboard until deployed on command.
As the eye follows the cabin’s center line, it is also drawn to the centerpiece of the driving experience: the steering wheel and instrument cluster.
An evocative symbol of the analogue philosophy that defines the Tourbillon, both features come together to form a distinctive proposition. The fixed-hub steering wheel integrates user controls and paddle-shifters within its seamless rim, rotating freely around the central airbag – a mechanical achievement that acts as the perfect complement to the exquisitely crafted dial binnacle it sits beneath.
The fully analogue cluster represents a remarkable feat of machine engineering; each gear and mechanism developed together with master watchmakers in Switzerland, and combining the finest craftsmanship that the worlds of horology and motoring can offer. Employing the same approach as with the steering wheel, the dials highlight a fascination with the beauty of the mechanical – their milled aluminum casing, elegantly skeletonized composition and crystal-housed display are reminiscent of the refined, mechanical simplicity of Bugatti models at the beginning of the 20th century.
It is this simplicity that Bugatti designers through the decades have drawn on, following a path similar to that of the world of horology.
Everything in the interior of the Tourbillon is connected semantically to the art of
IGNACIO MARTINEZ, CHIEF INTERIOR DESIGNER AT BUGATTI
watchmaking. By keeping this approach alive and thriving through our pencils, hands
and minds, we ensure the experience of driving the Tourbillon will remain timeless for
years to come.
Media Courtesy: Bugatti
