Bugatti captured our attention when it released an image of an enigmatic new model whose rear lights form an X. We still don't know exactly what we're looking at, but a photo of its powertrain sheds light on what's coming.

Significantly, the digital rendering shows the car is built around the quad-turbocharged W16 that powers the Chiron. An earlier report speculated it would be electric, and that's evidently not the case. The engine is mounted directly behind the passenger compartment, and the transmission it's bolted to seemingly spins the four wheels.

We also see a rectangular steering wheel, a pair of carbon fiber bucket seats, and center-locking wheels covered by carbon fiber discs. All of these parts look like they belong in a race car, but Bugatti is keeping additional details under wraps. "What if...?" again appears on the photo, so we're expecting something out of the ordinary.

An earlier teaser showing the number 0,67 also asked more questions than it answered. Europeans use a comma instead of a decimal, so there's a strong chance we're looking at 0.67. It's far too high to be the car's drag coefficient; keep in mind the original Land Rover Defender had a 0.59 drag coefficient, and the rear-engined Volkswagen Beetle posted 0.48. If this is indeed a track car, is it 0.67 seconds quicker than the Chiron around a given track? It's possible but unlikely, because that's a rounding error at best regardless of whether we're talking about the Circuit de la Sarthe, the Nürburgring, or Suzuka. 0.67 seconds quicker to 60 mph is plausible.

Is it a one-off, or a limited-edition model? If it's the latter, are there any build slots left? Your guess is as good as ours. All of our questions will be answered when the mysterious car makes its global debut online tomorrow, October 28, at noon Central European time, which is 6 a.m. on the East Coast and 3 a.m. in California.

Since rising from its ashes for the second time in 1998, Bugatti has specialized in creating cars that are as fast and powerful as they are luxurious. And yet, competition — where luxury is superfluous — is a big part of its DNA. It renewed ties with its racing heritage by building a track-only two-seater around its mighty 16-cylinder engine.

Bugatti proudly calls the Bolide — which means "a very fast car" in French — the fastest and lightest concept it has ever built. Concept is the key term here; the Bolide is a one-off, and it has not been approved for production yet. It's proof of concept that illustrates what a modern-day successor to the victorious Type 35 could look like.

Stephan Winkelmann, the head of Bugatti, said driving the Bolide is "like riding a cannonball." Do you remember the 0.67 figure the company mysterious floated? That's the car's power-to-weight ratio, which was achieved using the kilogram-per-Pferdestrke formula used in Europe. It tips the scale at 2,734 pounds dry, and it has 1,824 horsepower. Put another way, it weighs slightly less than a Subaru BRZ, but it has over nine times the power.

Unlocking the full cavalry requires feeding the quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter W16 engine 110-octane race fuel. Its output checks in at 1,600 horsepower (a figure that's on par with the limited-edition Centodieci's) when it burns 98-octane gasoline, which is dispensed at virtually every pump across Europe. Computer simulations suggest that the Bolide's top speed lies somewhere north of 310 mph, and that it can lap the Nürburgring track in 5:23.1.

Although the W16 is closely related to the unit that powers the Chiron, it received a number of modifications that reflect the fact that the Bolide was not designed for street use. It develops 1,364 pound-feet of torque thanks in part to four newly-developed turbochargers. Its intake and exhaust systems are derestricted to let more air travel through, and the oil system has been revised to cope with the high centrifugal forces experienced on the track.

Created in eight months, the Bolide benefits from an array of weight-saving techniques, including some not found in production cars. All of the screws and fasteners used to build it are made with titanium, for example. The auxiliary drive shafts are manufactured using a blend of carbon fiber and 3D-printed titanium. Aerodynamic innovations are part of the package, too. Bugatti points out the roof-mounted air scoop's outer skin remains smooth at low speeds, but it grows what's referred to as a field of bubbles at higher speeds to reduce drag.

Getting in the Bolide requires sitting on a sill, putting your feet in the footwell, and shifting the rest of your body in one of the carbon fiber seats. It's a quick and easy process unless you're over 6'5", according to the company. While the seat is fixed, the pedals offer nearly six inches of travel. Once inside, the driver faces a rectangular steering wheel and a flat screen that provides vital information about the car and its surroundings. It's not quite a stripped-out track car, but it's certainly not as opulent as a Chiron. Soft, diamond-quilted leather? Not here.

Achim Anscheidt, the head of Bugatti's design department, explained form followed performance. His team faced the challenge of making the body as minimalist as possible to keep weight in check, integrating the necessary aerodynamic add-ons, and still drawing something that looks like a Bugatti. Up front, the shape of the fenders and the horseshoe-shaped grille form a subtle visual link between the Bolide and other recent additions to the firm's range, like the Divo. It's a different story out back, where X-shaped lights flank four exhaust tips. Anscheidt noted it's a styling cue that's loosely inspired by the Bell X-1, which was the first plane to break the sound barrier.

"For the first time, we are really showing what the W16 engine is capable of," Winkelmann summed up.

Bugatti still hasn't decided whether to build the Bolide. If it reaches production, it will undoubtedly arrive as a limited-edition model with a multi-million-dollar price tag. It complies with the FIA's safety requirements, so it would in theory be allowed to compete, though we don't know which series it would participate in yet.

Bugatti introduced a one-off track car named Bolide in October 2020, but the images it sent us were computed-generated renderings. It released a batch of fresh photos that finally show the model in real life.

In a normal year, there is a good chance we would have caught up with the latest addition to the Bugatti family tree at an auto show on either side of the pond. 2020 is different because all of the events we normally cover are canceled, so the images give us a much-welcomed second look at the Bolide. It's just as stunning in photos as it is in the computer-generated graphics, and the new gallery proves this track monster is not merely a figment of some designer's imagination. It exists, you can look at it and sit in it. Odds are you'll want to drive it, too.

It's built around a quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter W16 that's related to the engine that powers the Chiron and tuned to develop 1,824 horsepower when it's slurping 110-octane race fuel. While that's an impressive figure on its own, it's even more mind-boggling when you take into account the Bolide's 2,734-pound dry weight. It weighs about 166 pounds less than the new, second-generation 2022 Subaru BRZ yet it has eight times the power.

Nils Sajonz, Bugatti's recently-appointed head of special projects, shed light on one of the Bolide's design themes. He explained the x-shaped lights on both ends are a reference to the tape that race car drivers used to put over their headlights to ensure the glass didn't spread on the tarmac if it broke. Racing is a significant part of the Bugatti heritage, cars like the Type 35 were hugely successful, and the Bolide is the newest torch bearer.

Will it race? It's too early to tell. As of writing, it's a one-off model that hasn't been approved for production. Bugatti notes that simulation testing reveals the Bolide can lap the Nürburgring in 5:23:01, a figure that makes it nearly as fast as the record-holding Porsche 919 Hybrid, and it takes 3:07:01 to go around Le Mans. The firm is done chasing speed records, but we're hoping it gives the Bolide the chance to prove its mettle on the track.